GMAT 690. GPA 3.2.

Question

Hey guys, just created an account and hope your responses will help me get on a right track.

I am 22 and I come from East-european developing country.
 I have passed the GMAT a month or so ago and got 690 (85%). V-36 (80%) Q-48 (67%). AW - 5 (53%). IR 5 (54%).
(In the beginning my mock exam scores varied between 390-440, thus I feel I should settle with 690)
My undergrad GPA is 3.2. And I have finance/accounting work experience of around 2 years. Currently working for a leading audit/consulting firm. 
I cannot really boast of any specific extracurricular activities or trophies or gold metals (while as I gather Business schools take these kind of "extra credits" into consideration).
I know my profile is hardly of top MBA's, but still I come across the stories of students with lower GPAs and lower GMAT scores getting into top schools. Thus, my question is the following,

What would be your goal if you were standing in my shoes? In your opinion what is the best case scenario that I should aspire to? Best MBA with my profile?

(I was thinking LBS, Johnson, Stern, Jones, etc.) 
P.S. and what do you think about European BSs? Such as HEC, Imperial, Rotterdam, St. Gallen etc.

Every word will be helpful for me, 
Thanks and good luck!

DisciplinedPrep · Answer

RandomStudent

Welcome to GMATClub and congratulations on scoring 690 at the age of 22. You have a lot of time to improve your score, should you choose to. I would encourage you to contact the admission consultants in the forum; you can create individual topics in the various admission consultant forums such as Admissionado, mbaMission, etc. Below is a link to all those forums. All the best!

Ask Admission Consultants:  https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admission-consultants-124/

akela · Answer

Hi  RandomStudent ,

Welcome to gmatclub!

You'd better ask your question here:
 Ask Admission Consultants

Hope this helps

mangamma · Answer

Hi, Welcome to the GMATClub and congrats on your GMAT Score at the age of 22. I hope you have a great score to improve your GMAT score. Considering your age, if you can improve your score you can apply to TOP B-schools with high scholrships. So, instead of worrying about score, GPA, and schools, focus on improving your GMAT score. All the best

bb · Answer

At 22 you still have a lot of time in front of you. Most programs Require at least two years of work experience but prefer four or five. The reason you want to get more work experience is manifold: maturity, opportunity to fail, leadership experience, and most importantly work history for your resume and recruiting. Even if you get admitted now, when you graduate from your MBA program, You’ll be competing for jobs against people with strong track record’s and good work experience. It will be very challenging and frustrating to get recruited as you’ll get passed by for more experienced candidates... unless you have something to offer that is special and unique. Business school recruiting is designed for certain age and level bracket and if you don’t fit in, if you were younger or older it gets even more challenging.

Moreover in a class with the average age of 26 or 27, it will be hard to add value to group discussions or be naturally chosen by others to join a team, let alone lead anything.

My suggestion would be to spend the next two years to build up your profile. Think about what you’re passionate about. Try to pursue it and make a difference. Maybe it’s volunteering, maybe even starting something of your own to make a difference and get some valuable extracurricular achievements. It will not only help with your application, it will also make you a better person in many dimensions. Your current profile looks very average. Nothing seems to stand out. Sorry to be so upfront. This makes the job for admissions committee pretty easy when it comes to culling the herd. Make sure you have something special on your profile if you’re shooting for top 20 and make the effort to have a number 7 in your GMAT score. It makes a difference.

Finally, if you don’t want to wait, there are masters programs in Europe that are designed for people without any work experience and they recruit into roles that don’t assume work experience either. However many of the European countries require native language knowledge to be successfully recruited into those positions. (Except UK that is).

Posted from my mobile device

RandomStudent · Answer

Thanks guys, you've been very helpful. I kind of awaited these kind of responses, that it is a bit too early for an MBA and that I still have plenty of time to work on my GMAT score etc. I will definitely bear that in mind, however, my real question lies in "which options/opportunities do I have right now"? There are certain circumstances why I prefer to do MBA as soon as possible and it would be beneficial to know what my odds are in your opinion. (While I assume you have far too better knowledge and more experience in this topic)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi RandomStudent,

First off, a 690/Q48 is a fantastic score, so you can comfortably apply to any Business Schools that interest you. As such, a retest might not be necessary. That having been said, when you apply to highly-competitive Programs, you'll need a strong OVERALL application AND you'll need to properly 'market yourself' to each individual Program that you apply to. You're ultimately asking Admissions questions, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... tants-124/

The process of applying to (and ultimately attending) Business School will require a big investment of time, money and energy on your part, so you really should make sure that the Programs that you apply to match your career goals/needs. There are a variety of factors that go into selecting the Schools that you'll apply to. Instead of just applying to Programs in which you might have a good chance to 'get in', here are some other things to think about:

1) Is there a particular company that you want to work for or industry that you want to work in? Certain degrees are more appropriate than others if you have a specific career goal.
2) What do you want your MBA to do for you?
3) Do you want to go to School full-time or part-time?
4) Are you willing to relocate? Are you comfortable with working through a program that is primarily online?
5) Are you going to be applying for scholarships?
Etc.

It's okay if you don't have answers to any of these questions just yet, but you really should try to define all of the important variables in terms of your goals, so that you can tailor your entire approach to getting into the best School that matches what you're looking for.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi RandomStudent,

As many have mentioned, since you are asking an admissions-based question, you should reach out to one of the many admissions consultants here on GMAT Club. If, with only a few years of work experience, you end up applying to schools, you may need to improve your GMAT score to beat the score averages at the schools to which you apply.

If you end up applying and also retaking the GMAT, feel free to reach back out, and I’d be happy to provide some further advice. Good luck!

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