At a loss with a 640- please advice

Figure out where you wish to apply
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At a loss with a 640- please advice

by calcpa2012 » Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:56 am
Hi All,

I took my GMAT Three times

First time got a 630 (44Q 33V awa 6)- Aug 27, 2011
Second attempt 640 (49Q 28V awa 5.5)- Sept 1, 2011
Third Attempt 600 (42Q 30V)- Nov 5, 2011

Where can I apply?

I am a female in Maryland with my CPA from California (husband and i moved). I am currently working in Public Accounting at a large international firm. I have forensics Accounting experience as well. I would have 5 years of experience by fall of next year.

I am heart broken with my third gmat attempt. I scored a 730 and 720 in GMAT Prep and about the same on my MGMT tests. I am burnt. I want to focus on R2 apps now.

My GPA in accounting is a 3.9 and my overall GPA is 3.4. I went to a top 20 school for my undergrad. I have very good ECs (part of committees at work and heading a local not for profit chapter) and steller Recs.

My questions are-

I applied Early Decision and interviewed at Duke? (it went well). Do I stand a chance with my GMAT given? Can i do anything to strengthen my application? like study for my CFE?

What schools shall i applied to?

I sent in my recs for Cornell, Columbia and Carnegie and I am interviewing at Carnegie on the 28th of this month...shall i defer my app for Cornell and Columbia for next year and apply to other schools? i would hate those recs to go to waste?

Finally, are my chances hurt given that I am applying in R2 with a crappy GMAT score?

just an fyi- i sent no schools my last gmat score and the schools mentioned above already have the first two scores.

Thanks guys- i am so lost

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by essaysnark » Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:36 am
Hi calcpa2012 - we understand the emotions around the GMAT - it is such a hard test!!

You have a challenging situation in terms of strategy but there's hope for you, for sure - do not give up! :-)

Our first bit of advice: Don't worry about retesting the GMAT right now. Some schools frown on applicants testing over and over in a short time, they think it's unrealistic and nobody really raises the score that much anyway by testing every 30 days (which you have now discovered!). So just put the GMAT aside for now.

You do have a chance at schools like Duke and Cornell with your current score. What you need to do is figure out which score to use! Believe it or not, you *might* want to use the 630 score on your applications - that one has the highest quant you've ever gotten, and the quant side is more important at many schools, given how difficult their curricula are. It's also got the 6.0 AWA, which isn't a huge difference over 5.5, but still, since the verbal is a little lower on that first test, it helps.

Now obviously a 630 is lower than many of the top schools' 80% range, as you know. We'd need to know more about your profile (esp career goals) to say whether you should even try at Columbia with this GMAT, but probably not -- and especially not if you're comfortable with the idea of waiting till next year and trying again. It's much much much easier to get into any school the first time through; if you think you may end up applying next season, then hold off on Columbia. If you end up retaking the GMAT, maybe next summer or something, then you could have a clean slate at Columbia, and you could apply in their Early Decision round, which is always easier.

You very well could land a spot at Cornell etc though this year -- again, it totally depends on the rest of the profile, your career goals, and those essays and recommendations.

If you want to move further down the rankings, you could totally try for schools like Georgetown -- you'd have an even stronger chance if you were interested in their P/T program (the Evening MBA), since admissions is less competitive there. Not sure if that is convenient enough to where you currently live to consider it.

So, we are in agreement - focus on your apps now - the essays matter A LOT and you can pour yourself into those now and make them as strong as possible. (You might even want to check out our 30 Days of Essays project to get a kickstart on essays this month! https://30days.hoop.la )

If you have other questions or if we can clarify anything for you, just ask!!!
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by throughmba » Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:54 am
Hi

I would suggest to apply this year only and concentrate with the givens. It happens to people when they appear for GMAT in such small interval.

I feel 640 is a better bet.

Personally I feel that you have the X factor and if fortified with strong application essays, its very much possible.
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by FutureWorks » Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:15 am
Hi calcpa,

Unfortunately your gmat score is not strong enough for the school you are applying to. Nevert he less gmat score is not the only thing that counts. If you can build an exceptionally strong application you might make it �. Since you cant do anything about the gmat so don't stress too much about it and focus on building your application at this stage. Now make sure you focus on highlighting quality of your work (what you did there like-what were your achievements, what initiative you took, what changes you drove in your workplace etc), your academics and beyond academics as they will play an important role in determining your candidature
Goodluck!

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by calcpa2012 » Mon Nov 07, 2011 7:55 am
Thanks a ton guys. I appreciate your advice. From what I understand, all I can do is give it my best shot through apps and then see what happens. If nothing else, there is always next year.

I am applying to Carnegie, Cornell and Duke this application season. I will put Columbia on hold and forfeit my awesome rec letters =/.

I will give it my best shot at Tepper's interview and hope for the best.

Worst case, I'll start studying for the gmat summer 2012.

You guys are the best!

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by essaysnark » Mon Nov 07, 2011 8:02 am
On Columbia, you *might* be able to contact the admissions office and see if they can preserve your application till next year. Sometimes they can do that - there are always plenty of people who start apps and end up not submitting them the first year. If your recs are that strong then it might be worth a phone call to see?

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by ariz » Mon Nov 07, 2011 11:47 am
I am no expert by any means regarding the GMAT score, but if you are able to secure an interview with Duke and Carnegie with your current GMAT score already I bet you have a rather strong profile overall. You might even be able to get in this year :)

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by essaysnark » Mon Nov 07, 2011 11:54 am
Actually, ariz, CMU Tepper and Duke both do interviews by applicant request -- they like to meet everyone in advance of the apps being submitted. There's still a chance with this profile at these schools and we also feel like calcpa2012 has a chance! So many variables play into it. :-)

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by calcpa2012 » Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:21 pm
Yupp- EssaySnark is right. I signed up for the interview. I will keep you guys posted.

I have a new found respect for all MBA applicants. This process is tough. I have started grinding my teeth at night and I can see that I am constantly tired and depressed. Those are HUGE sacrifices considering I go through Tax Season and as a Forensics Accountant through depositions without this much stress.

Oh well.

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by ariz » Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:29 am
essaysnark wrote:Actually, ariz, CMU Tepper and Duke both do interviews by applicant request -- they like to meet everyone in advance of the apps being submitted. There's still a chance with this profile at these schools and we also feel like calcpa2012 has a chance! So many variables play into it. :-)

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I see, I had no idea :oops:

Learn something everyday

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by essaysnark » Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:36 am
essaysnark wrote:There's still a chance with this profile at these schools and we also feel like calcpa2012 has a chance!
Wow, sometimes we say silly things and also what we say is silly. :roll:

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by avaluxe » Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:01 pm
calcpa2012 wrote:Yupp- EssaySnark is right. I signed up for the interview. I will keep you guys posted.

I have a new found respect for all MBA applicants. This process is tough. I have started grinding my teeth at night and I can see that I am constantly tired and depressed. Those are HUGE sacrifices considering I go through Tax Season and as a Forensics Accountant through depositions without this much stress.

Oh well.
How was your interview? Inquiring minds want to know!

I love being at Tepper, and I got into the part-time program with a 640 (which happens to be the average for the part-time program). It's not unheard-of for full-time students to be accepted with our GMAT score. Almost every female I know in the full-time program got a Forte Foundation scholarship, and we women are still underrepresented at Tepper. Best of luck!

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by essaysnark » Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:39 am
avaluxe, thanks for checking in - Tepper is a great program that's often overlooked, and most definitely they can use more women there! Love hearing direct experiences from students, it's awesome that you're still coming back around BTG to offer support and encouragement.

calcpa2012 - yeah totally, this app process thing is grueling isn't it?!? Many dentists have future clients as a result! :-)

Good luck to all with apps and interviews and looking forward to getting happy news here in the future!

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