Profile evaluation pls

[ksadhah]

Hello,

I am applying to b school for round 2 and my major insecurity lies in my potential GMAT score.

Here's the rundown:

EDUCATION
- Summa cum laude from Harvard College (GPA 3.92), studied History
- Won award for best History senior thesis, best LatAm-related thesis, and Hoopes Prize for senior thesis
- Was President of the largest student group on campus for students interested in politics

WORK EXPERIENCE
- Business Analyst (and former summer BA) at McKinsey & Company in Dubai, distinctive (top 1%) performance rating in last review cycle
- Have served clients in all over the Middle East (including Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Israel) as well as in Mexico, London, India, and the US

PERSONAL BACKGROUND
- From Argentina and grew up all over Latin America
- Currently living in the Middle East out of Dubai
- Gay

The complication is I haven't taken my GMAT yet - I have it scheduled next week - but I've been getting scores of 660-690 and I know this does not measure up to my actual potential. Thoughts? Should I crunch myself studying or settle for a 660-690 and hope other facets of my application will speak for themselves?

Thanks!

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

I would say do all you can to achieve a score that is going to accurately represent your abilities. If you haven't taken a prep-course, you would have time to do that, retake the test and still get 2nd round applications submitted. There is so much about your profile that is unique and memorable and the fact you went to a marquee undergrad institution is helpful as well. You don't want to risk marring any of that with a poor GMAT, although if you can get somewhere near 680+, you should be an ideal candidate for top schools.