Ok, so I did it... now what???

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Ok, so I did it... now what???

by tyrath25 » Mon Jul 26, 2010 2:21 pm
Hey guys - just wanted to see if I could get any input from any of you fine folks who seem to be pretty darn knowledgable about all of this...

Just took the GMAT today. 640 (39/40). Left some good points on the table in the quant section. Kicking myself a bit after that. I knew how to solve a good deal of the problems, but when I would go to work them out it was like everything had a really hard time coming out. I finished with a little under 2 minutes left, but maybe I was afraid of the time or just intimidated. Pretty pleased with the verbal. I don't really consider myself a GMAT Arnold - racking up 760s like my brain was on roids like some of you killers.

So I'm mainly looking at U of Illinois, OSU Fisher, Penn State, maybe Indiana. UG was a 3.3 in Finance and Entrepreneurship double major from Indiana U. Was a treasurer overlooking $250k budget and ritualist in a large fraternity, currently work in a niche industry that sort of combines some finance with medical reports and some law. Definitely somewhat unique and I have some pretty out there stories from it. Have been promoted, but that doesn't put people beneath you where I work, just gives more responsibility. Would have really good recommendations, everyone I work with likes me. Could probably pull a letter of rec from a Harvard MBA (don't know if non-Harvard schools get as excited as everyone else.) Could probably also get one from a current U of Illinois MBA student. I feel that my essays would be pretty solid as well.

So do you think I should retake the GMAT before I do anything, esp. given that lackluster quant score? Even with a finance degree and somewhat financial job? Or maybe just run the scores and apps up to the schools and see what they say? Also, on a bit of a time constraint as I would like to get the apps in R1, but am headed to Europe Sept 11-24.

That's a lot of info to people who probably couldn't care less, but I had to give it a shot.

Much appreciated you guys.

(And if there's another forum that this should be posted on, I apologize... still flustered...)
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by Brian@VeritasPrep » Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:00 pm
Hey Tyrath,

Congratulations on being done with the GMAT (or at least with round 1)!

Honestly, 640 may be the exact toughest score for me to advise on with your background and target schools! You're a few points below the mean score at all of those schools (it looks like they're all right around 650), but definitely well within their competitive ranges. It sounds like you have some pretty strong work experience in a unique industry, and overall a strong story to tell, so if you're in that competitive range on the GMAT I'd like your chances.

I'd summarize my thoughts as:

You don't NEED to retake the GMAT - you're a competitive candidate and your score puts you in each school's range. The schools with the higher averages, actually (Fisher and Kelley) don't even publish those averages on their own sites and encourage people in the lower part of the range (not you...more like 600 flat) to apply.

If you know you left some points on the board, you might WANT to retake it, for a few reasons:

1) Those schools are all tightly bunched academically and geographically...to some extent (and this is my hypothesis, not a pure fact) they each have to have a desire to crank up the mean score that much closer to 700 to really separate themselves. Within the Big Ten, Northwestern and Michigan are both thought of as elite MBAs, but OSU/IU/PSU/UI and Michigan State and Minnesota (which you didn't mention) are all very strong, top 50-ish programs. One or more of these schools really should be making a serious push for separation, and a higher score on the plus side of their average might be that last item they'd need to admit you...or offer scholarship money.

2) You're also right in the middle of the curve of your eventual classmates at any of these schools, which means that a higher score puts you a lot closer to qualifying for closed-list interviews (you're invited to interview, and don't have to use your bid points) or even scholarship money.

3) With your work experience, undergraduate record, and presumed ability to synthesize it into compelling essays, I doubt you'd go 0-for-4 on that list, but it's probably less-than-likely that you'd end up 4-for-4 with your choice of schools. A higher GMAT makes that a lot more probable...and you could also potentially even start thinking about those elite Midwestern schools (Booth, Ross, Kellogg).

So...my advice is to look at how much you really left on the board today. If you feel like you could fairly easily bump your score 30-40 points or so by shoring up the quant, it may well be worth that extra investment of time and money to retake. It's not wholly necessary, but may give you that many more options if you're able to do it.

Just one man's take - you may also want to post on the Admissions board since more admissions-focused experts post there.
Brian Galvin
GMAT Instructor
Chief Academic Officer
Veritas Prep

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