Profile Evaluation: GMAT 720, Should I take the GMAT again?

[msharma]

I would like to know
- What US schools can you recommend that will be a good fit and I stand a good chance at?
- Should I take the GMAT again (maybe I can imrpove my score to 740/750)?

I applied to the following schools in round 2 for 2011 and was unsuccessful:
- HBS
- UCLA Anderson
- LBS


1) Basic demographic info:
29yrs, Male, Indian
Settled in the UK for last 11 years.

2) Educational Background:
Undergrad: BEng Electronics and Computers from one of the top universities in UK, GPA 3.7+. Top of the class in degree peer group (14).

Postgrad: MSc Electronics from same university as above, GPA 3.7+. Top of the class in degree peer group (12).

GMAT 720 (Q50, V38, 5.5)

3) Work experience:
5 years full time work at ARM Ltd as design engineer building microprocessor Chips for iphones, ipads, etc. Mostly technical experience in Semiconductor Industry.
Promoted from Graduate Engineer to Engineer 2 years back. Expecting another promotion in next 3-6 months.


4) Extracurriculars
6 year association with University Staff Cricket Club. Team captain and member of management committee. Responsible for tours, logistics, coaching and team selections.
Player/Manager for ARM office football team.

5) Short/Long term goals: Short Term: Want to move to Management Consulting in High Tech Practice for big names likes McKinsey, Bain, IBM, etc.
Long Term: Entrepreneurship opportunities heading technology companies.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear msharma,

I'm sorry to hear your applications were not successful last year. I suspect your GMAT was not the issue, but that you were not able to distinguish your application from the numerous, similar applicants in the pool. While a higher score will certainly not hurt you, for your next batch of applications, I think it will be more imperative you have a business-focused resume and a great set of essays and recommendations. For schools, I encourage you to read our sticky on school selection as you want to target schools that are the best fit for YOU, not just the best names. You also want to have a good mix of programs, not just top 10 as these are highly selective. With your entrepreneurship interest, you might consider programs that fare well in Entrepreneur magazine's rankings as they are regarded as having exceptional coursework in this area.

Good luck,
Lisa