GMAT 650 - which US business schools to be almost sure of ?

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Hi,
I have got a gmat score of 650 (Q:47,V:31), which is not too good, but this is what I got in my second attempt. I am planning to apply into US b-schools for fall 2012 session. I have got work ex of 3+ years. Can you suggest the US schools which are almost sure to get through with this score ? I am trying to be real and know that its gonna be really tough to get into top 20-30 schools.
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by vineeshp » Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:00 am
If you are talking about a good school, then there is no such thing as sure shot school, buddy. GMAT score is a necessary condition. It is never a sufficient condition.

If you post more details about your profile, it will help the experts evaluate you.
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Just telling you what I know and think. I am not the expert. :)

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by arahan » Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:29 pm
Thanks vineeshp for your reply.

I get that GMAT is never a sufficient condition for any b school as such, I would want to know which schools or which ranked schools i should target to be most confident for. my profile's other details are:
gpa - 3.0 in B.E. - Information science
gmat - 650(Q:47,V:31)
work ex. - 3+ years in IT industry (engineering side, Non business side)

Thanks.

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by ronaldramlan » Fri Apr 22, 2011 7:15 am
Although you provide your profile, your question seems to ask which schools would definitely accept you, given that you have 650 GMAT score. This is exactly what I did just before I wrote this. I have the slightly the same score as you did, and I quickly eliminated Top 15 US schools as their average scores are way beyond mine. Thanks to someone I have been recently in contact with, I start looking at those schools in the Top 15 to consider. I'll let you know what to consider later below. So, although it is still hard for me to believe, but don't eliminate schools solely because your score is below their average scores.

Typically schools look at your overall profile and compare with other applicants. If you stand out, you will be reserved a seat. GMAT and the other aspects of your applications (work exp, essays, post MBA objectives, etc) will be measured as a whole, but you can see it this way, if your target schools have average GMAT scores of 700+, then you might want to show off your other aspects of application as mentioned before. It's like trade off...

Also, when selecting schools, you want to know how those schools can help you attain your future career goals because some schools have exceptional expertise in certain area and relationship with companies that you want to work for. For instance, if you want to do marketing after graduation, you may want to look at schools with strong concentration in marketing field. The only way you can know this is by talking to current students or admissions officers from those schools.

This is why no one, but you, can actually answer your question, because it is NOT only about GMAT. You can easily search schools that have average scores of 650, but are those schools truly the ones that you want to go? Probably not.

Btw, as I said, I'm also preparing my applications, and I do have similar score as you do. So, we are on the same boat.

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by essaysnark » Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:19 am
arahan & ronaldramlan

EssaySnark says, a 650 overall score puts you in the running at some good schools. We're thinking of schools like Georgetown, UT-Austin, Cornell. Maybe Tepper. Babson. Vanderbilt. These are good programs that have a lot to offer. There are others as well that could be options. Which school you end up targeting in this tier depends mostly on other factors -- specifically, career goals and the school's strengths -- as well as things like do you want to go to an urban or rural school, East Coast or elsewhere, etc.

Even if you're targeting this second tier of bschool, we still encourage you to retest. Even if your score doesn't improve that much (though hopefully it will), a second attempt at the GMAT will show the adcom that you're aware of the weakness and you take this goal of getting an MBA very seriously. If you've already tested a bunch of times and this 650 is where you've ended up, then probably you should stick there. A Q47 is not too shabby and this level of school may not have a problem with this overall score, depending on the positioning of the rest of your profile (and the quality of your essays). It can still be tough for candidates in the oversubscribed pool of Asian male engineer to stand out, so those essays will matter a lot. You'll need to talk about real leadership experiences and show that you're ready for the switch from IT to the business side.

Good luck with it!
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