710 Now what? Can I Make in Round 1?

[yearzack]

So I just took the GMAT and scored a 710. I am reluctant to apply to schools in Round 1. I spent a majority of my time focusing on the GMAT instead worrying about essays. I am just curious if I should try and rush my essays and apply in Round 1 or spend a little more time and apply in Round 2.

A little background on me. I am a 25 year old white male. I went to a state school in California while on Active Duty. I graduated in 2 years with an Economics degree. My GPA was a 3.54. I am Marine Corps Officer, so all of my experience is military related. I have 7 years of leadership experience.

I am curious as to what schools I would be competitive for? As with everyone on this forum I would love to attend a top-ten school. I am searching for more than GPAs and GMAT scores because I know there is so much more to application than just GMAT scores and GPAs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Pardon for my forum etiquette, this is not my usual medium.

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Hi yearzack,

First off, a 710 is an outstanding score (it's right around the 90th percentile overall), so you should apply to any Business Schools that interest you.

The process of applying to (and ultimately attending) Business School will require a big investment of time, money and energy on your part, so you really should make sure that the Programs that you apply to match your career goals/needs. There are a variety of factors that go into selecting the Schools that you'll apply to. Instead of just applying to Programs in which you might have a good chance to 'get in', here are some other things to think about:

1) Is there a particular company that you want to work for or industry that you want to work in? Certain degrees are more appropriate than others if you have a specific career goal.
2) What do you want your MBA to do for you?
3) Do you want to go to School full-time or part-time?
4) Are you willing to relocate? Are you comfortable with working through a program that is primarily online?
5) Are you going to be applying for scholarships?
Etc.

It's okay if you don't have answers to any of these questions just yet, but you really should try to define all of the important variables in terms of your goals, so that you can tailor your entire approach to getting into the best School that matches what you're looking for.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich