Profile Evaluation

[spain55]

I'm planning to apply Round 1 for Fall 2012 to the following schools: Northwestern, Harvard, UPenn, Berkeley, and Yale. I wanted to get your opinion on my profile and specifically, whether you would recommend retaking the GMAT.

- 26/hispanic/male
- 4 years work experience (finance - wall street)
- 3.95 undergrad gpa, finance major, top 3% of graduating class
- Student body vice president during my senior year at a large university (I think I could use this as leadership & ability to manage a role that took up quite a bit of time and still maintain an excellent academic record)
- 650 gmat (45Q/35V) - balanced scores in Q & V. I just retook and was able to bring it up from a 600. My goal was a 680 minimum but fell short of it. Just not sure if the incremental benefit will outweigh the time and effort. I think my score is good (correct me, if I'm wrong!) but would a 680 make it "great" or just a higher quality of "good"

I would appreciate your insights. Thank you

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear spain55,

You have many positives in your profile for a competitive application to your target schools. However, you are correct to be concerned with your GMAT score. It is hovering at or just outside the bottom of the competitive range for these schools. That is not to say you can't be admitted with an otherwise stellar application package, but you will want to ensure you present a strong, compelling application that makes the admissions committees want you in the class. Increasing your score 30 points will push you into a more competitive part of the range (more in the mid-50% than the mid-80%). Whether or not the incremental benefit is worthwhile depends on your assessment of the strength of the rest of your application. Think about your time at this point--you do not want to sacrifice other parts of your application for a GMAT retake.

Good luck,
Lisa