GMAT and Scholarships

[ElSantoVicioso]

Hi Everyone,

I am an Indian IT Male with around 7 years of experience and the long harbored aspiration of making it to a top-10 MBA program. Having appeared for my GMAT in Nov,2008 (730, Q51 V 38), I haven't been able to apply to the programs due to some personal priorities.
However, this year I am in for the kill but facing a dilemma. Having started working on the essays, I wanted to ace the GMAT to have a chance of getting some $$s. My query revolves around the very same point. Do you believe that there is a threshold score for GMAT score to be in contention for the financial aid at the top schools?

What should I pay attention to if I wish to bump up my Verbal score to Mid-40s in a period of 3 weeks?

Thanks in Advance!!

[CriticalSquareMBA]

Hey there,

Unfortunately, for international (and specifically Indian) applicants, merit based scholarships are difficult to come by. While merit based scholarships take GMAT scores into account (and heavily), for the male, Indian, IT pool that generally isn't enough.

To give you a better understanding of this, let me put it this way. Schools use scholarships to attract those individuals who provide a specific skill set or fill a particular niche. For example, if you're underrepresented or you have an exceptional background.

Your background makes this really difficult - it's hard to make a case for giving money to someone from your applicant pool when there are thousands to choose from.

I know that isn't the most uplifting answer - I'd love to say you have a shot at scholarships. But if you're aiming top 10, you're probably not going to get any money. If you want a scholarship, with your score, you should start looking at the sub 25 range.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Bhavik

[ElSantoVicioso]

Thanks for your valuable inputs. Regarding the GMAT score, do you think I should try to improve it, in order to have a better chance. I am undecided between R1 and R2, GMAT being the only factor. Do you think R1 and R2 are equally competitive at top-10 schools (except Sloan) or does R1 offer more assurances to an applicant belonging to a crowded pool?

[CriticalSquareMBA]

Hi there,

With a 730, you're better off targeting R1. You have a really strong GMAT and there's no guarantee that you'll do better if you take it again. On the other hand, it would be best to get your apps in R1. While R1 isn't vastly different than R2, there is still an advantage!

Bhavik