jk wrote:
Hi Linda-
Thanks in advance for your insights!
I am trying to assess what type of chance I might have at gaining acceptance at a top 10-15 mba program (top of my list are Chicago, Northwestern, NYU).
I believe that my gmat score (600) is most likely a show stopper; however, I would like to get your opinion based on the rest of my profile.
- 28 yr old woman (US)
- 3.4 gpa (solid undergrad program)- split b/t business & liberal arts
- 5 yrs of work experience at both a big 4 accounting firm and Fortune 500 with demonstrated career progression (fast promotion and solid raises). Experience is in both accounting and finance (valuation). I have had a notable # of international work assignments (Europe, Mexico, China, Canada). My profile definitely falls within the accounting group based on the bulk of my work history)
- I am both a CPA and CFA (passed all exams-including CPA- on first try)- CFA was self initiated and financed.
-Took a 1 year sabatical from working (last year) to travel 'around the world'- spent most of my time in the poorer countries in asia. I have lots of great essay stories here. This was a self-financed trip & mostly all overland.
- have some volunteer activities
- After returning from my year off, I quickly secured a strong accounting/finance position with over a 20% raise over my prior salary.
I know that my gmat score is horrible, but due to timing and my current schedule, I am not sure if I can produce a better score.
Do I have any chance with the current stats or should I just save my $ and time?
Many thanks
You are right that the other aspects of your qualifications are very strong and that your score is very low for the top 15. We have occasionally had an otherwise supremely qualified client with a low GMAT get accepted to a top-15 school, but it is very rare and not something to count on. If you are serious about b-school and only want to do the application thing once, take the GMAT again and apply R2 or next year.
Good luck!