Chances at a top school

Question

I have taken the GMAT 2 times

After much prep 1st attempt 580(Q36,V32)- terribly bombed- i think total lack of sleep.

a month later i took it again 680(Q44,V40)- i'm still not happy as on practice i have consistently scored 700+

i have 2 questions- will my first score affect me negatively?

i'm thinking of taking it again. is taking the exam 3 times going to negatively affect me? 

I want to apply to top schools- harvard, stanford, wharton and I dont know if my GMAT is competitive there.

I am Indian Female IT professional. I have heard on this board that the Indian pool is extremely competitive. Is it less so for women?

thanks for the advice...
idream.

PaulBodine · Answer

idream,
 I'm answering for Linda today. I think it's Ok to take the GMAT 3 times without stigma. More than that looks bad. 
 I do think you need at least a 700 for the schools you mention, but your 680 is close and I think the odds are a bit better for an Indian woman. They see only a fraction of those vis-a-vis Indian males. 

Good luck,

idream · Answer

thank you for your answer.

the reason i want a high GMAT is that i have done very badly in the first 2 years of my undergrad. i transferred from a college in india to a college in US after the 2 years. the undergrad gpa is quite high 3.8.
i also took graduate classes and completed a masters from a top tier university in us with again a high gpa of 3.8.
my problem is that the first 2 years of my undergrad, the mark list makes me cry- it is that bad.... I transferred 60 credits that i did well on. but i failed about eight courses. those classes do not show on my undergrad transcript, but are on the mark list from the first college. I was an engineering major- so the classes i failed were all tech. however, my undergrad and grad were also highly technical and i have gotten A grade almost throughout and on 6000 level computer classes. 

the reason for my poor performance at that time is lack of maturity. i just didnt study or even go to class all that much..i was getting by with cramming before exams, but i fell sick during the last semester exams ,couldnt cram and consequently lost 4 papers. but after i got into my junior year i changed completely in the respect.

Anyway, will my marklist from the first 2 years of undergrad put me completely out of the race? I will have 6 + years of work experience when i get to school and have excellent work experience and recs.

Please advice,
Idream

idream · Answer

I took the GMAT again. third attempt.

710 (Q47,V40).
Quant: 81% and Verbal:91%.

Please evaluate my profile based on this gmat score. Basically my question about the mark-sheet from my first 2 years of undergrad (the credits i transferred to the degree granting institution).

thanks much!
Idream

Accepted.com · Answer

You have a competitive profile for the schools on your list, but you do need to explain those first two years of bad grades. BRiefly ascribe the bad grades to immaturity and show how well you did after transfering and in your graduate degree program.

Please see  "Low GMAT or GPA" 

Good luck

idream · Answer

Thank you Linda for your answer. 

idream.

Accepted.com · Answer

you're most welcome. Good luck!

idream · Answer

Linda,

First of all thank for all your help. i got your 'submit a stellar application' and found it very useful. 


Another question, if you can comment on what the adcoms will think when they see the word 'detained' on my marklist for one class. It is there because for that class i didnt attend class, submit work or attend the exam. I dont have transcripts, only official marklists and there are no explanations. 

Thanks,
idream.

Accepted.com · Answer

I'm glad you found  Submit a Stellar Application  useful. Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not sure how they will react to "detained," but it probably won't make them feel warm and fuzzy. Is that a mark you received during those first bad two years? If so, it will be explained in the essay where you address the bad grades.

Good luck!

idream · Answer

Hi Linda,

Yes it is the mark for one of my courses. I plan to explain in the essay that I did badly in my 2nd year because I could only transfer 60 credits to the american university which had already accepted me. As I already had the 60 credits i needed, since the remaining wouldnt transfer anyway I skipped class... Anyway I didnt have the foresight to think about mark lists from that first 2 years. As that is the truth i am going to say it was my immaturity that made me make that decision. Should I explain the detained grade at all specifically. I think it means incomplete. I am hoping that my Masters gpa of 3.8 and my undergrad gpa of 3.88 and GMAT 710 will mitigtate most of the effect of this... I read your article on Low GPA/GMAT and I think i have pretty much done everything I can.

Thanks for all your advice.
idream.

Accepted.com · Answer

I wouldn't go into any details about "detained." Write an essay taking responsibility for those first two years succinctly and attributing the results to poor judgement. Then point to what you did after that period when good judgement and maturity prevailed.

Good luck!

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