Columbia, Berkeley or UCLA with a 640 for the 1st round?

[humblescarabee]

Hi all.

I need some advice of yours.
I'm a french native and a black guy born in Guadeloupe FWI.
30 years old
I have 6 years of XP in telecom sector and I am currently a sales manager (10 persons)
My GPA is 3
I don't have many XC: learning Chinese, member of a chinese association.
In the long term, I want to develop a consulting activity in the Caraibeans and to develop business between the Caraibean and China.

How competitive is my profile for schools such as Columbia, Berkeley and UCLA?

Thanks.

[humblescarabee]

I forgot to mention that I want to apply for the 1st round.
I only scored 640 which is under my average scores during my preparation (around 700).
Should I write the GMAT once more and consider applying for the 2d round or should I try get into these schools with my current score during the 1st round?

Thanks.

[VP_MBA_Guru]

Hi Humble,
As you know 640 is on the lower end of the schools averages. And since this year is going to be very competitive, it might be a red flag against your candidacy. I would consider retaking the test if you believe you can get closer to 700.

Can you clarify your GPA? Is it 3.0/4.0?

Regards,

NP

[Scottie@VeritasPrep]

Though the GMAT is only one component of your application, your score is on the low end for the schools you are targeting. Given that this is a particularly competitive year to apply to business school, I would recommend retaking the GMAT (if you think you can get closer to 700) and also widening the range of schools you are considering. Applying in round 2 should be fine however later rounds will be extremely competitive. Best of luck!

[humblescarabee]

Thanks for your replies.

3.0 is a good estimation of my GPA: I am graduate from Euromed (top ten business school in France) and I still wait for the accurate gpa.

I think I will write the GMAT once again since my score is low versus my average during the practice tests.
I should also apply for the second round. It will not be too late I guess.

Thank you.

[VP_MBA_Guru]

Second round is definitely not too late. In fact, most applicants apply in R2.

Good luck with your GMAT prep!

NP