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May 0710:00 AM EDT
-10:30 AM EDT
Sia Admissions Founder Susan Berishaj is covering this live on YouTube, May 7: how admissions committees actually evaluate goals statements, who is in the room, and why the goals statement most applicants submit wouldn't survive that conversation.
May 0711:30 AM PDT
-12:30 PM PDT
Most MBA resumes fail not because of weak experience — but because of how that experience is presented. In this episode, we break down what makes an MBA resume effective, and how to shift from listing responsibilities to demonstrating impact...- May 07
06:00 PM PDT
-07:00 PM PDT
A strong MBA application is built long before you start writing essays. In this session, Scott Edinburgh (Founder, Personal MBA Coach) shares 6 practical ways to improve your MBA profile before MBA application season - May 08
08:00 AM PDT
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Join the special YouTube live-stream for selecting the winners of GMAT Club MBA Scholarships sponsored by Juno live. Watch who gets these coveted MBA scholarships offered by GMAT Club and Juno. 
May 0803:00 PM PDT
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Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
May 1310:00 AM EDT
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Applying to business school this year? Don’t miss Personal MBA Coach’s Top MBA Application Tips guide
10 Nov 2019, 14:05
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi
just read the post 'retake or not' and it got me thinking whether i should reappear or not . Hence asking for a profile evaluation.
Took GMAT 5 days ago and got a 640. (Q:47, verbal: 31) and was expecting higher since i had been scoring higher in mocks. (i prepared for around 45-50 days for this attempt and could have given a bit more time to verbal, i feel)
My profile:
Indian Female, 32
Work ex: 6+ years, majorly in advertising and branding (strategy), Indian and international firms (but based out of India only). Last position: Associate director(strategy/planning) in an advertising firm. Currently, i am not working for the last 10 months(I am in US on an H4 visa)
Undergraduate: Bachelor of arts (with psychology honours), have a low GPA overall but in my honours course, was in the top 10 students in the college). also, i have a low GPA due to my second year score where i had met with a bad accident and was on bed rest for nearly two months, right before and during my exams that impacted my score (i am not sure if i should use this to justify the score)
MBA from India, have a 8.4/10 GPA (from top 15 BSchools in india)
Have been active in extra curricular during my undergrad and MBA, both. Have been college vice president for Rotaract club(rotary club's college version), Senior member(head of a particular division) of Theatre committee and have been pretty active in community service during college and a year post college as well(have volunteered with juvenile cell etc.)
Also, in terms of international exposure, have traveled a bit internationally and extensively in India. (maybe can build on this in the essay)
I am targeting the top 20 US schools. I plan to get into Marketing/consulting. Also, i am trying for a 2020 admit, with most school's application deadlines for R2 in jan.
Though i am still planning to reappear, but to just get a sense of my profile and what kind of score shall i look at with this profile for the top 20 Schools,
Thanks
Swati
just read the post 'retake or not' and it got me thinking whether i should reappear or not . Hence asking for a profile evaluation.
Took GMAT 5 days ago and got a 640. (Q:47, verbal: 31) and was expecting higher since i had been scoring higher in mocks. (i prepared for around 45-50 days for this attempt and could have given a bit more time to verbal, i feel)
My profile:
Indian Female, 32
Work ex: 6+ years, majorly in advertising and branding (strategy), Indian and international firms (but based out of India only). Last position: Associate director(strategy/planning) in an advertising firm. Currently, i am not working for the last 10 months(I am in US on an H4 visa)
Undergraduate: Bachelor of arts (with psychology honours), have a low GPA overall but in my honours course, was in the top 10 students in the college). also, i have a low GPA due to my second year score where i had met with a bad accident and was on bed rest for nearly two months, right before and during my exams that impacted my score (i am not sure if i should use this to justify the score)
MBA from India, have a 8.4/10 GPA (from top 15 BSchools in india)
Have been active in extra curricular during my undergrad and MBA, both. Have been college vice president for Rotaract club(rotary club's college version), Senior member(head of a particular division) of Theatre committee and have been pretty active in community service during college and a year post college as well(have volunteered with juvenile cell etc.)
Also, in terms of international exposure, have traveled a bit internationally and extensively in India. (maybe can build on this in the essay)
I am targeting the top 20 US schools. I plan to get into Marketing/consulting. Also, i am trying for a 2020 admit, with most school's application deadlines for R2 in jan.
Though i am still planning to reappear, but to just get a sense of my profile and what kind of score shall i look at with this profile for the top 20 Schools,
Thanks
Swati
10 Nov 2019, 16:23
Kudos
Bookmarks
I would definitely recommend retaking the GMAT if you'd like to target top 20, especially given the low GPA. Ideally with a strong GPA (~3.5+) you would want to land a 700 GMAT in order to target top 20 schools. Generally speaking schools in the top 10 have average GMAT scores of 720+ & schools in the 11-20 range tend to have an average of 700+. When your GMAT is on the lower end it's that much more important to hit or ideally exceed the average GMAT score at your target schools. The fact that you are not currently working is also going to be a significant challenge unfortunately. The adcom really likes to see applicants who are currently employed & career gaps do make things more difficult. It gives you less recent experience to contribute to class discussions & also means your LORs are less recent. They will want to know why you left your job (and you'll want to make it clear that you left on good terms & were not fired) & why you chose to come to the US even though it meant you couldn't work (and why you chose to not at least spend your time volunteering).
In terms of whether or not to use the optional essay to explain your GPA, the accident would be worth mentioning & that will make the adcom more willing to overlook your performance that semester. Depending on how low your GPA is the other semesters you may want to address it, but it will all depend on what you would say to explain what went wrong there. If you'd like to chat & give us a bit more background we can definitely give some suggestions for whether to address it & how. Likewise with the current career gap.
A lot is also going to depend on the strength of your work experience. The adcom wants to see applicants who have made big impact in their careers (i.e. driving increases in revenue or decreases in cost, launching profitable new products or campaigns, etc). Ideally you'll have some leadership experience to show as well, either at work or in your extracurriculars -- although generally speaking the adcom doesn't place that much weight on extracurriculars from college since it was so long ago. They prefer to see recent experience.
Having traveled isn't going to differentiate you unfortunately. Many applicants are very well traveled. But unless you are applying to schools like Duke or INSEAD it's definitely not a deal breaker if you don't have international work experience. Many applicants get into top schools without it.
Your post-MBA goals will be critical as well. The adcom wants to know exactly what you plan to do in the ST & LT (target title & 203 target firms), what you hope to accomplish in that role & WHY this is your impact. Top schools are looking for applicants who will really make a difference in their respective industries. In other words, they want someone who is going to change the world in some way, not just get a "job."
All of these factors will determine how competitive you are for top 20 schools, and like I said, retaking the GMAT would definitely be a good first step.
If you'd like to chat more about how to overcome some of the challenges in your candidacy (while leveraging your strengths), definitely reach out to us. If you email Claudia at [email protected] she can set you up with a free consultation with one of our MBA consultants who can take a look at your resume & give you some more detailed thoughts!
In terms of whether or not to use the optional essay to explain your GPA, the accident would be worth mentioning & that will make the adcom more willing to overlook your performance that semester. Depending on how low your GPA is the other semesters you may want to address it, but it will all depend on what you would say to explain what went wrong there. If you'd like to chat & give us a bit more background we can definitely give some suggestions for whether to address it & how. Likewise with the current career gap.
A lot is also going to depend on the strength of your work experience. The adcom wants to see applicants who have made big impact in their careers (i.e. driving increases in revenue or decreases in cost, launching profitable new products or campaigns, etc). Ideally you'll have some leadership experience to show as well, either at work or in your extracurriculars -- although generally speaking the adcom doesn't place that much weight on extracurriculars from college since it was so long ago. They prefer to see recent experience.
Having traveled isn't going to differentiate you unfortunately. Many applicants are very well traveled. But unless you are applying to schools like Duke or INSEAD it's definitely not a deal breaker if you don't have international work experience. Many applicants get into top schools without it.
Your post-MBA goals will be critical as well. The adcom wants to know exactly what you plan to do in the ST & LT (target title & 203 target firms), what you hope to accomplish in that role & WHY this is your impact. Top schools are looking for applicants who will really make a difference in their respective industries. In other words, they want someone who is going to change the world in some way, not just get a "job."
All of these factors will determine how competitive you are for top 20 schools, and like I said, retaking the GMAT would definitely be a good first step.
If you'd like to chat more about how to overcome some of the challenges in your candidacy (while leveraging your strengths), definitely reach out to us. If you email Claudia at [email protected] she can set you up with a free consultation with one of our MBA consultants who can take a look at your resume & give you some more detailed thoughts!
