Cancelled a 730 (Q49 V40) [X-Post from gen)

SynPo800 730 is great for a diverse applicant and marginal/better have some other stuff for an overrepresented applicant.

49 is kind of the minimum quant for HBS so you are in the zone there. There is not much you can really do about the GPA at this point; yes, it is not up to par in terms of the class average but I am pretty sure they will be assured you can handle the work with a 49 quant.

If you plan to apply in round 2, I strongly urge you to work on your applications in parallel, do not throw the whole game chasing your elusive GMAT verbal that you feel has been stolen from you. Let it go - you can indicate intentions to retake the exam in the application if need be (state you will retake within 3 weeks of submission). Verbal can be communicated in many ways, including the app.

Retake, but not at the expense of application quality, which requires a few months to get dialed in. If you can do both, GREAT, but do not wait. There are lots of other things to develop; if your CV, recs, essays, video essays and app boxes are boring and unimpressive than it really does not matter what GMAT you get.

MBAPrepCoach

Thank you for the advice, makes complete sense. I know several MBA professors at H/S/W and will make sure to reach out to them as well to get a better understanding of fit. I've spoken with HBS adcom and they believe I would be a good candidate for their program. I've also started to explore some of the alternative programs you mentioned, such as Sloan Fellows.