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I need advice.

by gmathype » Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:25 am
I work at a major investment bank with various experiences in different roles. Have been working since Summer 2005. My GPA was 3.5 in college, and has been accomplished while working 25-30 hours and participating in school organizations. I have great recommendations. I took the GMAT for the second time and scored a 490 (same score as the first time!). I have been studying for 4 months, few hours a day after work, and I think I am just horrible at standardized tests.

I am from Eastern Europe and lived in the US half my life, so I had to learn English and new way of life without being left behind in schools.

What are my chances of getting into HBS, Wharton, NYU, Columbia? I know HBS GMAT range is 490-800 for class of 2011, so there is a person with a low score like mine.

Or, what could be my target schools?

Thank you for your advice and evaluation.
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Re: I need advice.

by Linda Abraham » Fri Oct 02, 2009 8:26 am
gmathype wrote:I work at a major investment bank with various experiences in different roles. Have been working since Summer 2005. My GPA was 3.5 in college, and has been accomplished while working 25-30 hours and participating in school organizations. I have great recommendations. I took the GMAT for the second time and scored a 490 (same score as the first time!). I have been studying for 4 months, few hours a day after work, and I think I am just horrible at standardized tests.

I am from Eastern Europe and lived in the US half my life, so I had to learn English and new way of life without being left behind in schools.

What are my chances of getting into HBS, Wharton, NYU, Columbia? I know HBS GMAT range is 490-800 for class of 2011, so there is a person with a low score like mine.

Or, what could be my target schools?

Thank you for your advice and evaluation.
There has been a lot of publicity given to that one person who got into HBS with a 490. That clear outlier. I wonder what percentage of people with a 490 could get into HBS. I suspect it is infinitesimally small. I also suspect that that individual was stellar in every other respect.

I don't like to be discouraging, but I can't advise people based solely on outlier events. Consequently I wouldn't advise you to apply to HBS or other schools where the average GMAT is 200+ points above yours.

If you would like me to suggest other programs, please tell me what you have been doing for the IB and what you would like to do post-MBA. Finally, what was the precentile breakdown of your GMAT?

Best,
Linda
Linda Abraham
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