aspiremba wrote:
I would appreciate your input regarding my chances at Harvard and Stanford.
Here's my background -
Indian male
Bachelors GPA - cumulative - 86 (on a 100 point scale) from India
Masters GPA 3.5 from the US
Work Ex - Software Engineer - 5 yrs with IBM
Not in a leadership role
Starting on a new assignment involving extensive customer interaction
GMAT : 680 (90 %ile )- V38(86 %ile) Q46(80%ile) AWA 5.0
Volunteer activities - Tutoring, Counseling (both for a year now)
Why an MBA ?- My strengths - people skills, ease of communication -not utilized in my current job. I currently lack a business sense.
MBA areas of interest - General Management
Ideal career after an MBA - Management Consulting
I have read that my GMAT score is weak compared to the average Indian score. Do you think re-taking the GMAT would greatly improve my chances at the above schools? If I wait a year to get customer facing experience and then apply, would that greatly help my chances?
Thanks much
Raising your GMAT score would greatly improve your chances at HBS and Stanford and other top b-schools, but I am not sure of course that it would make the difference. The additional experience with client interaction would also help you.
But don't just think in terms of Harvard and STanford. If you want to go into consulting, there are other fine schools that support that goal. In most cases, you will still benefit from a higher GMAT but try to expand your options when exploring schools.
Good luck!