A few thoughts for your perusal:
- Your current GMAT doesn't give strength to your candidacy for the schools you've listed; your nationality is helpful, though.
- Have you checked if RE players sponsor internationals (unless you are considering RE consultants like JLL, etc.)?
- Revisit your school selection based on the previous points here. MIT Sloan is a very different program.

Hi @Boat32674,

You have a well-aligned background for an MBA in real estate, with a strong academic foundation in architecture and progressive experience moving from design into business development and investment management. Managing large-scale projects with significant valuations demonstrates strong responsibility and industry expertise. The main weakness is your GMAT Focus score of 645, which may be below the average for top global programs; you should consider a retake to target 675+ for competitiveness. That said, your clear career goals in real estate consulting and your track record of bridging design and investment give you a distinctive, industry-specific story. You should explore schools with strong real estate offerings such as Columbia, NYU Stern, Cornell, UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Highlighting your leadership, professional achievements/tangible impact, relevant skills, career goals, unique experiences, and fit with the program effectively will be crucial in crafting a compelling application. To maximize your chances, consider applying to a balanced mix of reach, target, and safety schools.
Feel free to book a free call with our MBA experts for a more detailed discussion. You can also contact us directly at team.mba@theredpen.com or +91-7780769732.

Hi
Priyanka here from ARINGO. Speaking about your profile, you have got a really cohesive story: Architecture to Real Estate Business Development to Investment/Development Management. That progression makes a lot of sense and positions you well for post-MBA real estate consulting. The 5 years of experience with exposure to high-value projects is a strong differentiator since you have actually had material responsibility in tangible, high-stakes work.

Academically, your GPA looks decent. Your GMAT score also falls on the similar scale. That said, your niche background in real estate development plus being from an underrepresented region is a plus.

Fit-wise, MIT Sloan and Haas are great matches given your real estate + development focus. Stern and Booth also make sense with strong real estate/finance exposure. Yale could be a tougher sell with the score, but your narrative of design to investment to consulting aligns with their mission-driven and interdisciplinary outlook.

I’d be happy to offer you a free profile review for your target MBA programs to see where you stand and how to boost your chances, happy to help!
No pressure, no strings - just helpful insights on where you stand and how you can strengthen your chances.

Feel free to connect- Click here
You can also email me your CV at: priyankak@aringo.com
Good Luck!