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What school do I have a chance?

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What school do I have a chance?

by gingertea » Fri Jul 30, 2010 3:10 pm
Hi,

I am thinking to apply for MBA programs this fall. Here's my profile:
Female/29/ 4 years of work experience in the U.S.
Finance/Litigation consulting
GMAT: 640
GPA: 3.8 with Honors (University of California)
Completed CPA exams (But I didn't get my license due to lack of auditing hours)
Sitting for CFA exams L2 in 2011
Do you think I have a chance in getting into these business schools?
1) Duke
2) Columbia
3) University of Virgina
4) USC
5) UCLA

Any other top school that is worth considering with my profile? What should I do to boost my profile?
Any suggestions and comments are welcome. Thanks in advance for your inputs!!!!
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by Lisa Anderson » Fri Aug 06, 2010 7:40 am
Dear gingertea,

I think you have a chance at these schools, but they are more in the reach category than the reasonable/competitive category for you based on your posted profile. How strong your chances are will greatly depend on the quality of your essays, recommendations and interviews. To increase your chances, you might retake the GMAT as it is currently on the low side for these schools. If you could get your score up even 30 points, then you would be more competitive. Also, you do not note any extracurricular or community activities nor give much detail on your professional track record. These are also critical pieces to your evaluation. Schools want to see progression in your career and evidence of leadership in your background. Finally, I would encourage you to identify some schools outside the top 20 for some reasonable to safety options. There are some fabulous programs that would welcome your application and where you would find a comparable experience to the top 20 in terms of curriculum and resources.

Best of luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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by The Duke » Fri Aug 27, 2010 10:03 am
Lisa,

What School outside the top 20 would you recommend? Good Schools that would be okay with these types of scores.

My profile is very similar:

640 GMAT (45Q/33V), 3.5 CGPA, 3.67 (last 2 years) - B.Comm - Finance Major (Accounting Minor)
Also have a BSc.
Will be sitting for CFA Level 2

(Now I'm considering for these programs in 2-3 years)

At that time :

Male - 29 / Canadian / 4 years work experience in Finance.
Good Extra Curriculars during undergrad including being on executive committees, student assoications, tutoring students.

Im considering the MBA for later on (perhaps), when I build up more experience... as I'm hopeing the experience could help overcome the 640 GMAT (tho I only studied shortly for the GMAT this summer - 10 weeks, tho I'm limited on the verbal side since I'm a very slow reader)

Thanks
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