Update- How are my chances?

[briangtsmith]

I posted this 2 months ago:

Quote:
Hi all,

I am 25 years old, will be 26 when school starts should I get in. My "stats" are below:

3.25 cumulative GPA from The George Washington University, with a major in International Affairs, concentration: East Asia. I studied abroad in Tokyo and am fluent in Japanese.
- During university, interned at The Ritz Carlton
- Accepted into management training program with The Walt Disney Company. Spent 1 year as a Front Desk Manager at 2 hotel properties.
- Left Disney for re-opening of The Plaza in NYC. Took position as opening Front Desk Manager.
- Spent 8 months at The Plaza...decided I was more interested in the development/real-estate side of hotels and left for REDAC, Inc, a Japanese real estate company.
- Promoted after 1 year at REDAC, after proposing a new division be created. Now work as an Asset Manager, as head of that division, managing buildings functioning as extended stay hotels for Japanese corporate clients. Advise on hotel operations and oversee all building aspects, including renovations.

It looks like I will get somewhere between a 630 and 690 on my GMAT, and I have the following schools in mind:

USC Masrhall
University of Maryland
Emory
UCLA
Georgetown
Vanderbilt

My goal is to embark on a career in hotel development.
Since then, I've taken 4 paper practice tests, to the following results:


McGraw Hill 1, 28/37 Q, 35/41 V
Kaplan, 26/37 Q, 32/41 V
Barrons, 26/37 Q, 27/41 V
McGraw Hill 2, 32/37 Q, 36/41 V
McGraw Hill 3, 32/37 Q, 37/41 V


Having a bit of trouble understanding what this is out of 800, but found a scale suggesting 650-720 or so.

How does the above bode for my future?

Thanks as always!

[jkhousto]

Brian -
Hello! I am not sure how we missed your original posting a couple of months ago. Sorry about that.

Your professional experiences to date are unique and original! In the hospitality arena, experiences at Disney and Ritz-Carlton are certainly considered top flight. Your transition to REDAC also helps show that you have seen the investment/business side of the industry in addition to your front-line experiences. Be sure to show how your experiences to date plus an MBA will help you reach your longer-term career goals.

Your undergraduate GPA is below average for most of the schools you mention. However, a language concentration in Japanese will be looked upon favorably and is a strong differentiator. It should help balance out the overall GPA.
As for the schools you mention, USC and UCLA will probably be the most competitive for you. Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Emory, and Maryland are definitely within your reach. I would do some research and see if any of these schools have a hospitality or real estate concentration with an emphasis on hotels and resorts that might be a tailor-made fit for you.

Good luck - I hope this helps.
Jennifer

[briangtsmith]

So after 5 paper tests from varying prep-book publishers, I finally took my first CAT version. Selecting Manhattan GMAT's free test, I was nervous my score wouldn't reflect the numbers I had been achieving on the paper exams (650-720).

Good news though!

Ended up with a 680, with the following break down:

39 Q
43 V

I feel good, especially since this was my first try.

But how does it line up with the real GMAT? Am I in good shape?


I plan on taking a few more, and will be reviewing every day until my test (September 24!