Hi,
I need advice on whether to retake my GMAT and which business schools to apply to for my MBA.
Background: I got a 645 in my GMAT (Q83, V81, DI82) and my Indian CGPA is 8.57 - I held the number one rank in my class throughout college from a cohort of 80 students.
I studied sports management at an undergraduate level and will have ~5 years of experience in sports media at matriculation having worked at the leading sports broadcaster/media house in India. Top performer among my peers at work, was the youngest member at my company at 24 to be selected to cover the Paris Olympics. Although I have not received a promotion, my performance and growth at work will be highlighted in my LoR.
I gave my GMAT FE on 15th July before leaving for Paris to cover the 2024 Olympics for work. The initial plan was to come back from the Olympic games and immediately work on applications for round 1, but since my score wasn't as high as I liked, I'm unsure of what to do. I scored between 645-675 in practice tests so believe I can get a better score - especially in Verbal where I scored 82-84 consistently before getting 81 in my final exam.
Post-MBA Goals: I have 2 paths I am looking at post-MBA - the primary goal is to get into management consulting while the backup plan is to stay in the sports industry but move into the business side and work/consult for teams/organisations in the NBA/NFL or for sports media companies. While mentioning my goals in my essays I have been advised to mention the latter since that would lead to a better chance of me getting in considering it aligns with my background and experience.
Also, I don't want to take on too much debt and will probably only do my MBA if I get substantial financial aid - so I want to target schools that have the highest chances of giving a full-ride or a significant scholarship for my profile.
With these details in mind - would it be better to apply in Round 1, or hope for a better GMAT score and then apply in Round 2 with a better application?
Also are there any specific universities that I should be looking at given my circumstances?
Would love any advice or thoughts.
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