Couple of Newbie Questions

Hey there,

Jim is right - timing doesn't matter - it just has to be valid when you apply.

As for your GPA, they do cut a little bit of slack to engineering students and their GPAs but a 2.86 is low, I won't lie to you. It's quite low, actually. So you have you to CRUSH your GMATs. You have no choice unfortunately. With the right application and GMAT score, it won't keep you out but you'll have to work hard to mitigate its negative impact. What's done is done, so look forward!

To your question about AWA & IR:

AWA: this is considered, but not factored into your raw score. It isn't given that much importance because, honestly, you're writing essays anyway. They get what they need from the essays themselves.

IR: this may, and probably will, change by the time you apply in a couple of years. At the moment, the entire community is trying to get a baseline around this section. They need to understand what it actually measures and how it stacks up against other applicants. For that, they need a couple of years worth of data. Certain schools will focus more on this than others but over the next few years all the programs will start looking to this section. However, it still won't be a calculated component into the three digit score you're targeting.

Good luck prepping for it!

Bhavik