Low GMAT Profile Evaluation-Best schools for me?

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I've taken the GMAT 7 out of my 8 lifetime limit. Highest score to date is 660 (39 Quant and 41 Verbal) and 660 (41 Quant and 40 Verbal) and I am growing worried....

Here's some information on my background:
Female and African-American. Born and raised in the United States but have dual citizenship with a West African country. First generation American. Descended from revolutionary that helped lead the first successful war for independence from European Colonial rule by an African country --fuels my passion for social justice and helping the underprivileged

NYU Stern School of business for undergrad. Double Majored in Finance and Political Science. 3.5 GPA
Work full-time as an investment banking analyst specifically in Leveraged Finance at a Japanese Bank (in NYC)
Will have 3 years of full-time work experience before entering school

Volunteer with underprivileged youth in NYC
Committee member of my bank's women's network affinity group-- help plan company wide events for women employees.
Currently starting the first ever affinity network for underrepresented minorities at my bank

Enjoy investment banking and don't necessarily want to transition out of the industry. Want to pursue an MBA to continue/further strengthen my knowledge of finance as I continue my career in financial services but also want to add in studying management which I didn't pursue in undergrad as I see myself functioning in a leadership role not only in banking in the United States but also in paving the way toward setting up better-functioning financial markets in Africa so as to help local entrepreneurs gain access to capital and grow their operations which could benefit the community at large.

Looking to apply to NYU, Columbia, Duke, Yale, UCLA, Ross Please be honest, what are my chances? What other schools should I look at to help me continue my career in banking?

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by IvyGroupeCEO » Sun Oct 15, 2017 8:55 am
Hi there,

You have a really interesting background, but unfortunately, because of your GMAT score, most of the schools on your list will be a reach. Have you thought about taking the GRE? If you can pull up your quant score through the GRE, then I think you would be much more competitive at these schools since the rest of your profile is quite strong. Other schools that you may want to look at are Emory, Georgetown, and Darden.

I hope this helps! If you would like to discuss further, feel free to reach out at https://www.ivygroupe.com/contact or [email protected].

Best,
Shaifali
(HBS Grad/MBA Admissions Expert)
Ivy Groupe, Founder/CEO
Boutique MBA Admissions Consulting

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by abby1020 » Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:54 am
It's not realistic for me to take the GRE after two years dedicated to the GMAT and my banking hours (hence why i'm doing poorly on the exam in the first place) but I appreciate your honesty and am happy you think the rest of my application is strong. Hopefully this last time I take it I can turn things around. Otherwise i'll have to apply and hope for the best!