Dear Undecided,

Thanks for your post!

Before I offer my thoughts, I should state that Clear Admit's expertise is really focused around MBA admissions and we are not typically called upon to offer advice to PhD applicants. As such, you may want to post your question in the general "Ask an Admissions Consultant" part of this forum and see what others have to say.

In terms of your profile, my basic understanding of the PhD admissions process suggests that you will need a better GMAT score to get into the top programs on your list. As you know, PhD admissions is typically more focused on academics than the MBA side of the coin - hence elements like GPA and GMAT/GRE come into play more heavily. I can say that your status as a female Lebanese national and your solid performance in ugrad will absolutely help your chances of admission - as you will be highly unique in the applicant pool. One minor concern - beyond the GMAT - is the fact that you are a bit older than the average PhD applicant. Given that the degree can take several years to complete in the US, the adcom may need to be assured that you will stick with it (as older applicants are often more likely to drift off into other opportunities or family obligations, etc).

In terms of which programs are strong in the areas of operations management and/or quantitative analysis, CMU, Purdue and Chicago would all be strong choices. I wouldn't rule out Wharton either - assuming you can get your scores up substantially.

Once again, you may want to post your question to the larger forum and see what sort of advice you get. I wish you the best of luck with your applications!

Regards,

Graham

[quote="Graham"]
elements like GPA and GMAT/GRE come into play more heavily.

I wouldn't rule out Wharton either - assuming you can get your scores up substantially.

Once again, you may want to post your question to the larger forum and see what sort of advice you get. I wish you the best of luck with your applications!

Regards,

Graham[/quote]

Thanks Graham for the reply. I did in fact post my question to the larger forum (still waiting for some replies). But if you believe that my 620 GMAT score will substantially decrease my chances of getting into one of the schools I applied to, then why are you telling me to apply to Wharton? It is a top Bschool too.

Considering that my GMAT score remained 620 and taking into consideration my nationality, undergrad performance and gender, do you still believe I have chance to get inot one of these: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, Washington, Toronto or Purdue?

Thanks again!