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Hello,

First and foremost, thank you all for taking the time to provide feedback. It is truly appreciated.

Here's my story:

Multi-ethnic, Female, from San Francisco CA
Languages: Fluent in English and Spanish, intermediate French

Undergrad: UC Berkeley, BA Psychology 2009, GPA 3.45, Clinical Psychology Internship

Work Experience: 6 years, restaurant-hospitality Sector

- Position 1 (~3 years): GM of restaurant in very competitive area in San Francisco, annual revenue $1.5M. Led a team of 30 direct reports, including 2 managers. Increased sales 20-40% monthly. Improved financial performance from -$20K/month to break-even.

- Position 2 (1.5 years): restaurant & beverage manager in 2nd largest hotel in SF, annual F&B revenue $30M banquet, $12M outlet. Led a team of 25 direct reports. Oversaw re-concepting of lobby bar, creating a 40% sales increase year-over-year. Managed beverage procurement and created beverage pricing strategy for the property, bringing total cost down 2-3 points. Also created new job code and partnered with dir. of HR for union negotiation and implementation.

- Position 3 (8 months): restaurant general manager in luxury hotel, annual revenue $7M banquet, $5M outlet. Led a team of 70 direct reports, including 4 managers and 3 supervisors. Acting director of F&B during transition period after ownership change. Led team to navigate contentious labor environment during union contract negotation, demonstrations and strike votes.

- Letters of Rec: most likely dir. of HR from position 2 and executive chef from position 3

After Position 3 I spent 4 months traveling through Western Europe and Morrocco. Prior to that I've also spent time traveling through Southeast Asia.

MBA goal is to attend HEC Paris with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. For the first few years my MBA I would like to work within a company developing and realizing new ventures in global markets, possibly remaining in the hospitality sector.

I absolutely want to work internationally, which is why I have my heart set on completing my MBA abroad.

My biggest concern is my GMAT score. My gut tells me that I should probably take it again, but I guest what I'm wondering is what options I have if I were to go in with GMAT 640?

Thank you for your time and input

Dear Leah,

Here are a few more thoughts that may be useful:

1. I agree with Jon on the GMAT assessment. In fact, we've worked with candidates with same GMAT score and in a quasi hospitality (read airlines) industry! You may find this story here having some resonance with yours.
2. The thing I'd like to point out is about your goals story. Coming from a non-common background is a bit of a double edged sword. Unless you make sure you have a clear understanding of your career and how your past connects with the future, it can do more harm than good. The 'novelty' factor can wear down fast if not explained well. This would mean having clarity on things such as why Entrepreneurship, Why can't you do that now, why not within a large company etc etc. Make sure you've thought through those and more questions well

Cheers,

Hi Leah,

I work as a GMAT Tutor and MBA coach in Paris, and I see that you've got your heart set on one of the big prize schools in France. As the two previous posters have mentioned, your GMAT score is absolutely not prohibitive to get into HEC. In fact, I've worked with many students that have gotten into HEC with lower scores. But, unfortunately, your GMAT does not set you apart from other applicants, as an HEC applicant's average score was 685 last year. And, your experience is also something that won't necessarily make you stand out, though I don't believe it should play a negative role.

I think what really matters at this point is the spin that you put on your application, and the sort of outreach you make to the program. Of course, if you could potentially retake the GMAT or GRE, scoring higher would only improve your odds. The cold reality of the French MBA landscape is that schools are very much in the business of appearances, and the GMAT score is a central accessory.

If you have any specific questions, I'm glad to help. Otherwise, good luck with your application process!

Thank you all for your helpful replies, and my apologies for my late response.

I've decided to retake the GMAT on May 2nd. I'm a bit concerned that I am going to be on the later end of applications, particularly for September 2015, but I'm hoping that I can improve my score to the 670-680 mark.

Jon, I am thinking of applying to INSEAD as well, along with IE Madrid and ESADE Barcelona. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and submit the ESADE application now, since the average GMAT is a bit lower at 670? It also appears that they don't require LORs, which is another component that I'm awaiting.

mcbMcK, one question that I have is if you think that I should apply for the January intakes for all schools, versus the September intake? I know that HEC, for example, admits fewer candidates in January, but I'm not sure if I'd have a better chance than if they were to receive my application in June for the September intake.

Leah,

Unless you have a strong rationale to, I am always in the favor of putting your best foot forward. This translates to applying for the usual September cycle only for all schools.

Cheers,