aspirant2011 wrote:Hi Stacy,
Your link is useful. I went through it but I noticed that the applicants had a GMAT score more than 680 (i.e around 720) with foreign exposure under their belly. In my case I have just got 640 in my second attempt also. Should i retake my GMAT again and try to increase my score????
My undergrad and my 10th and 12th education all have been completed at above 80 %. This time I applied to 6 B schools and got rejection from all of them. Few i.e two gave me a call for interview and rest didnt even gave me a call because i was short of their average GMAT score of 680
. Also, I don't have any foreign exposure till date.
Here's my take on what you have to say:
1. Statistically speaking, your GMAT score appears to be on the lower side of the typical score-curve of the applicant pool to the top schools. As a general rule, adcoms want to know whether you can cope with the academic rigor of the program. To that effect, adcoms look at the GMAT score and undergrad GPA as a indicator of that ability. Say, for example, you're applying to Sloan (which is known to be quantitatively intense,) then a 80+ percentile on the Quant section would be competitive, but having a lower score does not necessarily mean that you're out of the race. Some people are just not good at taking tests, maybe you're one of them. If you think that's the case, then retaking the GMAT might not possibly give you the boost you're looking for. So what do you? Focus on taking a course in statistics or quantitative finance and demonstrate your abilitiy to excel in it. Also make sure that you talk about it in one of your essays
On the other hand, if you're convinced that retaking the GMAT is the way to go, make sure you identify your weaknesses and work on them to the best of your abilities. Taking the test more than thrice might not be viewed favorably by the adcom (especially, if the score differential is not substantial.)
2. About the work experience part, like Stacy and arora007 mentioned in the previous posts, it's all about the quality. Objectively speaking, it helps if you're a code ninja at Google versus a nondescript start-up. Why do I say that? Well, look at it this way: if the general perception is that Google hires the best talent, then working for Google means that you're good at what you do. However, that does not mean that working for an unknown start-up is a less favorable thing; it just means that you have more work to do in terms of articulating your experience and projecting it effectively though the resume and essays. Bottomline: don't base your career choices around the MBA admissions process - that would be wasting an opportunity to project yourself as a unique applicant and stand out of the crowd. In fact, I totally agree with Stacy - working on something that you enjoy often increases your chances of excelling at your job (and that makes for great story!)
On a side note, you should consider reading "Made to Stick" and the "Purple Cow" - they're great resources to help you market yourself.
Hope this helps
