enigmatic526 wrote:
My friend used Veritas this year and loved the results -- hell, he got a fellowship at a top 10 school, so I don't blame him.
I applied to MIT, Georgetown, University of Maryland and so far have been accepted to Smith. Georgetown releases their decision on March 25 (I applied to the part-time program) but I have not been invited to interview with them yet -- so obviously chances are very slim.
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Stats:
Indian American origin -- born in India, but we immigrated when I was 4.
Undergrad: Boston University, BS Electrical Engineering- Class of 2005, GPA: 2.68/4.0 while enrolled in Air Force ROTC. I was the president of the Indian Club @ BU and the Vice-President of the Arnold Air Society (community service organization in AFROTC). Low GPA because: 1) I didn't know I wanted an MBA back then. 2) Since I knew I had a job lined up with the AF after graduation, I wasn't too ambitious on getting all A's.
GMAT: First score was 550...2nd score was 620 (44Q, 29V, 6.0AWA). Still low.
Professional Experience: 3 years as a commissioned officer in the US Air Force all working in Germany except for being deployed to the Middle East for 6 months fighting in the "War on Terror". While in Germany, I implemented Kaizen to the AF IT system and consolidated 96 call centers to one focal point that I was responsible for -- managed 60 troops at the age of 24 and worked with the UK, Spain, Greece and Italy. 4 star general at the Pentagon visited my work and directed to implement that AF wide. While deployed, I set up the communication system for former Pres. Bush and Dr. Rice's visit to the battlefield along with several 4 star generals.
Now -- I work in construction management and have worked for Top Secret projects and a $330 million data center.
Extracurricular: lots of volunteering -- cleaning up parks/rivers/schools. Volunteering at food pantries and with tutoring children. Active with my undergrad alumni association in my city as a volunteer and an intramural sports athlete.
Aspirations: Long term - start my own international real estate development company (focusing on brownfield redevelopment). Short term: Work with developers or a REIT or in green energy consulting.
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Question 1 - Do I reject Smith in hopes of applying with a better GMAT score next year? I plan on taking prep classes to solidify my chances of getting a 700+ on it. My GPA is something I can't control anymore and my professional experience is something that won't increase too much in a year. However, I am planning on becoming LEED accredited by this summer -- something else I can add to the resume. No offense whatsoever to Smith, but I feel for what I want to do, I may need to attend a more reputable school. Thoughts? The downside is, if I say no to Smith and don't get into any school next year -- I'm basically done as far as an MBA goes since I doubt I can reapply to Smith next yr after saying no to it this year. Or can I?
Question 2 - With everything remaining at the status quo except my GMAT's going up to 700+ and LEED accreditation, what are my chances at Columbia (pretty awesome RE program), NYU, Haas, Georgetown, MIT, Kellogg, Booth -- and INSEAD or LBS for international schools? I am contemplating on hiring a consultant to possibly 'brand' myself better than I have this year -- or maybe my recommendations were awful (my boss did submit all recommendations on the same day the day before he left for his Christmas vacation).
I sincerely appreciate your opinion on these matters. Thank you so much.
nks
I think you should absolutely reject Smith and all the other schools you applied to. You have a very strong profile...that is actually quite unique. The thing most people don't realize is that a good GMAT score will get you nowhere unless you have a strong profile to go along with it. I know plenty of guys who scored 750+ on the GMAT and still could not get into top 15 schools. On the other hand, I have one friend who scored a 650 GMAT and got into Wharton, Columbia, and MIT. Why? Because he had a REALLY strong story, and he was able to articulate it VERY well in his application (essays, interview, resume, etc).
Keep in mind, that you can only get one MBA in your life. Once you have earned an MBA you will never be able to upgrade to a better school/network. You will be in that network for life. In my opinion, getting into a Top 15 MBA program (read: HBS, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Kellogg, Columbia, Chicago, Dartmouth, Berkeley, Duke, Michigan, Darden, Yale, NYU, Cornell) will give you EXPONENTIALLY better career options and networks going forward. If I were you, I would put together a game plan to get into one or more of those schools for next year.
As far as your GMAT goes, let me share my personal experience with you:
My first GMAT test was a 510. I thought it was a fluke so I took it again 31 days later and scored a whopping 580. At that point I finally decided to buckle down and study harder. I studied for 2 months, then I scored a ...650. At the time I only applied to one school and it was in the 30-40 ranking range in US News. I was rejected. I was devastated that I did not get in. starting last fall, I went all-out. I studied 6 hours a day for 4 months. That was what it took for me to finally score a 700 GMAT. For some guys that test comes easily...I am not one of those guys! I had to bust my tail for every point! I also worked with some family members and friends who were great writers and helped me articulate my story way more powerfully in my essays. It has been a long 6 or 7 months, but the end result is that so far I have been admitted to 2 top 15 schools with the chance to get into 3 more later this month once decisions are released. My opportunities with those schools will be MULTIPLES of what they would have been if I had gotten into my T30-40 school last year!
I say go big. You only live once.
close
16 Mar 2011, 10:50
For most top schools the rule of thumb is that you must prove your quantitative abilities through EITHER your GPA OR GMAT. The good news for you is that schools prefer strong GMAT over strong GPA. I have a friend that got into Wharton with a 650 GMAT, but he had a 3.9 GPA. I have another friend who got into Wharton with a 3.0 GPA, but he had a 750 GMAT. So, as you mentioned there is not a lot you can do about getting that GPA up, so taking the classes and then killing the GMAT is definitely your ticket in. 
