Profile Evaluation Request - Boston Area

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Profile Evaluation Request - Boston Area

by Edward2011 » Sun Sep 18, 2011 10:24 am
Hi everyone, I am hoping someone could evaluate my profile. I really appreciate your help and thank you in advance!

Here is a summary of my background:

GMAT - I have taken it twice and I'm debating whether to take it a third time. I've been scoring consistently in the high 600's on practice tests and just took it yesterday and scored a 640. I'm okay with the score but still feel like there is some room for improvement.
Scores: #1 - 600 (37V/36Q), #2 - 640 (34V/43Q)

Undergraduate - Graduated from a top 25 nationally ranked UG university. Majored in Economics with a 2.7 overall GPA. My GPA isn't solid and I don't feel like it's indicative of how well I can do in class. I did show improvement over four years and I took many quantitatively focused courses. Most of the grades in quant ranged anywhere from C's to B's. Nothing stellar but I feel like I held my own in some tough courses. For what it's worth and I'm not trying to make excuses but my UG institution is notorious for grade deflation. Also held several extra-curricular leadership positions in UG and was involved in a fair amount of community service.

Work Experience - 6 years of work experience as the Director of Operations for a political consulting firm based in DC. I started at the ground level and we've grown considerably over the past several years. I have consistently received raises and promotions throughout my career and my current salary is very competitive. I have also worked directly with hundreds of campaigns including Presidential and other Federal races.

Future/Personal (28, male) - I'm originally from the Boston metro area and would like to be in New England long term. I'm looking for a career change since I no longer want to work in professional politics for a variety of reasons. My current career goal is to work for a consumer products company in general management or supply chain and then start my own winter clothing company at some point down the road.

Schools - I understand Harvard, Tuck, and Sloan are pretty much out of the question and at the end of the day they are probably not the best fits for me. I've been focusing mostly on Babson, BC and BU. My GMAT scores are slightly higher than the Babson mean/median, slightly lower than the BC mean/median and on the lower range of BU. Do you think these three schools are realistic shots for me? I really like everything I've read about Babson and their entrepreneurship program, and I think the school would be the best fit for me.

Again, I appreciate any insight anyone can provide. This forum is an invaluable tool during this process. Thank you!
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by Jon@Admissionado » Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:35 pm
Although your GPA and GMAT aren't perhaps stellar, I feel that someone who has a background in political work, and given your school choice, that it would make sense for you to apply now. Politics does weigh in heavy because of the prestige factor, and leadership opportunities.
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by Edward2011 » Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:50 am
Thank you for your insight and response.

Do you think it would be prudent to retake the GMAT one more time? I'm confident I can increase my score at least another 20-30 points and possibly even more. I'm a little hesitant because I don't know if it's worth taking the time away from essays and the application. That being said, it would be nice to have a higher GMAT score to offset the low GPA.

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by GMAT_1986_subha » Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:42 am
Raising 20-30 score in next GMAT chance will not help very much.
Your profile is interesting.

The time you need to prepare for next GMAT attempt, try to use that for Essay and Application improvement, which will help more than 30 points increase in GMAT score
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by FutureWorks » Sun Sep 25, 2011 9:54 pm
When aiming for top schools a score above 700 is desirable. Looking at Babson's class profile the median score is 620.Hence gmat wise you seem fine.
Now as you said you are not keen on taking gmat you should leverage rest of the profile. Make sure you balance the profile well and plan the things to utilize your time properly across different activities that play vital role in getting admission and your profile building.
GMAT alone won't determine your chances of admission; academics, beyond the academics will and your work experience plays a vital role as well.
Generally most of the applicants have a good 4-5 years of work experience. Although it is not just the work experience that counts but also what you did there like-what were your achievements, what initiative you took, what changes you drove in your workplace etc. So to leverage this if you can show that in 6 years you have demonstrated the skills business schools are looking for you could put in a strong set of essays. Hence the quality of your work, your academics and beyond academics will play an important role in determining your candidature.

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by Jon@Admissionado » Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:24 pm
I agree with subha. although its tempting to get "just 30 points more". I can;t tell you how many times candidates have told me with assurance that "they just needed one more month to retake the GMAT", only to come back with a less good score and a lot of time gone.
"Hands down the best MBA admissions consulting firm of all-time, and boy, what an incredible founder!" -- Raj Patil, Founder of Admissionado

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https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Admis ... 700945.htm

Reach out, and let's gab. Our only requirement is that you don't prefer warm milk over cold milk. Everyone else, 100% welcome.
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Phone: 866-409-4753
Hit us up on WhatsApp.
Ping our satellite: 0884#&@-2#101101
Contact us via web form you lazy git: https://admissionado.com/contact/
Mostly, email Claudia.