How competitive am with GMAT: 690 & GPA:9.54/10

Dear aksr,

The applicant evaluation process is holistic, meaning all applications components are taken together as a whole versus one being more important than another. While it is possible an outstanding set of essays and recommendations, plus a great interview, might result in a positive decision for you, it is also possible that your GMAT being below average for your target schools might result in you not receiving an interview invitation. As an international applicant to a top MBA program, you are competing for a small number of seats. In your case, many of the other international applicants will appear very similar to you on paper in terms of education and experience. Thus you have to find a way through your resume, essays and recommendations to stand out and make these schools want to learn more about you. If you feel you can do that, then I would keep some of these schools on your list. However, I would encourage you to broaden your list to some schools outside the top 15 where your GMAT is above average and the selectivity is a bit higher. You might be surprised at how many options you will find that meet your criteria and who welcome your application.

Good luck,
Lisa

Dear brentwood,

If you hold US citizenship, even as a dual citizen, then you are considered a domestic applicant not an international applicant. Schools do not have a quota on international students, but they do try to keep the percentage of international students in the class within a certain range. Based on the limited information in your post, I do not think your 690 is a negative at all--it is a competitive GMAT for these schools. It is slightly below the average, so you will need to mitigate that with other application components. You have an above average GPA, and you have your essays and recommendations to highlight your accomplishments and skills. If you feel your other components will be strong, then your 690 is probably a solid score for you.

Good luck,
Lisa