GMAT whores (Pardon my Russian)

i got a 780 and i havent gotten anything. no love for dabots

Thanks for looking out for us . It looks like everyone in the gmatclub '08 group scored in the upper 700s, craziness!!!

Well, I think that every school not named Harvard or Stanford is willing to dole out money to attract candidates they find appealing. If I recall, Harvard only gives need based scholarships, none for merit.

Every other school uses cash money to attract students. GMAT is one of many factors that schools pony up for. As I went through the application process, I definitely had the sense that the GMAT was heavily weighted when it came to doling out money. It seems schools have a mindset that once they have decided on who to admit, they will pay up for certain things. I received a full scholarship from Darden's institute for entrepreneurship. I definitely feel like GMAT was a factor there; and on the flip side the scholarship did make it very easy for me to choose Darden over a couple of other schools. Looking over the available scholarships at Darden, they have money set aside for women, underrepresented minorities and people with certain work experiences and activities in their background. No surprises here, as most schools would love to attract more people from these groups.

It's amazing the difference 5-7 spots in the rankings makes. I'm with mNeo on this one. Applicants are begging to get into some schools, but move down a few spots (or a tier if you go lower in the rankings) and schools start throwing money your way.

Last app season, several of us received similar offers and we had a few threads discussing this. These schools are obviously doing what they need to do to increase their average GMAT score and make the schools more attractive and competitive in rankings.

Thanks for looking out for me mNeo! I haven't gotten any mail yet, but then again, I just took my test.

I think I really wanted the high GMAT score for two reasons:

- Scholarships: It seems like higher GMAT scores will get you some more money, even at Elite schools

- Catch their eye: Yes, I know all the UE and E schools have seen tons of high scores, but if 760 is really the 99%, then at least it won't hurt for them to see that with my (hopefully) strong application profile!

BU's gmat average from what I remember has been steadily increasing. They aren't the only school doing this either. I think its kind of a smart deal for a school in the USnews 40s to try and move up into the BW top 30s rankings and by bringing their GMAT scores up that helps. Also by sending that out before people start applying they might get some very well qualified people that could get into top schools to apply there and choose it because of a free ride. The more top talent you manage to get into your school the better your alumni will be coming out and its all going to help improve a schools standings.

I view this in the same light as a crappy sports team having to overpay a star to get them to join that club. Get him on the team, it improves the team so its easier to bring the next star on board and pretty soon your team isn't so crappy. The Detriot Tigers are a great example...a team that was horrible not too many years ago now they actually are a playoff contender.

GMAT scores are one measure that pretty much measures everyone equally so why not use that as a baseline...plus anyone who has been around MBA forums has heard about consulting companies asking students what their GMAT scores are. So if employers care so much its only natural schools will too.

I almost fell off my chair when I read this, but then realized that you were talking about the tigers. For a moment, I thought you were talking about the lions.

got the same email from BU today

So, what do the 2007ers think .. Are there any schools in the 15-25 (or 10-25) range that value GMAT more than others?

ps. Boston U, thanks a lot for the email. That email made me feel that I am welcomed at least somewhere

Look at the average GMAT scores in their class profiles over the last few years. I would say any school that is raising it 10 points a year cares.

Got the same email from BostonU I know too little about the school, but damn it's sure tempting.

Also got an email from MIT about their Supply Chain Mgmt program :-/ I want an MBA from Sloan damnit, not SCM.....

I got nice colorful pamphlets from ND, BU, and SMU. I think they wasted their money.

Nope. We are talking about it and its moved into viral marketing with a healthy dicsussion going on about them breaking into the rankings. Additionally, people are talking about how it is tempting. ND is in the lower 1/3 of the BW rankings, BU is improving, not sure on SMU.

Cliff Notes: I'd be pleased if I was working for one of those schools.

That's a good point, although I meant that they wasted their money on me, not on advertising in general. Although the shots of the golden dome at ND are quite nice.

I got an email from the MIT's "other" management program too. I think they get the email addresses of all the candidates who have started an application for MBA or who have asked for an MBA brochure from Sloan.

Have you looked at the placement report of the lower ranked schools? Most do not even post it.

The placement reports of the lower ranked schools that do post it are quite scary.

I don't think I'd go to any of the lower ranked schools unless I was company sponsored.

I think there's good reason why pretty much everyone is interested in attending an elite or ultra-elite. Virtually everyone, regardless of profession or personal situation, will find that attending these schools is a solid value proposition.

Those attending lower ranked schools need to really have a good plan as to how their MBA will help them and what they hope to gain from going to school. The trick, though, is that people attending the highest ranked schools are also probably the ones with the best idea of their future goals; simply because of the screening process of those schools. Combining a lack of clear goals and an MBA from a lower ranked school is a recipe for disappointment.