USC Marshall Part Time - GMAT 560 (Q47,V21)

[gpm]

Hi,

Looking forward for some inputs. Appreciate your time and response.

I am a 32 year Indian male working in San Diego. I am planning to apply for USC Marshall MBA.PM(part time)
at the Orange County center.

1. Job/Experience -
Senior Lead Engineer in Mobile Semiconductor industry with 6.5 years of work experience. I work on critical mobile development projects that power most of the smart phones out in the market and interact with key customers to decide product requirements. I provide Technical leadership, drive tasks in the team and coordinate efforts of team members.

I have a strong track record and I am looking forward to my second promotion in few months from now. This is my second promotion in the past 3 years. I have received numerous awards for my contributions and smooth project execution.

2. Education -
Undergrad - BE (Bachelor of Engineering) in Computer Science(2005) - Visvesvaraya Technological University (India) - GPA 4.0.
Masters - MS in Computer Science (2009) - University of Texas at Arlington - GPA 3.9/4.0 . Was a honor roll candidate.

3. GMAT - is disappointing with a 560 (Q47,V21) score. I don't think this depicts my academic abilities but planning to retake if possible as I am juggling other responsibilities. With a median GMAT of 610 I am seeing if I can make it through.

I am confident of my profile in the high-technology industry and am sure of getting great recommendations from my seniors.
After MBA, I would like to continue in Technology domain and move into product planning/management/strategy roles where I can leverage my Technical/Engineering expertise.

Thanks

[MargaretStrother]

Hi GPM,
Your professional experience and undergraduate performance are strong, so it looks like the verbal on your GMAT is your big challenge. Except for that low GMAT you look competitive for the USC Marshall part-time MBA, so if you can get your GMAT verbal up a bit that will really help your chances, even if your quant score dips a bit when you retake it.

The concern USC admissions might have with your current score, like any top MBA program would, is that you might not have the verbal skills to do the coursework. So in parallel with re-taking the GMAT, I would recommend that you enroll an online business writing course ASAP, such as the extension course offered by UCLA Anderson. Even if it doesn't improve your GMAT score (and it probably will), taking the course will demonstrate to the USC adcom that you recognize this weakness and are taking serious steps to be sure that you perform at the same level as your b-school classmates. It's an act of commitment that top business schools appreciate.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother

[gpm]

Thanks Margaret for the inputs! Good to know my other parts of application are strong.

Retaking GMAT is in my plan but was just trying to evaluate my chances of making it into the lower range of Median 610 (based on stats/info session) before retaking due to my other responsibilities. Since I would be taking TOEFL, do you think a good TOEFL score and well written essays can help compensate for a lower verbal on GMAT? Do you suggest to skip this year and apply R1 for 2017?

Thanks.

[MargaretStrother]

That's really a gamble that you have to decide on for yourself: a strong TOEFL and good grades won't over-ride a sub-median GMAT, but you also might get lucky, depending on who else applies in a given season. My advice is aimed at getting you out of the "get lucky" zone and into the "strongly competitive" zone. So yes, you will be more competitive with a higher GMAT, but it can be exhausting to retake it, so you have to decide for yourself what is most important to you this year.

One good thing about b-school -- you can always reapply. So if you apply with your current GMAT and you get dinged, you can deal with retaking the GMAT then, apply again next year, and not really lose anything competitively by doing so.

I do stand by my recommendation to take a business writing course, whether you retake the GMAT or not. Your essays will be much better if you do.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother