Pls help evaluate GMAT 660

[stayingcalm]

Hi

Please help evaluate -- I feel like i'm at a fork in the road.

Stats:
Just retook the gmat - 3rd try from 600 to 660 Q47 V34 (AWA unknown-maybe 4.5)
GPA 3.15 Major: eletrical engr and accounting from a ok UC school

Work experience:
2 yrs auditor in public accounting in a financial service firm
currently 1 yr in accounting at a hedge fund w/ 15b AUM

I'm lacking in community service and extra activity..

I want to go into b school mainly to career change. I find it so hard to change to a finance job w/o prior experience in the field. After graduation i want to go into finance mainly investment banking/ trading.

Schools I want to apply to:

Columbia
NYU
Cornell
CMU
UCLA (living in CA)
USC

Do I have any chance for these schools?? I am aiming for R2 2010
Or should i still try to retake once more (try to get 700+? realistically i think it's possible to get to 680-690) and then apply for R3 2010?

Please help, thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi,

Thanks for your post. If you strongly feel that you can improve the GMAT to 700+, I would encourage you to consider retaking and applying next year. Since you have three years of work experience to date, one more year won't hurt your chances and you might even be able to gain some more leadership experience and strengthen your application and essays in the process.

If you are set on applying this year, you really don't have time to retake the GMAT given that application deadlines are right around the corner. You could always apply this year, recognizing that your score is below average for your schools, and then should you not gain admission, you could go through the reapplication process next year with a stronger GMAT score. As it stands now, your GMAT score really won't help your applications.

Best,

Stacey