Research MBA Programs

First time posting so I apologize if I miss any cardinal rules and for the length (I wanted to get it all out there)

I'm looking for feedback concerning retaking the GMAT as well as chances for admission into selected programs.

Stats: 29 year old white male. 690 GMAT 44Q, 40V. I haven't received my AWA/IR #'s yet but feel confident. This was my second test, first time, 630 GMAT 38Q, 38V, 6 AWA. Wondering if I should retake the GMAT after getting my applications rolling? I ran out of time during Quant sections on both tests and did not complete 3 questions on my 690 test. I completed the 8 MGMAT books, all of the OG problems and two of the MGMAT CAT exams. Given enough time I think I could probably improve significantly..thoughts? I want to start focusing on applying instead of studying. Do you think 690 is good enough if I am unable to retake prior to round 1/2?

College: University of Central Florida, majored in Chemistry, 3.1 GPA. GPA #'s are low because I played football and was an Air Force ROTC scholarship cadet. Juggling all three was monumentally difficult and my grades suffered, although my Math and core course GPA was closer to 3.4. I attended UCF to play football, but had the profile and academics to get into many of the Ivy League schools. At 18, the thought of taking out $150K in loans was too much (read it was not my academics that pushed me into a tier-2 school), and I was not good enough to play at the academically prestigious schools that are D1 and can offer sports scholarships like Stanford.

I am currently a Captain in the Air Force and have been in the service for 6.5 years. I've been promoted into leadership intensive roles since day 1, and have led groups into combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan as the sole Officer in Charge, directly responsible for 300+ personnel. I have extensive leadership experience, and have been recognized for it countless times. My resume will show numerous stratifications as the #1 among hundreds of my rank across the entire Air Force for the entirety of my career. I recently was picked to join a selectively manned unit that specializes in the acquisition of Space assets. We command a large budget and drive a very complex schedule and workforce. This work has afforded me the opportunity to work with host-nations across the world to include, Qatar, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, and Germany. The civilian equivalent to my position is the owner of an international business with 22 personnel and a $30M+ annual budget.

Extracurriculars: I could write a novel detailing the amount of community and sports involvement that I have been part of during my 6.5 years with the Air Force. Most notably, I was chosen as 1 of 20 players out of a pool of thousands to represent the United States and the Combined Military Services (AF, Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard) for international rugby events. We have traveled all over the United States, as well as Australia wearing the uniform of our country. I was chosen as the Captain of this team and have participated in countless events. As Captain, I am expected to be the team ambassador for the trip, working with national and international partners to secure logistics, financing, support, etc. for the events and be the face of the organization.

In college I played D1 athletics, participated in the Air Force ROTC program, and joined the American Chemical Society.

I am considering applying to:
HBS
Kellog
Wharton
Booth
UCLA
Stern
Columbia

What do you think my chances are? Where do you think I need to make improvements? Is my 690 GMAT enough to get by given my GPA and school? Thank you for your time, and I appreciate candidness!

Being honest, I think you are going to have a challenge getting into a top school given your relatively low gpa from a lower-ranked college. However, MBA admissions are crazy and you never know. There's always the story of some kid who gets into HBS with a 580 gmat score -- suddenly your 690 looks pretty good. It's all about your story and how you package it. You have great leadership experience, but so do a lot of military folks. If you can figure out what makes you stand out, then I think you have a shot at the schools you mentioned. (Although, I'd definitely avoid ever again mentioning how you 'could have gotten into an ivy league school.') Good luck!

Next Great Leader,
Thanks for the advice. The picture is clearing up for me on what I need to do if I want to up my %'s for admission. Been thinking a lot about how to package my experience into a moving storyline. Fingers crossed that it will be enough.

For those reading, please don't read into my comments on "had the profile and academics to get into many.." By no means do I think I would have been admitted to Any Ivy of my choosing, my comment was intentionally open ended as I was accepted to the three Ivy's that I applied to. I included that statement to define that my school choice was not academically driven and that I have/had the ability to get in and potential to be successful in the rigor of the Ivy programs.

After reading through all the advice and comments, I am going to take one more crack at the GMAT after I finish my essays. Just need to work the timing on Q until I am consistently breaking 75 min and I think I should be able to pull a 720. Probably would help if I took more than two practice tests as well, seems like most of the individuals on here that break 720 are either incredibly intelligent and/or have taken the practice exams extensively.

Hi Branham24,

First things first, we wish to clarify that nobody but the adcom can tell you if you can "get in" and we don't know enough about you/your profile to truly say one way or another, but we do have some experience with applicants like you so we're just hoping to add some insight. In fact, one of our favorite success stories from last year was a Green Beret: https://www.essaysnark.com/2012/03/guest ... -to-smile/

We agree with NextGreatLeader, MBA admissions are crazy and you never know what will happen, but this is our perspective. Bschools LOVE military applicants! And, although you are a bit older than the average HBS/Stanford guy, we believe the adcom recognizes the commitment you make when entering the military and you get credit for that. You're also right in line with the average age of Columbia/Wharton/Hass students (you didn't mention UC Berkeley/Haas in your original post, but we think that because you mentioned UCLA, it might be worth looking into UC Berkeley too. Just a thought)

Finally, we think your plan to take one more crack at the GMAT is wise, especially because if you only missed finishing 3 questions, it seems like your quant score will be a question of timing, and timing comes with practice, practice, practice!

We could wax on and on here, but we'll try not to. Hope this helps, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask us!

EssaySnark