Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hi,

Could you please go through my situation and give me some direction on what to do next?

GMAT (10/2011, 2nd attempt) - 620 [V26/Q49]
GMAT (09/2009, 1st attempt) - 590 [V23/Q49]
Master of Science in Computer Science (Graduated 12/2004, USA)
Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science (Graduated 07/2001, India)
Full Time Work Experience - 7 Years [Software - Consulting, Contracting, Product Development]
Other Activities: Math Tutor (Time/week = 2 Hours) Web Developer (Time/Week = 6 Hours)

I am looking for Part Time/Evening/Weekend MBA opportunities and wish to specialize in General Management/Entrepreneurship/IT Management. Given that I dont want to pursue MBA if i dont get admitted into one from one of the top 10 universities,

1] Should I apply for admission? (Which Universities do you suggest?)
2] Should I retake GMAT?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Hi KItuz--

It sounds like you're planning on keeping your job while pursuing the MBA. If that's the case, then we'd probably need to know where you live, since geography may dictate your choice of program more than anything. Given the amount of work experience you have, you're probably best suited for an EMBA rather than a P/T program, though either could potentially be open to you. Some EMBA programs are more strict in terms of the amount of work experience, looking for ~10 years or so. Many P/T programs have a more similar profile to the standard F/T program, which means that students are 28 or 29 years old. Because you're older than that (we assume), some adcoms might feel that the EMBA is more appropriate.

The good news with that is that EMBA programs are also more flexible in terms of the range of profiles they accept. That being said, your verbal GMAT score is very low, and your total GMAT is well below the average of any top 10 F/T program (about 100 points below, actually). You *might* have luck at a top 10 EMBA such as Columbia, or even more likely Kellogg. However you would certainly have better chances if you were to bring that verbal score up higher.

Depending on what you want to do with the degree, you may want to explore the Duke Cross-Continent MBA -- you're probably older than their typical student (average age is 30), however it's a very interesting program that allows for a series of in-country residencies in places like Dubai and China, along with time in North Carolina of course. Most of the program is structured as distance learning so it allows you to keep your job. They offer pre-application profile assessments (we think) where you can talk to one of their admissions counselors about whether the program is a good fit for you.

Hopefully this helps you see where you might start exploring. The top 10 F/T programs would be a tough nut to crack with that GMAT score, and the P/T programs are often quite competitive too. EMBAs are less so, so you might have a chance there, but you will most certainly be in a better position with a higher GMAT score for this tier of school.

Best of luck!
EssaySnark

Thank you for your feedback.

After careful thought i have decided to apply for EMBA and to retake GMAT as well.

I live in Philadelphia, PA right now. I am 32 and want to keep my job while I pursue MBA. I don't want to apply for distance learning / online MBA.

I wish to apply for around 6 universities.

Could you recommend a few more for EMBA?

Thanks in advance.

Hi KItuz - great! So glad to see your commitment to this. A higher GMAT will certainly help you.

And, the EMBA is probably the right choice for you. You can review some comments on our blog post from yesterday that talk about someone in exactly your position - this is a really unfortunate situation for that person, and it seems like maybe you have a similar level of work experience. So you'll want to avoid this! You can read the exchange here: https://essaysnark.blocked/2011/10/ ... 1657757610 - see the comments from Anonymous starting Nov. 4 5:13AM.

As to which programs - most top schools have EMBA tracks. And, the Wharton EMBA is thought by some to be one that most closely matches the F/T MBA in terms of education and experiences. So that's an obvious choice for you, though it's also probably the most competitive EMBA admission around!! So you would definitely need a higher GMAT score for Wharton.

You could also go for the new Columbia Saturday-Only EMBA: https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/emba/options/new-york It does not require any employer sponsorship so it's very attractive for many. (Other EMBA programs often require that you are sponsored for time - meaning, you have explicit support from your company to take time off for the EMBA - but in most cases you do not need to have financial sponsorship from your employer, though it's obviously fine if you do.) We've seen people get into the Columbia EMBA with a GMAT score in the mid-600s though higher is always better.

There are also some lower-ranked programs like the Georgetown McDonough EMBA https://msb.georgetown.edu/gemba/ -- you *might* even have a chance at this program with your current GMAT. Georgetown is a Top 25 school, and this is in DC.

Another possible option though this may be too inconvenient: The Cornell EMBA (which doesn't even require a GMAT score at all). We did a rather snarky review of it here but it could be a good choice for some - who knows, maybe you'll find it appealing: https://essaysnark.blocked/2011/06/ ... art-2.html Cornell is also a Top 25 school.

So that gives you four to think about! NYU has an EMBA as well, which again is less competitive than their F/T and P/T programs in terms of GMAT.

Please keep us posted and let us know if you have other questions we can help with!
EssaySnark