Hello, I am a Canadian (or Korean - I can choose to specify either if it helps my chances) applicant aiming for Fall 2006 admission into top 10. Please evaluate my chances based on my profile below and advise accordingly.
Gender: Male
Age: 25 (will be 26 this coming November)
Major in Undergrad: Computer Science
GPA: currently 3.65 (but aiming for 3.7 or higher)
GMAT: 730 (Q49,V41 on 1st attempt), but will give it another shot for 760+
Expected grad date: April 2006 (but I can push for December 2005 if necessary)
Post MBA career: I plan to work in the IT strategic outsourcing/consulting division. I also welcome international working opportunities. But other than that, I also plan to work for a non-profit organization (probably Christian based) part-time or full-time if time permits.
Work Experience: 2 years (professionally related but pre-degree) at IBM, HP, and Generac + 8 months of running my own company (unregistered, and failed in the end)
Schools I intend to apply: Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, Berkeley, UCLA, U of Toronto and a couple more.
Here's my dillema.
I have super academic records (high GPA in a difficult field and 730 GMAT score), but relatively shorter work experience comapred to other competitive applicants who are applying to the schools I mentioned. Work experience, unlike my academic records, which I can improve by working harder, won't change much by the time I apply. (this coming December for 2nd round)
So my questions to you are...
1. should I re-take GMAT? Although not many obtain a high score like this on the first attempt, I feel that GMAT is one of the few areas that I can remain very competitive against other applicants. Given that I can obtain a score 760+ on my second attempt, should I re-take? What if the score drops? Does the school look at this as a negativity?
2. Harvard has long been my dream school, and I can probably come up with 10+ reasons as to why Harvard is my choice, and how I can fit in there. But realistically, I am a bit worried that my relatively short work experience will eventually have me rejected. How true is my assertion? Any other suggestions to improve my candidacy?
3. I plan to work with an essay-consulting company to get some insight, and help on my essays. Why should I choose to work with you,
accepted.com, over your competitor? (sorry if I sounded a bit too forthcoming)
4. Given my situation above, what schools do you recommend to someone like me?
Thank you, Linda
1) Don't retake a 730 GMAT. A higher GMAT won't "make up" for lack of work experience. The schools "take" the highest score, and for some schools they really ignore lower scores so there is no downside to a retake, but for other schools while they weight the highese score most heavily I can't help but think that a 730 followed by a 690 doesn't look quite as shiny as a straight 730 in pristine glory unsullied by later lower scores.
2)HBS actively encoruages younger applicants, especially those with internships and part-time work experience to apply. They mean it. You are right to apply to HBS. To improve your candidacy at HBS, empahsize leadership in emphasizing
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3) No apologies necessary. Please see the
. In a nutshell,
editors are professional editors with enormous admissions experience. They have the profesional writing background to help you tell your unique story.
4. I recommend the schools you plan to apply to. You have chosen well.