Indian female with 720 GMAT profile evaluation

Question

Hello, few days back I gave GMAT for the second time and scored 720(47 q, 42 v ) the first time I gave GMAT I had scored 650 (47 q, 34 v) . I have 3 years work experience in a local IT company and hold a ME degree from Cornell with 3.0 / 4.3. I was a team member of a NSF project in cornell. As I had some family issues, I was not able to score extraordinary marks during my ME and had to return to india as soon as I finished my education. I had completed my b.tech from India from a good college and had scored 73.9% . My co curricular activities involve volunteering for blood donation camps in my college and donating blood regularly. Also I am associated with green peace India and have won several group discussion competitions . I have also participated in technical presentations at national level and now a days am learning jazz dance. With this background what are my chance of securing admission in top 25 colleges and do I need to give GMAT again because of low quant score

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hi there,

The good news:

The short answer? No, don't retake the GMAT. Congratulations on moving from a 650 to a 720 but the effort required to improve that even slightly is going to be significant and probably not worth it. Your quant isn't THAT low - it isn't on par with the average for your applicant pool (Indian male) but it isn't terrible. Overall, a 720 is good enough for you!

The Less Than Good News:

The rest of your profile is a little more on the average side. You have some interesting components (Green Peace, learning jazz) but that isn't going to be nearly enough to carry you. A big question you need to answer is what did you DO for your local IT company? If you had some amazing, above average work experiences there, that will help. However, your undergraduate GPA is average and not a differentiator. Additionally, your involvement in undergrad is lacking and while some of that may be explained away in an optional essay regarding your family circumstance, at the end of the day donating blood isn't an activity unfortunately.

At the moment, I would say your chances aren't great. Now, my opinion may change when you tell me more about your work experiences but if I were you I would look to strengthen your profile in the next few years in two main areas:

Professionally: look for projects or opportunities where you can stretch yourself, manage ambiguity, and drive impact. It's all about impact. If you wrote status reports for three years, it isn't going to get you very far.

Extracurricularly: Get involved in activities that drive impact and speak to your passions. But look for areas where you can augment your professional experiences for leadership experience and other key themes you're going to need to hammer into your application. Taking what you wrote at face value, I feel you would have a very difficult time writing a compelling set of essays to stand out from the pack.

If you let me know some more information about your work experiences - I would love to help!

I hope that wasn't too negative sounding - I think you're asking the right questions and setting yourself up for a successful run but in a year or two, maybe not this one.

Bhavik

myEssayReview · Answer

I don't think you need to retake GMAT. You are fine with 720 score. That you have jumped from 650 to 720 is an accomplishment.

Your EC's are good . However, you have not provided any information about your work experience. To able able to comment on your chances of admission, I need to know about the quality of your work experience: career progression, (raises , promotions etc.), accomplishments, leadership roles etc.

Feel free to email me your resume for free profile evaluation.

somu12345 · Answer

Thanks my essay review and critical square MBA..... I had started working as a trainee software engineer after which I was promoted to software engineer. After my degree in cornell I had to return back to India because I'd some very serious family issues. I contacted my previous employer and they again hired me as a team leader and I am managing a small team of 4-5 people since then. I can provide stellar recommendations from my employer and my undergrad professors but since my ME performance was not extraordinary i am not sure whether I can get good recs from professors there although I would try doing my best. I was an active kid during my undergrads and volunteered in organising campus drives in my 3rd and 4th year. Do you guys think I have a shot at top 15???? Also I was in top 2 percent in my entire batch. I was also selected to be a team member of a NSF project during my ME. I am desperate to get into Top 15 but is it possible?

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hi somu,

Thanks for sending along some additional information! I am going to be honest in this response and I hope you take it in the manner in which it was intended - good faith. You have a chance at the top 15. Is it a great shot? No, definitely not above average. Your work experience has some leadership in it so that's good but you're in IT and the team isn't that large. In other words, you have experiences to pull from to support leadership but none that would, on their own, stand out to an adcom.

Your undergraduate career is a little more impactful than I thought. Your performance in school along with some of your activities could be woven into a good story. For example, the NSF thing could be cool to write about based upon how you were involved. But once again, these are a handful of pieces that come together. It isn't a litany of achievements like many of your competition will have. And most of them will have continued these experiences after graduation, something I believe you don't have on your resume?

That said - you have a shot. I don't want you to lose heart. But I do want you to understand how perfect your application will have to be. You have to make these experiences sing and showcase a collection of skills that a top 15 program would be looking for and be lucky to have.

On a side note - unless there is a very good reason to use a professor for a recommendation, I would suggest sticking with current employers or professionals from experiences after undergrad outside of work.

I hope this helps - I think your experiences, coupled with a strong story, could be woven together to put you in contention but it'll take some hard work.

If you have any other questions - please don't hesitate to ask!

Bhavik

myEssayReview · Answer

Hi Somu,

I still feel, I do not have much information to be able to evaluate your candidacy well. Based on the details provided, I would enforce that your undergraduate ECs are effective. The fact that your were again hired by your previous employer after your return to India speaks well on your performance at work. However, managing a team of 4-5 people as a team lead doesn't tell anything about the projects you have handled, the challenges you have faced, and the impact you have made. For that, we will need to have more in -depth conversation.

These days, every day we are getting queries from candidates about" their chances for the top 15 schools". First, it is difficult to answer this question based on the little info we get on the forums. Secondly, I believe that in addition to aiming for top 15 or top 20, applicant should thoroughly research their target schools and select them on the basis of their ' fit 'with the school. Your research may provide you an insight that top 30ish would better match your goals, interests, and personality and would be a good ' fit' for you. Brand is important, but your 'fit'with the school is equally important .

Email me if you want to schedule a call for a discussion.

somu12345 · Answer

Thanks very much for the feedback .... I am also looking into MS in information systems management. I don't have a lot of leadership experience so guess these MS programmes would be good for me.can you guys tell me whether my profile would be suitable for top 15 in case I decide to go for MS?

MBAPrepAdvantage · Answer

I would recommend you not to retake the GMAT and concentrate on producing the best application possible.

I think you have a shot at schools in the top 8-15 range. Make sure to be specific about your leadership experiences and impact. Seek out leadership positions within your extracurriculars and look for other community service activities.

A MS in information systems management might not help you accomplish your career goals. So evaluate whether that career track is what you wish to do.

Good luck,

Michael Cohan
President
MBAPrepAdvantage
305-604-8178
https://www.mbaprepadvantage.com
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MBAPrepAdvantage offers a free initial assessment to gauge your MBA admissions chances and the strength of your candidacy. Email us a brief description of your goals along with your target schools, resume, GPA, and GMAT score at [email protected].

Indian female with 720 GMAT profile evaluation

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