Ask mbaMission

Hi

I took my GMAT a couple of weeks before and unfortunately scored only a 710 (I expected to do much better). So, with a bit of a low score for the b-schools I hoped to apply to, I'm confused whether to re-take the GMAT or apply with the current score/profile. Could you please provide your valuable comments?

I plan to apply to Harvard, Stanford, MIT and NYU Stern in the second round.

My profile is mentioned below:
1. Indian Male, IT background, Age - 26 years
2. Undergrad - Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics & Telecommunication), Mumbai University, India - 61% aggregate (think this converts to a GPA of 3.0 - not sure though). Graduated in 2007.
3. GMAT - 710 (Q49, V38, AWA - 5.5)
4. Work Experience: 52 months (as of November 2011)
Current position - Senior Software Engineer in HSBC Software Development, India (not sure whether I could leverage the brand name?)
Joined as a Trainee Software Engineer after graduation, got promoted to Software Engineer position within 6 months and to the current position in another 2 years - well ahead of my peers, who joined with me. Current job role includes mainly analysis, consulting, project planning and coordination. Previously, used to engage in software development as well.
International exposure - Have worked in the UK with HSBC Invoice Finance for more than a year as Analyst & Onsite coordinator.
5. Extracurricular:
Trained Indian Classical dancer (trained for 5 years with distinction throughout) and various dance performances in the city, won several prizes during school in essay and poem writing competitions, won several robotics competitions organized by IEEE during college, won prizes in other sports and cultural activities at work
6. Awards:
Won several awards at HSBC for team and individual performances during my stint so far (think I can quantify these in a decent manner - got one at the group level as well)
7. Interesting personal facts:
Enjoy doing lot of things - cooking, reading, listening to music, learning languages (currently into Italian), painting and sketching, origami, walking, playing chess, table tennis, pool and cricket.
8. Recommendations: I'd mostly take recommendations from my Senior Project Manager, my ex-Team Leader and a colleague who is an year senior to me (we have worked closely for almost 4 years now) - I believe that these people can give the best recommendations, considering the fact that they have all worked closely with me.

Apologies for the lengthy/detailed profile (didn't want to miss out on anything). I'm pretty confident that I could write decent essays highlighting the key points in each of the areas mentioned above.

The dilemma I have is with respect to the overall strength of my profile and my low GPA/GMAT score (considering the b-schools I hope to apply to). Could you please advise whether I should re-take the GMAT or could do anything else in a month or so to better my profile? Do I stand a chance?

Many Thanks
Sudish

Sudish,

I just sent you a personal note.

Best,
Brian