Need Application Advice

Hi guys,

Hi FrootLoops, thanks for asking question and you certainly have some good advice already from prior responses. What strikes me is that you don't really state here what your post MBA goals are - and that's probably the most important thing to clarify. You also want to ask yourself some introspective questions that don't really have a right or wrong answer- but are important to knowing yourself and finding an environment where you will best thrive.

So for starters- ask yourself some of these questions:

What do you value most? brand name of school? Small or large class size? Urban or rural campus? Specialty focus like Healthcare? Strong brand in Canada? Is there a firm you target post MBA as you can look at the placement reports at all these schools to see who are key recruiters for school and that might help you narrow down as well.

Then it will be easier to see if there are a few other schools you might want to consider. Your GMAT as it stands is not necessarily a slam dunk for the schools you mention- but nor is it a deal breaker.
What is it about Kellogg and NYU and Columbia and Wharton and Stanford that you see in common that you picked this group?

And I agree that you should certainly be on the mailing list for all these schools so you will know when their upcoming admissions events will be held- many are also online so you don't necessarily have to travel all these places yet- but you can narrow down from asking the questions that matter most to you. And most schools will let you contact students if you go to the student life page of the websites. From what you list right now, it sounds like you still have a bit of introspection to do! And that may be one of the best reasons to use a consultant is that for some people they just prefer to go through a structured and guided exercise to help uncover more about yourself- because the more you know about when you come most alive in the world, the more you will be able to portray that in the MBA admissions process. You appear to be targeting top tier schools so be prepared to compete against the best-- and that means really doing your homework on not just WHY MBA but also WHY THIS PROGRAM! If you want more formal help on this, we'd be glad for you to do a free consult with us at StratusPrep.com. Best wishes as you proceed and welcome to GMATClub!

First time posting. 3 Questions:

1) Should I rewrite my GMAT? (interested in Kellogg, NYU, Stanford, Columbia, Wharton)
2) Possible recommendations for which schools I would be a good candidate?
3) Naive question but how does one go about talking to target uni's about what they are looking for? (I've seen many people comment about speaking to target unis beforehand)

Basic Stats:
Canadian
GMAT 710 Q44, V42, AWA 6, IR 6 (Self-studied for a month but score was not much higher than GMAT Prep 1 score taken cold turkey..no studying whatsoever)
GPA 3.85 in life sciences at a well ranked Canadian Uni
Mid Twenties - most of my experience is within a small family business, some internships that span healthcare/business

Thanks for your help in advance!

Also, I am a complete newbie to MBA admissions process and any advice on successfully applying to cycle 1 this year is well appreciated!