confused and hence your kind evaluation is requested

[beyondlimitz]

I used to be a regular poster of BTG but lost my other ID. This forum has been truly fantastic and acted as a nice facilitator for learning various gmat concepts. Eric et al, thanks to one and all!

My profile in brief: I took gmat couple of months back and scored a 620(50q + 23v)and 6 on AWA.

Again I took gmat a week ago and after lot of hardwork (if not smart work) I scored a disastrous 640(50q + 27 v). Again expecting 6 on AWA. Also i scored a 1320 on GRE 3 years back.

I have 24 months of work experience in an Indian IT company. I resigned from the job and now currently i am doing various small activites along with my preparation for MBA entrance examinations. Also I am taking a distance course in investment banking.

my 10th and 12th class percentages were 85.5 and 82.2

Undergraduation was in B.Tech (mechanical)- 72.2 % ( among top 10 in the class of 66).

No great extra curicular activites to brag about.

This is my profile in brief.

Frankly speaking, I aimed for an Ivy league school seat. All the while, I have been thinking of joining Yale. Now my situation became precarious.

I am not totally confused but just enough confused to write this post.

I am looking for either General Mba pgm or finance or IB or HR ( I believe i am game for any one of those but will project precisely one specilization if required in the application process).


If i have to apply with this score and profile, can I still make it to Yale? I know I might sound a bit over-ambitious, but please let me know.

could you kindly give me a list of 3 to 4 bschools i can atleast contemplate applying to with this score and profile? also can I use my Gre score anywhere in applying to Bschools?

another option i have is to attempt for the third time hoping for a very good score and apply in the 2nd round.


please provide your invaluable feedback. i don't mind even if it is sounding harsh i.e., please provide the reality picture for this case.

sorry for this big post but I had to ask as I was not feeling comfortable with the way things are at this stage. I couldn't resist asking this feedback.

Please help with the frank assessment.

Thanks so much
Kumar

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Kumar,

I think Yale will be a big stretch for you at your current GMAT score, work experience, and extracurriculars. If it is still your dream school, then it might be worth applying so you have no regrets, wondering "what if". I would suggest looking at schools that have GMAT averages between 580-640. As an international student, you do face a higher hurdle with your current profile, but that is where your essays, resume and interview can make the difference.

Finally, I think it is important to have defined career goals that are what you actually want to do. These goals should be the main criteria used in identifying schools--you want to be prepared for your desired career and schools need you to demonstrate why their program is a good match. So, think about what you want to do and then look for schools that offer the right curriculum and career opportunities. From that list, you can then determine which are a good match to your profile.

Good luck,
Lisa

[beyondlimitz]

Thanks Lisa.

How good a chance I will have if I apply to HEC - Paris programme , ESSEC - Paris, and Nanyang - Singapore? My preference is for full time programe.

Kindly let me know.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Kumar,

When evaluating your chances for any program, you want to look at where you fall in relation to the average GPA, GMAT and work experience. Generally speaking, if you are at or above the GPA/GMAT averages, then you are a more competitive candidate. Likewise, you want to be in the mid-80% range of work experience; having less work experience will mean you need to present a compelling case for why you are ready for b-school now and having more work experience will mean you need to present a compelling case for full-time versus an executive program.

Of course, what you have done in your professional experience, how you present yourself in your applications, and how well you do in your interviews also greatly factors into the decision. So it is not enough to have an above average GPA and GMAT; you must also present an overall strong application package.

Good luck,
Lisa

[beyondlimitz]

True, Stacey! I understand that. But objectively, if you have to tell what would be the chances of me getting into ESSEC or Nanyang with this kind of profile considering that I throw some good essays: 1) Yea 2) Nay 3) Maybe. I know this is not the right of asking the question but Kindly be as frank as possible and help me in bailing out from these indecisive moments of mine.

Thanks so much for your advanced response.

Kumar

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Kumar,

Maybe. The rest of your application will need to be outstanding to be offered a seat, but I think you are up for the challenge.

Good luck,
Lisa