Middle of the Pack Applicant - Profile Eval Appreciated!

Question

Hi Veritas Prep, I'd appreciate any feedback. I'm happy to elaborate on any details or provide additional information if you'd like it.

-Went to a Top 5  public  university - Majored in Business Administration with a Major GPA off 3.6 
-Minored in Mandarin Chinese, which was tough, which pulled my  overall GPA down to 3.3 . 
(Note, transferred to above university after leaving a small D3 school where I played lacrosse. GPA prior was 3.6.) 
-Did a summer abroad at Beijing's Guanghua School of Management 
-Did I-Banking as an analyst in NYC at one off the usual suspects 
-Recruited from the bank to a start-up tech company and grew the business from pre-revenue to $10mm+ (SAAS business)
-Advanced in the tech company, with now having 9 direct reports 
-680 GMAT (took it twice) 
-Leadership in the community as a Big Brother as a part of BBBS
-Will have a total of 5.5YR WE, looking to apply this Fall ('14)
-White male

My objective for applying this fall would be admissions to a top 10 program. I've been told that I wouldn't need to take the GMAT again by one of your respected peers, which I was thankfully surprised however a few friends and forum members make the point that to be a strong candidate to a top 10 I will have to, is that so? As you see it, would you say I'd be admitted to one top 10 program?

thanks,

bryantmichaels · Answer

You definitely have a solid profile for a top 10 in many ways and often, a good GPA from a top 5 school will help mitigate a GMAT which is lower than a school's average, but in order to be competitive at a top school, you will probably want to target those who are more academically focused on their applicants than GMAT focused. For example, schools in the ivy league are more lenient on GMAT scores and pickier about school performance. Of course the super-elite ivy leagues (HBS for example) is tough to get in no matter what your profile is, so for a white male with a 680 GMAT, your odds there drop pretty low. Still, I would encourage you to go for some top 10 schools--take a look at Tuck, Duke, and Cornell, which all come to mind as schools which will set you up well for your post MBA plan yet still provide a bit of leniency on the GMAT. Of course if you have the cumption to take it again and try to get the coveted 7-handle, you will increase your odds. In short, you can definitely get into a top 10, but it's riskier with a 680 than it would be if you had a 720. The question to ask yourself is whether it's more important for you to go now, or for you to get into a top 10 school. in other words, would you be re-applying next year if you don't get into a top 10, or would you accept a slot at a good school, but one in, say the top 15 or 20. The answer to that question is important, since it would determine your application strategy this year. If the answer is the latter strategy, you should work in a couple of schools in addition to your reach schools which are a bit further down the rankings but still top schools (UNC comes to mind, as does Ross, UT Austin, Anderson, and others). Let us know if we can help.

Middle of the Pack Applicant - Profile Eval Appreciated!

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