Beat The GMAT a GMAT & MBA community

Based on the available profile information we can say that as you are aiming for top schools then a score above 700 is desirable. If you can improve you scores by 2-30 points you will be in a secure position GMAT wise. However GMAT alone won’t determine your chances of admission; beyond the academics will also help you in determining your candidature and your work experience plays a vital role as well.

Beyond academics plays an equally important role so make sure you showcase it well. Generally most of the applicants have a good 4-5 years of work experience. Although it is not just the work experience that counts but also what you did there like-what were your achievements, what initiative you took, what changes you drove in your workplace etc. So to leverage this if you can show that in 3 years you have demonstrated the skills business schools are looking for you could put in a strong set of essays. Hence the quality of your work, your academics and beyond academics will play an important role in determining your candidature.

Start thinking what makes you unique and what’s that ‘hook’ that will be key to your application.
The sector you are coming from is different than most of the candidates so use it well to add to your
diversity element.

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Thanks!
Kavita Singh
FutureWorks Consulting

Hello Future works,
I have a similar profile to the one discussed here..
I am a 25 year old female from India and applying to US business schools in 2012. I have a GMAT of 640 (Q:45 / V:34 / AWA:4). I have worked for 4 years as a marketing executive in India in the hospitality industry. I have worked for two different hotel groups 1) 1 yr at a large single hotel located in the commercial center in the capital city of India 2) ~3 yrs at a large multi-national and multi-brand hotel chain, with responsibility for nationwide (India) marketing. I had hit a ceiling at my company and without an MBA they were not willing to promote me further or give me additional responsibilities. So I quit and for last 2 months, I have been working as a full-time volunteer for an NGO for differently-abled and underprivileged children. By the time I join a business school (hopefully), I would have worked at this NGO for almost 1 year. I am passionate about dance and was part of a professional dance group for 5 years (alongside my college and job). Both at college and as part of this dance group, I have performed at multiple shows with audiences of 1,000+ people and won many awards. I have an undergraduate degree in English (Hons.) where I studied English. I was very active in my college’s dance and theatre society. Indian colleges do not have a GPA system. I would consider myself a firm mid-tier performer academically.
I am very keen on continuing a career in marketing. I am keen on Duke, UNC, UCLA, Indiana and Cornell. Since my score is not great I have kept a mix of schools for each round. Can you kindly advise which schools will best suit my profile?

thanks
raga