noclue9454 wrote:
Hello everyone,
I took my GMATs this last August and was pretty happy with my score. I got a 700 (47Q, 39V, 6AWA), which is 90%. I was under the impression that once a 7something score is reached, GMAT is emphasized less. However, I've been talking to people and have been getting vibes that it's not that good of a score for the schools that I want to go to. I wanted the GMAT to be merely a foot in the door--not THE deciding factor. Am I being unrealistic in my school choices? See the list after my profile evaluation.
This is my profile:
Age: 23
Nationality: Indian American
Sex: Female
GMAT: 700 (47Q, 39V, 6AWA)
GPA: 3.868/4.0 (Summa Cum Laude) from a top 10 US Public School.
Looking to enroll: Fall 2011
Work Experience (currently): 2.5 years in the biotechnology sector.
Key Work Accomplishments:
-Startup company so heavy involvement in setting up the company including working closely with the CEO.
-Managing a project in the Diabetes field, controlling all sectors involved including conceiving the idea, targeted marketing, and implementation.
-Designing and managing a structured Customer Support System.
MBA focus/interest: -Consulting (Healthcare) with a big firm initially and then for a Social Business in the long run.
Extracurricular:
-While simultaneously working full-time, I have also been co-managing an India-targeted non-profit organization. I helped found the environmental awareness program at this organization and have been on the executive board for the last 2 years. I was instrumental in making the organization last beyond it's first year. Running this organization has developed skills spanning all aspects of business management.
-I have also recently started working with a Harvard Graduate Student group to provide a holistic, voluntary consulting services to young individuals working for grassroots international development projects happening in India. My specific project is essentially a team of 2, communicating with a field partner in South India.
MBA Schools of interest:
-HBS
-Sloan
-Kellogg
-Chicago
-Stanford
-Columbia
-Stern
-Fuqua
-London Business School
-INSEAD
-IE
-Darden (?)
Questions:
-Am I unrealistic?
-Are there any other schools that I should consider? Should absolutely eliminate from my list?
-I plan to do a trial application run for Fall 2010 and apply to 2-3 best/semi-best schools. Good idea?
Thank you so much for all your help! So sorry for the uber long post!
Cheers.
IMO things working in your favor:
overall:
female (it is a plus, as most schools treat women almost as URM's in terms of recruiting);
UG GPA,
UG pedigree
- for HBS: age (under 25 = a big plus)
things working against you:
overall:
work experience (a little low now, but if youre shooting for fall 2011 you should be in line with most of your schools by then)
WE: since youre targeting consulting, you're going to be matched against the likes of M/B/B consultants, etc.
nationality/race: india isn't one of the big draws in most top schools as there is already so much talent saturating the top 10 schools.
i think if you craft your essay and app creatively (so that you're not pitted against the M/B/B consultant pool), you'd have a good shot at HBS and most other schools on your list. the best thing you can do is continue to research the schools for the next few months to close down to a 3 or 4 school list. schools like wharton have a strong emphasis on healthcare; HBS has also recently implemented a healthcare initiative, so you could gear your app for them in that way.