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Got a 650 on GMAT but have strong, creative work experience

by MaxwellMick » Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:40 am
I am wondering if someone could shed some light on my chances of getting into a top 20 or top 30 MBA program.

I'm 38 and have enthusiastically decided to earn an MBA after putting it off for years to pursue what has been a somewhat successful career in the entertainment industry as an independent film producer and writer. I graduated from Tufts University and earned a 3.21 GPA (3.46 for my last two years) with a major in history and scored a 650 (46 quant/34 verbal) on my GMAT (took it a 2nd time and scored a 610 under the duress of a freshly strained back - hate using that excuse but it seems relevant). Also, I feel I am a strong writer and am confident that my essay will be well received.

That being said -- What are your thoughts of my chance for getting into schools such as: 1) U of Texas - Austin, 2) Indiana University, 3) USC, 4) U of North Carolina, 5) U of Virginia, 6) Georgetown and 7) Emory; and are there any others I should be considering? - should I be aiming lower? I want to focus primarily on marketing but also focus on fiance and entrepreneurship.

And do you have any thoughts on whether the 2nd GMAT I took and got a 610 on will hurt my chances? I really hope not.

Thanks for any feedback. It's greatly appreciated.
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by komal » Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:04 am
hi maxwellmick

Following is in response to your query: "And do you have any thoughts on whether the 2nd GMAT I took and got a 610 on will hurt my chances? I really hope not."

First off, B-schools don't frown on repeat test-takers. In other words, you won't be penalized merely because you've repeated the test. Secondly it depends on the school, they might average or take the latest one, but most likely they take the highest of gmat you scored in last 5 years.

As for ur question on chances of getting into a top 20 or top 30 MBA programs, i am not in a position to comment on the same.


Hope this helps : )
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by money9111 » Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:13 pm
I think you should pose this question to one of the consultants in the other forum. You might get a quicker stronger answer, but I agree with komal re: the GMAT score... Also consider the fact that you've been out of school for quite some time, so I'm not sure how much weight will be given to your undergraduate GPA... i think at this point in the game more will be given to the GMAT score since I assume that's more recent
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by bhumika.k.shah » Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:33 am
I think u have a fair chance of getting into the top 20 B schools with the #s of work exp u have and a gmat of 650 - hope tht score is not outdated .

U can also give GMAT a second shot . scoring anything above 650 will increase ur chances massively.

Hope tis helps :)
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by shashank.ism » Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:41 am
If you get 610 in second that will surely hurt ur chances as Universities go for recent scores though they consider the older scores too..
With your experience and academic record...you may or may not break into top 20 MBA program with a score of 650 ... surely not in top 5 ...(exceptions are always there)..
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by money9111 » Sun Feb 21, 2010 8:04 pm
MaxwellMick wasn't asking about a Top 5 b-school.
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:57 am
Hi Maxwell Mick -

I am also 38 years old and graduated from Tufts. Small world!

I think that your chances are decent. As I'm sure you know, the 680-720 "range" does not account for all accepted students. Plenty of interesting/exceptional candidates are admitted with lower scores. Your job is to prove to the Adcom that you can handle the work. Your undergraduate record will not be very important because it was so long ago (although it is helpful that you have decent grades from a good school). For you, it will be most important to have recommenders who can speak to your academic abilities and raw brain power in addition to your creative skills.

I think that the schools you mentioned are good targets. Anything in the 20-30 ranked area would be worth targetting. Your best shot is to apply to programs that truly appeal to you (strong marketing programs, geographic location that makes sense for you, etc.) and then make your case. Your score won't get you in, but, it also shouldn't keep you out.

For older applicants, work experience and focus will be most important. The Adcom will want to make sure that you know where you want to go in your career and how business school will help get you there.

Good luck!
Jessica
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by money9111 » Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:52 am
Jessica,

Let's say that he did want to target a top 5-10 B-School... would his changes be the same as targeting 20-30? Just curious because you said "Anything in the 20-30 ranked area would be worth targeting."
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:30 am
Hi Money9111,

I was mainly trying to answer his question which spoke to targeting "second-tier" schools, but, in response to your inquiry, yes, I do think it changes for the top 5-10. A 650 is a little low for these schools, and, while it is absolutely possible to be admitted with a 650, these spots (of which there are few) will usually go to someone with extenuating circumstances. That doesn't mean someone shouldn't include a "reach" school just in case, but, in terms of "realistic", I do not think a top 10 school is very realistic for someone with a 650.

Of course, this analysis is complicated for the 10-20 ranked schools (actually, I feel it is more accurate to group schools by the top 14 or 15 as these same schools tend to rotate in and out of those spots, but, schools 15-20 are a high "second tier" in my opinion). I do think this candidate could have a decent shot at some of those schools. As I said in my original post, for a 38 year old, it is work experience that is most important. GMAT is a much less significant data point. However, a top school will still need some sort of "proof" that the candidate can handle rigorous academic work. One way to mitigate any concerns would be to take a few stats courses or finance courses and be able to show a recent transcript with a 4.0GPA.

The last point is that, normally, a 38 year old with stellar experience will be applying to an executive MBA program. The story gets a little more complicated when someone with over a decade of experience wants to go to enroll in a traditional 2 year program. Most 39 year olds don't want internships with I-banks, etc. This may not be fair, but, an adcom will take into consideration the level of thought that the applicant has put in to their job strategy and career/life goals, etc. Again, all of this can be mitigated with excellent essay answers and a strong interview!

Hope this helped to answer your question!
Jessica
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