Hello all. I just took the gmat last week, here is my unofficial score report.
740 Overall, 47 quant, 44 (if I remember correctly) verbal.
I have a 3.1 GPA Undergrad out of the McCombs Business School at U Texas
By the time I would enter grad school for Fall 09 I will have about 13 months of full time work experience in the field of IT Consulting, I want to get an MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship.
I am wondering how many schools to apply to and what would be considered a safety school for me? I generally would like to go somewhere top 50, am thinking of Vanderbilt as a solid safety school?
Also, I really would like to go to Cornell, or possibly Dartmouth, UNC, or U Virginia. What do you think my chances of getting into Cornell or a similarly ranked school would be? Thanks for any advice.
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Lisa Anderson
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Dear em00,
Congratulations on your score! You have the GMAT/GPA to be a competitive candidate anywhere; the question will be whether your professional experience, recommendations and essays are strong enough. If you believe this is the right time for you to go to business school rather than after gaining another 2-3 years of work experience, then you should apply. Be prepared to effectively convey why now and how the MBA is a necessary step towards achieving your career goals.
With regards to schools, that is something only you can decide. On average, candidates apply to 4-6 schools. I think the top 50 is reasonable for you, perhaps the top 25 depending on how strong your work experience and leadership experiences are. For additional tips on school selection, you might visit the sticky in the Stacy Blackman Consulting section of this forum.
Good luck,
Lisa
Congratulations on your score! You have the GMAT/GPA to be a competitive candidate anywhere; the question will be whether your professional experience, recommendations and essays are strong enough. If you believe this is the right time for you to go to business school rather than after gaining another 2-3 years of work experience, then you should apply. Be prepared to effectively convey why now and how the MBA is a necessary step towards achieving your career goals.
With regards to schools, that is something only you can decide. On average, candidates apply to 4-6 schools. I think the top 50 is reasonable for you, perhaps the top 25 depending on how strong your work experience and leadership experiences are. For additional tips on school selection, you might visit the sticky in the Stacy Blackman Consulting section of this forum.
Good luck,
Lisa
Excellent, thank you for the advice. I have chosen 7 schools to apply to, with Cornell (My first pick) and Dartmouth being the hardest to get into I would think. I have Vanderbilt, Babson, and U Washington as more of safety schools, with UNC and U Virginia as other harder, top 25 schools to get into.
I was just worried about my lower GPA of 3.1, however I am using the optional essay to explain that school in Texas was hard for me at first being away from home, and that mostly running my business for a year took up a significant amount of time. After I was done with the business my grades markedly improved.
I will definitely look into the other section you mentioned for advice, I appreciate the help.
I was just worried about my lower GPA of 3.1, however I am using the optional essay to explain that school in Texas was hard for me at first being away from home, and that mostly running my business for a year took up a significant amount of time. After I was done with the business my grades markedly improved.
I will definitely look into the other section you mentioned for advice, I appreciate the help.
