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Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
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by stevieg » Sun Sep 27, 2009 6:40 am
Hi Stacey,

I trust that you are well.

Please could you perhaps give some advice on my evaluation.

I am planning to apply to the top 5 schools.

HBS is my number 1 choice.

Background
Born and raised in the UK.

BA in History from University College London (GPA:3.0)

Journalist for the The Times Group of Newspapers (1 year)

Derivatives analyst (UBS) - 3 years.

I have 6-7 year track record of strong extra-curricular activities, volunteering with several organisations (mentoring,education etc).

I am looking for a career change however and want to move into the non-profit sector with a long term target to set up a charitable foundation.

I am yet to take a GMAT but I'm assuming with my low GPA I would possibly need a 700+?

I know that Harvard may seem a long shot but I think
I can do it. I just wandered what your thoughts were and if you think my optimism is misguided!

Many Thanks for your time.

Regards,

Steve
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by Lisa Anderson » Sun Sep 27, 2009 1:43 pm
Dear Steve,

I think you have some good work experience and admirable career goals. With your GPA, a strong GMAT score will balance that measure. To be competitive for a top 10, a GMAT starting with a 7 is best. If you manage to score 680+, I do think you should apply to any schools you feel are a good match. Your essays, recommendations, and interview will be key to your decisions and give you a chance to make a compelling case for your admission.

Good luck,
Lisa
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by stevieg » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:52 pm
Hi Linda,

Thanks for your reply - much appreciated.

I'm worried about my GMAT as in practice tests I'm scoring low, between 600-640. I know this probably isn't going to be good enough and many people are saying I have to shoot above a 700 to be competitive.

I have completed my essays and believe they are strong; this may mean I can get less than 700 but I still don't think this would be enough. I'm told that with sub 700 there's no point in applying to HBS.

Would you agree?

In general I believe my recommendations will be very strong (as my recommenders know me very well) and my essays. My work experience I feel is good.

However, I just think my GPA and GMAT may let me down and my feeling is that HBS may ultimately look unfavourably on this.

If you could let me know your thoughts it would be appreciated.

Kind regards,

Steve
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by Lisa Anderson » Wed Oct 21, 2009 3:12 pm
Dear Steve,

To be competitive, your GMAT score should be within the mid-50% range for a school. You should be able to find this statistic on the HBS website or in some of the rankings. If your score is at/above the average, that is ideal. If your score is below the mid-50% range, then it is not impossible, but you would need to have an otherwise stellar application and make a strong, compelling case for your admission.

Regards,
Lisa
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