TA89 wrote:
Hi,
Is it wise to apply in the R4 (Judge has 5 rounds of admissions) as an international student, especially if you have a GMAT lower (30 pts) than the class average but the overall profile is strong?
Anything can happen really. The general consensus is that you stand a better chance in earlier rounds because someone with a similar profile may have already been accepted in R1.
By you coming into R4, you lose the X-factor that can value add to the cohort. Admissions consultants and schools will tell you that you stand an equal chance but I'm from the perspective that they have incentive to hide the truth - consultants can earn your business and schools will never want to deal with an insane number of applications in R1.
Regarding your GMAT score, you should have very colourful work exp and co-curricular activities because you're already losing ground on the academic front.
Having said all that, anything can happen! I met an LBS alum who applied last minute in the last round and got accepted.