Please Evaluate my profile

[vicrockz]

Hello,
Please evaluate my chances of admission. My profile is as follows

GMAT: 680 (43 Q and 41 V)

I will have 5.3 years work exp as R&D engineer in a US manufacturing company by the time I apply to schools. I have been promoted after just 2 yrs on my job. I also have a Master degree in mechanical engineering with a GPA of 3.9/4 with a heavy math focus and have excellent grades in all the math course I have taken. I also have publications under my name

My undergrad is from India and my GPA is little above 7/10. Math grades in my undergrad are average only. I also have below avg extra curricular activity.

So based on the above profile these are my questions

1. Will my Master degree grades be given prominence by schools or will the emphasis be on undergrad performance?

2. What are my chances in schools like Insead singapore and NUS singapore?

3. Would you suggest I re-take my GMAT.

Your response will be greatly appreciated

Thank you

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi,

Thanks for your post. In general your profile seems to be solid. However, I would have to agree with you that your quant score and grades could be of some concern. Given you are one of many applicants with similar backgrounds, your score on the GMAT is a bit low. When reviewing academics the admissions committee will take into consideration your undergraduate performance, GMAT score as well as your GPA from your masters program. While your GPA for your advanced degree is quite solid and impressive, it may not be quite enough. I strongly encourage you to consider retaking the GMAT, especially if you feel you can score 700+.

One are that you may wish to work on is your extracurricular activities. Since you mention you don't have much of them in undergrad and you don't mention having any now, I strongly encourage you to work on this area. Find something to get involved in and use it as a chance to develop your leaderships skills. I suggest thinking of hobbies and personal interest that you already enjoy and find a way to connect them to other activities. This will make it easy for you to become involved and take on a leadership role. This is especially important if you haven't had a lot of leadership opportunities at work.

Best,

Stacey

[singhag]

Hi Stacey,

I am also on a similar boat...My GMAT score is 720 (M-46, V-44) AWA 4.5...I have masters (Software engineering) with 9/10 CGPA and undergraduate with little above 7/10 CGPA.

My maths grades in undergraduate and post graduate are above average. In my previous attempt of GMAT I have scored 610 (49 M and 25 V).

I am little concerned about my Maths score going down by 3 points and also with AWA score. I have 5.5 years of IT experience with good progression and average extra curricular activities( award for innovation, debates etc).

I am also targeting NUS, NTU, ISB for 2011 admission. Please suggest shall I consider retaking or work toward creating a stronger application...Does my previous Maths score, grade and extra curricular activities will help me to create a competitive application.

Thank
Singhag

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi,

I think your new GMAT score certainly makes up for your previous score. One thing you didn't mention, what was your first AWA score?

Thanks,

Stacey

[singhag]

Thank you Stacey for your reply. My previous AWA score was 4.

[Stacey Oyler]

Hi,

Thanks for the additional information. I would not worry so much about your quant score going down. I would instead spend your time and effort working on your essays. Given you are are an international applicant, much attention will be paid to your language ability. The adcom uses the AWA score as a way to assess your abilities. Since your score is indeed on the low end, you will want to spend a great deal of time on your essays. I suggest you form a strategy and pick your topics early on (most schools release essays in July), thus giving you plenty of time to craft solid essays in time to meet round 1 deadlines. Well written essays will be the key for successful applications.

Best,

Stacey