My profile versus 1st round of Columbia/Berkeley/UCLA

Expert replies

humblescarabee: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 12; Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:08 pm

by humblescarabee » Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:37 am

Hi.

Let me introduce myself.
I'm a french native and a black guy born in Guadeloupe FWI.
30 years old
I have 6 years of XP in telecom sector and I am currently a sales manager (10 persons).
My GPA is 3
I don't have many XC: learning Chinese, member of a chinese association.
In the long term, I want to develop a consulting activity in the Caraibeans and to develop business between the Caraibean and China.
I scored 640 q47/v31 which is below my average score during the practice tests (680-700).
Do you think such a profile is competitive during the first rounds of Columbia, Berkeley or UCLA?
Do you think I should write the GMAT once more?
Should I consider other schools if I don't want to write the GMAT once again?

Thanks.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Ask Stacy Blackman | Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:37 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

Lisa Anderson: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 3845; Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:57 pmFollowed by: 148 members; Location: Houston, TX; Thanked: 442 times

by Lisa Anderson » Sat Aug 23, 2008 9:27 am

Dear humblescarabee,

Since I do not know what the rest of the round 1 applicants look like for your target schools, it is hard to say how you measure up to the competition. However, your 640 is on the low side for these schools. You are not completely out of range, but the 640 is near the bottom. I would suggest retaking the exam to increase your score--even 30 points would make a big difference.

If you decide not to retake the GMAT, then I think you could apply to those schools to see what happens. It will be important to make the rest of your application outstanding to mitigate a low GMAT and GPA. Regardless of your GMAT, I always suggest folks apply to 1-3 "safety" schools as a back up plan. I think there are many schools in the 10-30 range that would be interested in your profile and be more open to the 640/3.0 in your profile. I also think you will find programs that are just as a good a match for what you want for your MBA experience.

Best of luck,
Lisa

Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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