Hi Aspire,
Thanks for posting. And a quick side note, please note that 'gmatsheeba' or whomever has been posting is in no way affiliated with
mbaMission, lol!
I would not say you are 'ruled out' from most of those schools solely based upon your 680 GMAT; some of the schools on your list have an AVERAGE GMAT score of 680-690, so certainly you are right there on target, and many are accepted with lower scores than 680 if that is at or near their average! It sounds like you have extensive technical experience, which is solid. However, a couple of potential concerns and caveats....
1) You are part of large applicant pool-- Indian IT and engineering/technical applicants, who often have high GMAT scores by the way. This applicant group tends to be great with the quant and analytical and technical portions of the application and of b-school, but the concern is whether they have strong leadership, management, communication, and team work skills... more of the people skills you could say.
You will have to work hard to stand out from this pool of applicants, from others with similar backgrounds! How? Dig deep and brainstorm on what makes YOU unique... b-school admissions decisions are made holistically... it's not just based on grades or facts or stats, but on a holistic picture of the applicant and what they'll contribute to the program, who they are as a person. That is primarily evidenced through your ESSAYS, fyi!! (And interview if you get to that point.) Elements you need to convey in your application for a chance at a top rated program include:
-what past experiences and skills will benefit you in the classroom, and later in your career
-what key traits and experiences make you UNIQUE; basically, 'why YOU??' vs other applicants
-why you want the MBA, with clear short term and long term post-MBA goals
-why NOW
-why that specific school is right for you
If you lack any of the above components, you risk that another well or similarly-qualified applicant who includes all of those, will wind up getting accepted over you!
2) As just mentioned, the average GMAT score among Indian IT and technical applicants IS a generally higher than your 680, so that could be a reason to try once more with the GMAT, and schools do take your highest score.
3) On your list, Kellogg would definitely be your biggest reach. After that, would come Darden, Tepper, Marshall most likely. What you can do is look at the average GMAT scores for the schools you are interested in (all available on their websites and/or through rankings). As far as international schools, there are certainly many to consider as well. You might review the Financial Times Global MBA ranking for a general idea world-wide.
Wishing you the best on your upcoming steps and research. Keep us posted with q's or updates. Thanks!