Hello,
You've got a really interesting and non-traditional profile that I think you can leverage as your strength. You've done a pretty good job breaking down your profile - academics are average, professional experience is very interesting/unique and I actually think it's very strong. Government work/policy-making is very much about multi-stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and consensus-building, so you'll have lots of stories to showcase these strengths. Project leadership is great, and often involves informal people leadership, so don't discount that experience. I think there are two big gaps in your profile: 1) lack of multi-dimensionality (you don't have a lot of post-college extracurricular or community activities, and the ones you do have are all healthcare-centric). You want the ad-com to see that you're more than just a healthcare rockstar
and 2) Why bschool? One of the big questions I think you'll get given your experience level, deep subject matter expertise and career goals is : do you really need an MBA to achieve your goals. I think you're going to have to think hard about your story there and how an MBA fits in.
I think that if you can beef up your profile to show a little more balance (are you a runner? dancer? soccer coach? artist? something to show that there is more to you than just healthcare passion/expertise) and also showcase leadership outside of your professional work (think through your personal stories/experiences), then you might have a shot at your target programs with your current scores. Still, these are tough programs to get into, so I suggest adding some safeties to your list!
Regarding your GMAT: I'd suggest you don't retake it. Obviously you have to make the final call, but taking the GMAT more than 4x does seem somewhat excessive/stubborn. Plus a 690 is not so far from a 700 that a 5th test seems warranted. I know it's tough because obviously a 700+ score would improve your chances, but five tests is a lot...! I'd use the time to focus on putting together the strongest application you possibly can with the foundation you've already built.
I think you're well positioned if you can address the two concerns I mentioned. Best of luck!!
Mili
Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
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