550 GMAT can still get you into Top 40 B-schools

I took the GMAT 3 times and really struggled. When I raised my quant score, my verbal dropped, and vice versa. My high score was 550. I spoke to some consultants and they suggested I look at schools at the back end of the top 100 and even schools that are unranked. Instead, I spoke to some admissions consultants, put in a few applications in the top 30-50, and went and visited the schools in-person. I was admitted to 2 of the 3 schools I applied to before deciding to attend Simon where I'm in my first year. I won't lie, the academics are challenging for me at Simon, but I'm doing fine. I was also able to land a top Brand Management internship in the fall, ending my recruitment before Halloween. Mind you, I'm not a diversity candidate and have no marketing background.

If you're struggling on the GMAT like I was, hang in there. The B-school application process is about more than just your GMAT score.