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danzig
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Please, your comments [#permalink] New post   11 Sep 2013, 17:03
Hi folks!
Please, your advice. I took the GMAT and got a 680. I did it very well in Quant (49), but no so good in Verbal (35). I don't know whether I should retake it. I think that the rest of my profile could compensate that weakness. Please, take a look and give me your comments. I am interested in HBS, MIT, Stanford, and Chicago University.
This is my profile:
GMAT: 680 Q49 V35 (My native language is Spanish)
GPA: I suppose it is 4.0 because I was the best student of my class during college. (There is no GPA in my country)
Bachelor degree with honors: My thesis research received the highest degree, even the jury recomended to publish the thesis.
I was the best student in other specialization programs in which top students of diverse universities participated.
Work experience:
- 10 years
- I worked in the most important think tank of my country, also in the biggest bank. Then, in order to live a more meaningful life, I decided to quit from the bank and work in the government in order to design financial programs to help exporters and SMEs.
- I represented my country in international meetings outside my country during my work in the government.
- I was part of the team of the government to help exporters financially during the current internacional financial crisis.
- Also, I have been interviewed as an expert in some of the most important newspapers and radios of my country.
Leadership:
- I founded two organizations conformed by college students to develop leadership skills and make a difference in our comunity.

I wouldn't have problems in retaking the exam, but I am worried about whether I will have enough time to take my test of english (TOEFL) and writing my essays to be ready for the second round.
Do you think that my profile could compensate the GMAT?

Thanks
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mbaMissionJenK
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Re: Please, your comments [#permalink] New post   14 Sep 2013, 06:51
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Hi there,

Thanks for posting. Overall I feel you do have a strong profile that stands out to a certain degree with your work with the Spanish? government as well your previously quantitative and analytical experience, leadership and innovation examples, and international experiences.

With 10 years of experience, have you looked into executive MBA programs at all? For a traditional FT MBA, you would be on the older/higher-end of experience which could be a little more challenging, and they'd generally we wondering-- does he really NEED this degree??!! and if unsure, would admit someone who had the clear need for it over you.

You haven't mentioned your career goals and reasons for the WHY here... note that that is a critical component of the application!

As for the 680.... with the schools you mentioned, definitely higher would be better! Unless you do end up looking into EMBA, as the average GMAT tends to be lower. But keep in mind that schools do take the highest and re-takes are common; you don't want an admissions officer to wonder 'why DIDN'T he try again?'. If you go EMBA I think you're ok.

Good luck to you on this process!
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danzig
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Re: Please, your comments [#permalink] New post   19 Sep 2013, 12:25
Thank you Jen for your words.

In relation to your questions, yes, my age could match with an EMBA; however, according to some experts and adcom officers, that degree is not as helpful as an MBA to switch careers. I work in the government, but I would like to work in a consulting firm such as McKinsey or BCG.

Also, you mentioned that probably the adcom, seeing my GMAT score (680), would wonder 'why DIDN'T he try again?'. The fact is that this is my second GMAT. In my first attempt, three years ago, I scored 580. Then, I realized that my English skills had to be strengthened before taking the GMAT again; that's why I couldn't take the exam inmediately.
In this sense, after seeing that this is my second GMAT and seeing that I have improved a lot (680), what the adcom could think?, will they expect to take the GMAT again?

Finally, I am interested in the joint degree MBA/MasterInPublicPolicy of HBS and HKS (the Kennedy School of Government). I have experience in the government, the private sector, and in a think tank. Therefore, based on my work experience that fits to that joint degree, my excellent academic records, and my second GMAT score (680, 49Q), Do i have a chance to be admitted?, What should I do to improve my profile?

Thank you very much!

mbaMissionJenK wrote:
Hi there,

Thanks for posting. Overall I feel you do have a strong profile that stands out to a certain degree with your work with the Spanish? government as well your previously quantitative and analytical experience, leadership and innovation examples, and international experiences.

With 10 years of experience, have you looked into executive MBA programs at all? For a traditional FT MBA, you would be on the older/higher-end of experience which could be a little more challenging, and they'd generally we wondering-- does he really NEED this degree??!! and if unsure, would admit someone who had the clear need for it over you.

You haven't mentioned your career goals and reasons for the WHY here... note that that is a critical component of the application!

As for the 680.... with the schools you mentioned, definitely higher would be better! Unless you do end up looking into EMBA, as the average GMAT tends to be lower. But keep in mind that schools do take the highest and re-takes are common; you don't want an admissions officer to wonder 'why DIDN'T he try again?'. If you go EMBA I think you're ok.

Good luck to you on this process!
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mbaMissionJenK
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Re: Please, your comments [#permalink] New post   20 Sep 2013, 11:45
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Ok, so 680 was your second attempt. Probably less crucial that you re-take, though certainly would still help to bump it up more. If you had been scoring well above that on any practice tests I might encourage you to try once more, if not maybe less so.

Applying to the joint degree you mentioned could give you a slight edge as it likely fits well with your experience, yes. I would still say it won't be easy, it is HBS after all!!! But not impossible. One challenge I would see is that you say you actually want to get OUT of government and go to management consulting?? So the admissions reps may say, well why bother applying to the joint program with Kennedy etc?? If your goals weren't as different from your background might sound like it all makes more sense? Additionally with the 10 years of experience, you may be older than the usual recruit for a post-MBA consulting role, I just encourage you to research those post-MBA plans thoroughly NOW (for example, you could set up some informational interviews with hiring managers at companies you'd be interested in to get their take/advice on options etc).

Keep us posted and hope you find the right fit!!
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