Profile evaluation - Indian/690/Female

Question

I am a final year undergraduate student at a reputed University in India, looking to apply to Masters of Management and Masters of Finance programs directed towards undergrads. High on my priority list is the Kellogg Russell Fellows Program, Duke MMS.
I was hoping to score an above 700 on my GMAT, but unfortunately ended up with a 690 (Q49, V34). 
I have pretty decent academic scores - i have almost a 90 % (89.9 to be exact) as a semester aggregate score at college up till now.
Other than that, I've passed two actuarial science papers from Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, United Kingdom. I'm also a classical Indian dancer, and have performed and won at several national and state platforms. I've been involved in many literary activities and was Editor of the college magazine.
I've volunteered at an organization that preserves and raises awareness about built heritage as well - pretty well known in my country.

I have two internships - but both are non-corporate. One was a research intern at UCLA, and the other at a prestigious business school in India. My long terms goals are to get into a management consulting or i-banking.

Just looking at my chances? Do I need to retake the GMAT? Or should I just work on strengthening my essays and other components of the application?

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hi there,

The traditional route to an investment banking or management consulting opportunity is through an MBA where you'll need at least 2-4 years of strong work experience in a rigorous field. Can you share why you're targeting these other programs instead?

hoodprincess · Answer

I do plan to get an MBA later, maybe after 5 years. I'm targeting these problems because I want a way to go back to my home country. I'm a US citizen who has lived in India her whole life, and received all her education there. As such, just landing back and looking for a job - when I have a degree (B.Com) that's slightly unfamiliar is really hard. So mostly because it'll familiarize and mainstream me a little in the job market. Also, the brand name doesnt hurt :D

Do I have a good shot?
Also, since I'm a U.S. citizen and as such all the deadlines applicable to me are US students deadlines - I'm just wondering whether my applicant pool will be Indian or U.S. students. Thanks!

CriticalSquare · Answer

USC is likely the only aligned program at this stage. The rest will be a stretch. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing a connection in your story. Before pulling your application together, you should consider the value of the degree and how you plan to utilize it going forward. As mentioned, this degree won't directly open any doors for consulting or investment banking. I think you can plan to apply to 1-2 of the stretch programs but focus more on some the programs ranked 15-25. And to confirm, yes, you will be evaluated as an Indian Female. Hope this helps, and best of luck!

hoodprincess · Answer

Would you recommend I retake the GMAT? How can I improve my chances for an MiM?

CriticalSquare · Answer

Given that you have until the end of October for most of the deadlines, I think you have enough time to prep and improve your GMAT score. Then, you can spend the necessary time to focus on your application. As mentioned earlier, the reasoning behind your decision to pursue a MiM is essential. Top consulting firms and investment banks prioritize MBAs over MiMs, so pulling together an application that relies on that end goal doesn't probably won't sit well. Taking the time to reflect on your future goals and figuring out how exactly your MiM fits in helping you achieve those goals is your best chance to improve your odds.

Profile evaluation - Indian/690/Female

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