What GMAT would be required for a top-5-or-10 school

Though the previous posters disagree about your chances (frankly H/S is a crapshoot for ANYONE) they agree on a key point: the GMAT is just a get-you-to-the-table metric. Its your story about goals, experiences, and contribution that gets you in to top schools.

Would you mind sharing your goals/interests? I think it would help others to give you more valuable advice.

In any case, I would say you'd want to be above the median, so 720-730+

I’m going to say I completely agree with Method on this one. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do your very best on the GMAT and still apply to HBS and the like as stretches. But realistically anybody can do TFA and then enroll in an average JD program. If I were the Adcom I’d be looking for one helluva good answer from you regarding the “why MBA” question, because your profile doesn’t sound like success after success, it sounds like “I don’t know what to do next” or “degree chaser.” I think with a 700+ you’d be a good candidate at schools 11-20. At the top few I think it’s going to be really tough but still worth a shot if that’s your new-found dream.

To answer your question directly, I'd say 730 to give yourself as good a chance as possible at HBS, Stanford, and Haas.

Mixedin86 makes a good point, and I'm starting to understand where he/she and Method are coming from. You certainly don't want to look like a flip-flopper, so you need to write extremely compelling essays that make it clear why you've done what you've done.

However, despite the fact that just about anyone can join TFA or the Peace Corps or whatever other organization, those experiences are still interesting and valuable. I think you have material for good essays if you can figure out how to connect the dots.

GPA is good from what sounds like a good school. Two questions to ask yourself would be why do you want an MBA, and what makes sense to tell an admissions committee that fits in with your overall goal. It doesn't have to be a completely linear progression from TFA -> JD -> Law Firm -> MBA, but each transition needs to make sense, and if possible you need to work in skills you picked up at each place along the way to make your story well-rounded and unique.

I hope everyone here doesn't sound like a bunch of downers, but I will say that those that said "you don't want to look like a degree chaser" are giving prescient advice. I do agree with Method that H/S are likely out of your reach, mainly due to the factors he mentioned and also these two:
- You mentioned yourself that you went to an "OK" law school. At H/S you'll be up against people that went to primo law schools (top10) and smoked it. They probably do have spots for people with your profile, but they will be limited so they need some sort of 'wow' factor since you haven't been in the 'real world' enough to have saved it.
- Based on your experience, it sounds like you will be 30-31 at matriculation. Both H/S like to have younger classes. Not a huge factor, but yet another thing working against you.

All that said, it's not impossible if you can show that this step makes sense and build it in (maybe research the M Ed. / MBA program that Stanford offers) to your overall story.

To answer your original question, I would say 750+ for H/S, 720 for any other school (look also into Kellogg, they have a soft spot for non-traditional/meandering candidates). Pay close attention to the quant portion of your GMAT as well, since you are coming in as a 'poet,' you need a 48 or above on that section.

Yes, that's a great point, thugly. It's not my intention to ever rain on someone's parade, the poster here is CLEARLY very talented. I just wanted to offer a candid peer review. No matter what anyone says, there's nothing stopping the poster from applying to H/S or being accepted to H/S. There also shouldn't be any hint of insult from not getting a favorable review for H/S or not getting accepted to H/S.

Your JD degree is valuable and unique to your MBA class-mates, especially the entrepreneurs. Adcomm will add a lot of value to that.
However, you need to have strong application essays to make it to your target schools. Get a GMAT score of 720+. I am a student at Haas-Berkeley – ping me for any questions.

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