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Profile Evaluation - Please Help

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Profile Evaluation - Please Help

by rak512 » Sat Aug 21, 2010 4:32 pm
Hi all,

I just took my GMAT and was sorely disappointed by the score. Despite months of dedicated studying and relatively high scores on my practice exams, I ended up with only a 680. I'm older than the average candidate (30) and really feel as though my window of opportunity may be closing. Anyway, here are my stats.

- Demographic - Indian, NYC, 30 yo

- Undergrad: NYU Stern, Finance and Intl Business dual major, 3.3-3.4 GPA

- GMAT: 680

- Work Experience: 3 Years in bulge bracket banking and equity research (GS, Citi). Decided to return to banking at a middle-market bank, where I have been for the last 5 years and am currently a senior associate

- Extracurriculars - tutored at a well known nonprofit in NYC and have organized several bone marrow drives.

- Essays - I will be hiring a consultant and am generally regarded as a good writer. I am a project-based, detailed oriented banker sort and will make sure that these essays are perfect to help compensate for some of the shortcomings in my app

-Recommendations - very strong relationships with all of them and think that the letters will be good.. The list will include a VP at my firm, as well as the CFO's of two client companies. One CFO was previously a long term colleague of mine and the other is a Columbia GSB grad that has been trying to convince me to go back to school for quite some time.

- Interviews - if i actually get this far, I haven't ever gone to an interview that I didn't ace. Hopefully the trend will continue.

In short, I dont think i have a crappy app. I do, however, think that I have a very average app that has more than its fair share of shortcomings. It would be a dream come true for me to get into either Columbia or Wharton - however, I really had the wind knocked out of me by this recent GMAT score. Please advise as to how you view my application and whether I have any real shot of getting into a top 5/top 10 school.

Thanks so much.
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by Tani » Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:14 am
Hello,

You know, of course, that you will be competing with many talented applicants from India with GMAT scores over 700. That is not in your favor. However, your score should not automatically put you out of consideration. NYU, for example, has a middle 80% that starts at 670, so you are within range. It looks as though you will have solid recommendations from people who know you well (which is far more important than their titles).

Your challenge will be not the quality of your profile, but its similarity to so many other applicants. Has your work experience given you expertise in an unusual industry? What kind of supervisory responsibilities have you had? What were the scale and success of your bone marrow drives? Schools are looking for leadership potential. Your GPA and GMAT indicate that you will be able to handle the classwork, now you have to find a reason for them to accept you. Working with a seasoned admissions consultant can make a huge difference.

I often recommend what my daughter calls a "brain barf". Just get down on paper everything you can think of about yourself that would make you a positive addition to the class. Then sort those ideas two ways: first, by importance and then by themes. Try to pull those together into an overriding theme or two that showcases why you will contribute to the class and be a success in school and beyond.

Admissions decisions are made by people, not machines, and are therefore unpredictable. I would never tell someone not to apply to a dream school for which he is qualified. That said, you have to recognize that schools such as Wharton and Columbia are long shots for everybody. (Interestingly, Wharton has one of the widest ranges of GMAT scores when compared to other top schools https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/studen ... rofile.cfm )

Unless you are prepared to take the GMAT again and believe you can improve your score, your best bet is to work on identifying a story that will catch the imagination and interest of your admissions reader. With a 680, the chances of improving your score are less than 50-50, but for some people, the stress of the testing situation is much less on their second round and scores climb slightly. If you have consistently scored over 700 in practice, it might be worth a retake.

Good luck,
Tani Wolff
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