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yuniie
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Profile Review [#permalink] New post   24 Jun 2023, 13:44
Hi! First of all, thank you for reading through this post :)

For background, I'm currently a 3rd-year medical student at a top 10 MD school, and almost guaranteed acceptance to my home institution's MBA program. However, I've decided to take the GMAT (not required for my home dual-degree program) today and got a 720. I do not have as much time as most people to study for the GMAT, given that I was doing clerkships this past 6 months (~12-hour days). I took the GMAT solely because I want to go to Stanford GSB, and I understand that my score is lower than preferable. However, I just feel the opportunity cost of retaking the GMAT, without a guarantee of a higher score, would be quite high. Please let me know your two cents!!!

Demographics
Nationality - Chinese
Gender - Woman
Age - 25

Education
Undergraduate (pre-med) - 3.95 GPA from a top UC school
MD - in progress at a top 10 school (Ivy League)

GMAT
720 (42V, 47Q)

Work Experience
Part-time work throughout college (tutoring + medicine-related, i.e. medical assistant, research assistant)
Full-time medical research job at Stanford for a year after undergrad, before med school
I feel like med school is a whole job on its own

Extracurriculars
Lots of volunteering in the medical field (free health clinics, asylum clinics, free health fairs, hospitals)
STEM/medical research (have multiple publications on Pubmed)

Leadership Experience
Med school class president (will most likely get rec letter from a dean as well)
Student leader/president of 3 student orgs in med school
Director/board members of 3 clubs in undergrad for years

International Experience
Born in Africa, grew up in East Asia
Organized a research conference in South America during undergrad

Post-MBA Goals
Either going onto residency for medicine or going into industry without residency, depending on my level of burnout
Ultimately the goal is to create positive change in healthcare for patients and providers

Target Schools
Stanford GSB

In conclusion, my profile was good enough to get me into a top 10 MD school, but it's completely healthcare oriented. There are leadership/ECs that I can narrate in a more business-oriented way, but I don't have any direct business-related experiences. I'm hoping my unique personal & professional background will still give me a leg up though. Right now, I'm wondering if I should retake my GMAT considering other parts of my application? Also, I'm wondering if I should use try to indicate somewhere in my app that I took the GMAT solely for GSB, even though I already have likely admission to another top 10 MBA program - would that help demonstrate my commitment to GSB or just too much info? Thank you so much!
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mbaMissionKate
mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 01 Apr 2015
Posts: 1452
Own Kudos [?]: 230 [0]
Given Kudos: 22
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Re: Profile Review [#permalink] New post   26 Jun 2023, 09:01
Expert Reply
Hi, yuniie -

Thanks for reaching out to us at mbaMission. First, let me say that while it's less traditional for MBA applicants, you have a super impressive profile! Great academic background, strong leadership in campus activities, volunteering work, and international exposure. I think you're right that the two issues are your lack of full-time work experience (most have about 4 years when they apply to GSB) and your GMAT score (which is not bad at all, but below GSB's 737 average). I think if you can retake GMAT and get above average, they would be more OK with the lack of full-time experience given all the impressive things in your profile. But if both issues exist, then it's much tougher odds. It could still be worth a try but your odds would be much better with a higher score. And yes, I would find a way to mention the acceptance to your school's MBA program (if it's guaranteed, not sure what almost guaranteed means) and that GSB is the only other school you're applying to.

Hope that helps and please reach out if we can help further.
Kate

yuniie wrote:
Hi! First of all, thank you for reading through this post :)

For background, I'm currently a 3rd-year medical student at a top 10 MD school, and almost guaranteed acceptance to my home institution's MBA program. However, I've decided to take the GMAT (not required for my home dual-degree program) today and got a 720. I do not have as much time as most people to study for the GMAT, given that I was doing clerkships this past 6 months (~12-hour days). I took the GMAT solely because I want to go to Stanford GSB, and I understand that my score is lower than preferable. However, I just feel the opportunity cost of retaking the GMAT, without a guarantee of a higher score, would be quite high. Please let me know your two cents!!!

Demographics
Nationality - Chinese
Gender - Woman
Age - 25

Education
Undergraduate (pre-med) - 3.95 GPA from a top UC school
MD - in progress at a top 10 school (Ivy League)

GMAT
720 (42V, 47Q)

Work Experience
Part-time work throughout college (tutoring + medicine-related, i.e. medical assistant, research assistant)
Full-time medical research job at Stanford for a year after undergrad, before med school
I feel like med school is a whole job on its own

Extracurriculars
Lots of volunteering in the medical field (free health clinics, asylum clinics, free health fairs, hospitals)
STEM/medical research (have multiple publications on Pubmed)

Leadership Experience
Med school class president (will most likely get rec letter from a dean as well)
Student leader/president of 3 student orgs in med school
Director/board members of 3 clubs in undergrad for years

International Experience
Born in Africa, grew up in East Asia
Organized a research conference in South America during undergrad

Post-MBA Goals
Either going onto residency for medicine or going into industry without residency, depending on my level of burnout
Ultimately the goal is to create positive change in healthcare for patients and providers

Target Schools
Stanford GSB

In conclusion, my profile was good enough to get me into a top 10 MD school, but it's completely healthcare oriented. There are leadership/ECs that I can narrate in a more business-oriented way, but I don't have any direct business-related experiences. I'm hoping my unique personal & professional background will still give me a leg up though. Right now, I'm wondering if I should retake my GMAT considering other parts of my application? Also, I'm wondering if I should use try to indicate somewhere in my app that I took the GMAT solely for GSB, even though I already have likely admission to another top 10 MBA program - would that help demonstrate my commitment to GSB or just too much info? Thank you so much!
User avatar
B
yuniie
Intern
Intern
Joined: 18 Dec 2022
Posts: 13
Own Kudos [?]: 0 [0]
Given Kudos: 3
Send PM
Re: Profile Review [#permalink] New post   26 Jun 2023, 09:08
Thank you for your reply! Do you think attempting the GRE would be a better idea? I feel that raising my GMAT score feels like a gamble.

mbaMissionKate wrote:
Hi, yuniie -

Thanks for reaching out to us at mbaMission. First, let me say that while it's less traditional for MBA applicants, you have a super impressive profile! Great academic background, strong leadership in campus activities, volunteering work, and international exposure. I think you're right that the two issues are your lack of full-time work experience (most have about 4 years when they apply to GSB) and your GMAT score (which is not bad at all, but below GSB's 737 average). I think if you can retake GMAT and get above average, they would be more OK with the lack of full-time experience given all the impressive things in your profile. But if both issues exist, then it's much tougher odds. It could still be worth a try but your odds would be much better with a higher score. And yes, I would find a way to mention the acceptance to your school's MBA program (if it's guaranteed, not sure what almost guaranteed means) and that GSB is the only other school you're applying to.

Hope that helps and please reach out if we can help further.
Kate

yuniie wrote:
Hi! First of all, thank you for reading through this post :)

For background, I'm currently a 3rd-year medical student at a top 10 MD school, and almost guaranteed acceptance to my home institution's MBA program. However, I've decided to take the GMAT (not required for my home dual-degree program) today and got a 720. I do not have as much time as most people to study for the GMAT, given that I was doing clerkships this past 6 months (~12-hour days). I took the GMAT solely because I want to go to Stanford GSB, and I understand that my score is lower than preferable. However, I just feel the opportunity cost of retaking the GMAT, without a guarantee of a higher score, would be quite high. Please let me know your two cents!!!

Demographics
Nationality - Chinese
Gender - Woman
Age - 25

Education
Undergraduate (pre-med) - 3.95 GPA from a top UC school
MD - in progress at a top 10 school (Ivy League)

GMAT
720 (42V, 47Q)

Work Experience
Part-time work throughout college (tutoring + medicine-related, i.e. medical assistant, research assistant)
Full-time medical research job at Stanford for a year after undergrad, before med school
I feel like med school is a whole job on its own

Extracurriculars
Lots of volunteering in the medical field (free health clinics, asylum clinics, free health fairs, hospitals)
STEM/medical research (have multiple publications on Pubmed)

Leadership Experience
Med school class president (will most likely get rec letter from a dean as well)
Student leader/president of 3 student orgs in med school
Director/board members of 3 clubs in undergrad for years

International Experience
Born in Africa, grew up in East Asia
Organized a research conference in South America during undergrad

Post-MBA Goals
Either going onto residency for medicine or going into industry without residency, depending on my level of burnout
Ultimately the goal is to create positive change in healthcare for patients and providers

Target Schools
Stanford GSB

In conclusion, my profile was good enough to get me into a top 10 MD school, but it's completely healthcare oriented. There are leadership/ECs that I can narrate in a more business-oriented way, but I don't have any direct business-related experiences. I'm hoping my unique personal & professional background will still give me a leg up though. Right now, I'm wondering if I should retake my GMAT considering other parts of my application? Also, I'm wondering if I should use try to indicate somewhere in my app that I took the GMAT solely for GSB, even though I already have likely admission to another top 10 MBA program - would that help demonstrate my commitment to GSB or just too much info? Thank you so much!


Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
D
mbaMissionKate
mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 01 Apr 2015
Posts: 1452
Own Kudos [?]: 230 [0]
Given Kudos: 22
Send PM
Reviews Badge
Re: Profile Review [#permalink] New post   26 Jun 2023, 12:10
Expert Reply
Hi again, I'm not sure that it makes sense to switch tests if you've only taken it once and already scored at a high level. If you got 720 without much studying, what could you get with a little more focused studying? I'd give the GMAT another go before you switch gears and learn a new test. But I guess you could try a GRE practice exam and see how you do? Just keep in mind that GSB has a high average GRE score too - 327 overall.

Kate

yuniie wrote:
Thank you for your reply! Do you think attempting the GRE would be a better idea? I feel that raising my GMAT score feels like a gamble.

mbaMissionKate wrote:
Hi, yuniie -

Thanks for reaching out to us at mbaMission. First, let me say that while it's less traditional for MBA applicants, you have a super impressive profile! Great academic background, strong leadership in campus activities, volunteering work, and international exposure. I think you're right that the two issues are your lack of full-time work experience (most have about 4 years when they apply to GSB) and your GMAT score (which is not bad at all, but below GSB's 737 average). I think if you can retake GMAT and get above average, they would be more OK with the lack of full-time experience given all the impressive things in your profile. But if both issues exist, then it's much tougher odds. It could still be worth a try but your odds would be much better with a higher score. And yes, I would find a way to mention the acceptance to your school's MBA program (if it's guaranteed, not sure what almost guaranteed means) and that GSB is the only other school you're applying to.

Hope that helps and please reach out if we can help further.
Kate

yuniie wrote:
Hi! First of all, thank you for reading through this post :)

For background, I'm currently a 3rd-year medical student at a top 10 MD school, and almost guaranteed acceptance to my home institution's MBA program. However, I've decided to take the GMAT (not required for my home dual-degree program) today and got a 720. I do not have as much time as most people to study for the GMAT, given that I was doing clerkships this past 6 months (~12-hour days). I took the GMAT solely because I want to go to Stanford GSB, and I understand that my score is lower than preferable. However, I just feel the opportunity cost of retaking the GMAT, without a guarantee of a higher score, would be quite high. Please let me know your two cents!!!

Demographics
Nationality - Chinese
Gender - Woman
Age - 25

Education
Undergraduate (pre-med) - 3.95 GPA from a top UC school
MD - in progress at a top 10 school (Ivy League)

GMAT
720 (42V, 47Q)

Work Experience
Part-time work throughout college (tutoring + medicine-related, i.e. medical assistant, research assistant)
Full-time medical research job at Stanford for a year after undergrad, before med school
I feel like med school is a whole job on its own

Extracurriculars
Lots of volunteering in the medical field (free health clinics, asylum clinics, free health fairs, hospitals)
STEM/medical research (have multiple publications on Pubmed)

Leadership Experience
Med school class president (will most likely get rec letter from a dean as well)
Student leader/president of 3 student orgs in med school
Director/board members of 3 clubs in undergrad for years

International Experience
Born in Africa, grew up in East Asia
Organized a research conference in South America during undergrad

Post-MBA Goals
Either going onto residency for medicine or going into industry without residency, depending on my level of burnout
Ultimately the goal is to create positive change in healthcare for patients and providers

Target Schools
Stanford GSB

In conclusion, my profile was good enough to get me into a top 10 MD school, but it's completely healthcare oriented. There are leadership/ECs that I can narrate in a more business-oriented way, but I don't have any direct business-related experiences. I'm hoping my unique personal & professional background will still give me a leg up though. Right now, I'm wondering if I should retake my GMAT considering other parts of my application? Also, I'm wondering if I should use try to indicate somewhere in my app that I took the GMAT solely for GSB, even though I already have likely admission to another top 10 MBA program - would that help demonstrate my commitment to GSB or just too much info? Thank you so much!


Posted from my mobile device
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mbaMissionKate
mbaMission Admissions Consultant
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