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My GMAT was 680 the first time around, when I applied in the 3rd round last year. Now GMAT is 740, and I have the option of reapplying in 3rd round this year or for 1st round next year... I also have a decent leadership trackrecord (class president, startup companies, etc.). My questions are:

1. Is 740 good enough for Harvard? Is it recommendable to take the GMAT again?

2. Should I apply for the 3rd round right now, or would it be better to wait and apply in the 1st round next year?

3. GPA is 3.4 from a top 10 Canadian school. I have heard that this is comparable to higher GPA's from American schools (for instance, our A range is from 80-100). True? And if so, does Harvard take this into account?


Many thanks in advance.

Dear Kayser,

Thanks for your post. I've answered your specific questions below:

1) In light of your 3.4 GPA (the other key academic metric for MBA admissions), a 740 GMAT score is absolutely sufficient for HBS (or any other top program). You should not retake the test.

2) This year is going to be one of the most competitive on record for b-school admissions. As such, your odds in Round 3 at HBS are likely to be rather slim. While I'd really need to know a lot more about your background to help you make this call, my initial thought is that you should hold off and apply in R1 next fall. If anything, applying in R3 two years running might suggest to HBS that you aren't that well organized - as the school openly encourages applicants to apply in R1 and R2 and to avoid R3 if at all possible. Of course there are other factors. For example, how old are you? Were you interviewed when you applied in R3 last year?

3) On the margin, the adcom recognize that grades trend lower in the Canadian system (and subsequently view a 3.4 from a place like McGill in a very favorable light) - but I fear that the average admissions officer is only very familiar with a small group of Canadian schools - so I'm curious to know where you went...

Feel free to send along your resume to [email protected] if you'd like to set up a free call with one of our counselors to discuss your reapplication strategy in greater detail.

Best of luck,

Graham