Hi there,
Sorry to hear about the GMAT. Don't worry - it's pretty common to retake the GMAT and get a much better score. The same thing happened to me when I was applying to business school, and I managed to bounce back 100+ points on the second time around! You can definitely improve it.
I'll be honest -- I know the field you're talking about, and it is definitely more difficult to show leadership in that field as the work doesn't really lend itself to that the way consulting, banking, etc. does. From what I know, it's a lot of analysis and some case management at the higher levels but not much else. You want to demonstrate your teamwork, team leadership and firm management capabilities, but I believe that's harder to show in this particular field. If you think that's a fair assessment, then it'll be really important to demonstrate leadership capability outside of work. The fact that you are starting the cause-based product purchase site is great -- it shows that you're a self starter, have a strong work ethic, etc. However, it really depends how far along that project is as to whether it'll show a strong enough leadership profile (e.g., if you have built a team and you have already launched the site and you are seeing lots of traction and starting to fundraise and pitch to investors, that's really different than tinkering by yourself on a computer. Both are admirable, but one showcases a lot more leadership and lends itself to stories compared to the other).
You've got a strong GPA from an awesome school (Go Bears!), but I'm not sure that will be enough for a top school. What I'm seeing in your current profile is that it may be tough for you to show leadership and also to show multi-dimensionality (didn't see mention of extracurriculars, etc.). With your current GMAT score, it'll be really tough. If you do manage to pull that score up to the 700+ range, you'd have a shot at schools like UMichigan, Darden, UCLA, etc.
In terms of narrowing your target schools, I would suggest making a list of the things that are really important to you (strong CSR/environmental programs, strong entrepreneurship programs... what else? small class or big? case method or no? city or suburb? there's lots to consider!). Then go through and rate each school on your criteria. You're choosing them as much as they are choosing you
I hope that this is helpful. Best of luck!
Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
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