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Do I have a shot, GMAT 660, High GPA

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Do I have a shot, GMAT 660, High GPA

by ponkibhera » Mon Aug 05, 2013 7:07 pm
I am a 27 year old woman (African); I went to a very well regarded college in the US. I am currently worried about my Quant GMAT score, but I would rather apply if I have some chances of getting in. here is my profile for evaluation:
GPA: 3.9, Double Majored in Math and Econ with a solid 4.0 in Math.
GMAT: 660 (Q39, V41)
Work Experience: 3 years of work experience in Econ consulting, with a focus on quantitative projects
Target Schools: Cornell Johnson, Carnegie Mellon Tepper,Duke, Yale, Columbia, Stern
I also do volunteer work whenever time permits; I do other several activities outside of work.
Why MBA: I am planning to switch to management consulting with a focus on consumer goods and luxury retail or management within the hospitality industry. My dream is to start an event planning business and a line of retail and bridal shops in Africa.
I have been on my own since my father at 17. My mom died in the 80s. I was left with nothing, no school fees or house to live. I figure everything out by myself, finished high school, and found my way to college in the US. (It's a long story, but this is a very high level summary)
I would like to know if I am being realistic on my target schools and if you have any suggestions for me.
Thanks very much!
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:27 am
Hi there,

Thanks for posting! You are clearly driven and your story is really inspirational (even the abbreviated version you shared).

Let me talk about the various components of your profile and then I'll give you some thoughts on the schools, sound good?

Academics: You're all set here. A 4.0 in Math?! That's going to go a long way in establishing your academic abilities. I'm not sure how highly ranked "well regarded" means but if it's held in esteem, that's just another plus for you. Your academics are beyond question.

GMAT: Is your quant score low? Yes. Is it disastrously low? No. And you have a 4.0 in MATH! I think you can handle it. Overall, your score isn't fantastic but the good thing is you come from an under represented group that, on average, has lower GMAT scores. So, within that pool, your score is fairly competitive. So given your background and demographics, I'm not worried about your GMAT.

Work Experiences: Not a lot to say here because you haven't provided much but coming from econ consulting is a strong background. Your focus on quant projects merely reiterates your quant capabilities and that's even better. If you could share some additional information around your responsibilities or impact, that'd help!

Extracurriculars: Hmm, if you could share some more here, that'd be great. I don't have enough here to say anything of value.

Your path here: Like I said, it's inspirational. This is a big deal. You didn't come from parents who paid your way through school. You are a strong individual and what this says about your determination and character is fantastic. This is a great foundation upon which to build your story.

Your goals: makes sense to me! It has a balance of ambition and realism so there isn't much more to say here.

Ok - so what you should have gotten from that is: yes, you should definitely apply!

So schools...

Columbia and Stern make sense. So does Johnson. Duke is a good school so if you'd like to keep that in, go for it. A lot of consulting companies recruit there but their focus in retail is limited. I'm not sure if Tepper or Yale are the right options. Have you considered Ross (great for consulting) or McCombs (great for entrepreneurship)?

I think you're looking in the right range of schools with a nice balance of some stretch and some safeties. Perhaps a little reshuffling isn't a bad thing though.

I just wrote a lot - ok, phew, your turn. I had a couple of questions in there too. If you have any questions or want to chat in more detail, don't hesitate to reach out!

Bhavik
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by ponkibhera » Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:10 pm
Thank you so much Bhavik! I really appreciate you taking your time to answer my questions. Thanks you for you support, I felt so much better after reading your response, I have regained momentum. In fact, I have started working on my applications.I will definitely give it a shot.

I will work on the apps very hard. Hopefully the admins will understand how much I worked to be where I am now in the U.S. I was homeless, just some years ago, but now I find my self giving advice to companies on big consulting cases, so to me that means a lot.

My college was ranking number 21 Under U.S ranking for Liberal arts college.

Your comments regarding my school selection perfectly makes sense. My dream schools are actually Johnson, Columbia and Stern, so I will apply to those first.

I will follow up with you if I have additional questions. Thanks very much, I really can't thank you enough!
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Thu Aug 15, 2013 9:35 am
I'm happy to help and good luck! I'm always a PM away so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Cheers!

Bhavik
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by MBAPrepAdvantage » Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:40 pm
Are you a U.S. citizen or permanent resident? If so, your 660 GMAT score (with quantitative work experience) is competitive for an applicant from two underrepresented minority groups (female and African American). Your 57% quantitative score is mitigated by your 4.0 Math academic background and quantitative work experience. Some of your target schools are part of the Consortium which you would be eligible to apply through.

If you are a citizen from an African nation. Which one? The more underrepresented at business school the better your chances but even so you still have a good shot, but I do not know your whole profile.

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by ponkibhera » Sun Sep 08, 2013 7:20 pm
Hello Experts,

Thanks again for getting back to me. By The way, I am from Southern Africa, my country is underrepresented.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I took the GRE in 2007 and got a quant score of 700 (71%) and a verbal score of 490 (60%). Now that I am facing a time constraint in terms of retaking the GMAT, I was wondering if it is better for me to submit my GRE score instead of GMAT? My GMAT Quant is very low 39 (46%) and verbal is 41(93%), total is 660 (80%).

Thanks very much!
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by CriticalSquareMBA » Tue Sep 10, 2013 2:16 pm
Hey there,

Sorry for the delay in responding! You can definitely report both - most applications have a place to list the scores for most major tests taken. However, remember - for most major rankings out there school's have to report the candidate's GMAT.

If you report both, that helps show them you might have just been having an off day in the quant side in the GMAT but the 660 still counts.

Like I (and others) have mentioned, overall, no one is going to question your ability to hold your own academically. Also, your underrepresented status really helps.

I think you should be good to go!

I hope everything is going well,

Bhavik
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