Hi Hjort,

I read in some earlier postings that you suggest folks who believe they can increase their scores should "clear the issue" and retake the GMAT. My math score was below my practice averages, and I think I can kick it up it a bit. I'm concerned, however, that studying to boost my score will cause me to sacrifice time spent on my applications/essays (I'd like to apply in early January - and took the GMAT for the first time on December 2). That said, what are my chances for admission at a top 5 school if I am...

Age: 27
Gender: Female
Nationality: Saudi Arabian (living in US)
GMAT: Q45 (78th); V42 (95th); total 710 (94th)
Education: joint BS (Foreign Service, with honors certificate in Muslim-Christian Understanding) and MA (Arab Studies, with honors certificate in International Business Diplomacy) from Georgetown
GPA: 3.65
Experience: 3.5 years as a director at a public relations firm, 1.5 years as a senior analyst at a venture capital firm
Extracurriculars: 4 years almost full-time non-profit work (organizing Model UN conferences) during college, Habitat for Humanity, radio DJ (again, in college), step aerobics

I'm a very strong writer, and I'm confident that I can prepare some terrific essays - given the time to write/edit/rewrite/wash/rinse/repeat.

So, given the above, what's the likelihood that I can get myself into a top 5 school without retaking the test? Or should I bite the bullet and sit through it again? I'm pretty sure I can bolster my quant section, but I'm a little concerned that I won't pull off the same performance in verbal...

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Thanks for the quick reply!

My ST goal is (and this may be pathetic): to get out of this career path. While I enjoy what I do, I am fully aware that it's not how I would like to spend the next 5 years - much less my life. I'm finding my work to be less challenging and less engaging, and I feel like an MBA would put me on track for achieving my LT goal.

That being said, my LT goal is: to facilitate business relationships between the Middle East and the West. I'd like to accomplish this by enabling increased investments from/to both regions and within the greater Middle East. I'm envisioning something along the lines of working for the IFC (for experience) or the GCC and then potentially moving to an MNC down the road.

I'm not entirely sure that this was a coherent answer (mornings are not my best time of day!) but essentially, I think that the Middle East shows a lot of promise, and I'd like to help the region achieve its potential. Nice and altruistic, eh?