So...brief profile in case it helps. I've been a management strategy consultant for a large global firm for 3 years. I went to U of Michigan Ross Business School undergrad with a 3.5 GPA. So now...
...I took the GMAT 2 days ago and got a 710. My first thought was, decent enough score and it's close to the mean/median of most top schools. However, I further assessed the score: 70% quant, 97% verbal, at which point my current paranoia set in:
Many (if not most) of the top schools (Stern, Wharton, Columbia, Sloan, Chicago, etc.), pride themselves on being heavy quant schools. Given that it's the most competitive year for b-school in decades, my main concern is this:
The 70% will raise a red flag to most schools, causing them to either (a) scrutinize my undergrad quant classes and look more intensely to my recommenders/essays for quant experiences ~ both of which would seem to put me at a disadvantage, or (b) they'll just toss me into the "maybe" or even worse the waitlist pile since the significant increase applications will certainly lead to them to assess the red flag-less candidates first.
These are the thoughts that lead me to believe that it might make sense to retake the exam, despite having a 710. $250, however, is a lot of money, and realistically I will only raise my score 20-40 points at best.
I don't think I'm not crazy in reasoning that not raising a red flag looks better than raising one, but I know little about the application process so I could be way off base. I've received mixed advice from friends both applying and currently in b-school. Any advice from people that have a better understanding of the application process would be immensely appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.
...I took the GMAT 2 days ago and got a 710. My first thought was, decent enough score and it's close to the mean/median of most top schools. However, I further assessed the score: 70% quant, 97% verbal, at which point my current paranoia set in:
Many (if not most) of the top schools (Stern, Wharton, Columbia, Sloan, Chicago, etc.), pride themselves on being heavy quant schools. Given that it's the most competitive year for b-school in decades, my main concern is this:
The 70% will raise a red flag to most schools, causing them to either (a) scrutinize my undergrad quant classes and look more intensely to my recommenders/essays for quant experiences ~ both of which would seem to put me at a disadvantage, or (b) they'll just toss me into the "maybe" or even worse the waitlist pile since the significant increase applications will certainly lead to them to assess the red flag-less candidates first.
These are the thoughts that lead me to believe that it might make sense to retake the exam, despite having a 710. $250, however, is a lot of money, and realistically I will only raise my score 20-40 points at best.
I don't think I'm not crazy in reasoning that not raising a red flag looks better than raising one, but I know little about the application process so I could be way off base. I've received mixed advice from friends both applying and currently in b-school. Any advice from people that have a better understanding of the application process would be immensely appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.
