WHAT ARE MY BEST SCHOOL OPTIONS AND DO I STAND A CHANCE?

Question

Hi All,

I am an Indian Female, 30, with almost 8 years of work experience in the field of fashion and retail. I have a B.Des degree from the leading fashion college in the country ,NIFT Mumbai.

I recently took a GMAT-test with some prep over the past couple of months and scored 640 (Q47 / V31 / IR5). I do understand that the score isn't ideal but is this ideal breaker?

I have worked with three different startups throughout my career till date and was on the founding team of each of them and have worked with a few other brands for Social Media Marketing and freelance design. My role has never been limited to just design. I overlook procurement, back -end operations, fulfilment, customer handling, etc along with designing and execution. I have been on board from conceptualisation to execution and growth of the companies and have set up their workflow processes, marketing and social media strategies, brand identities as part of my responsibilities while working for the companies. I have managed and nurtured small teams and trained them for their respective roles.

P.S. I do wish to take another GMAT test and aim to score better but given my demanding full time job I don't have unrealistic hopes of crossing the 700 mark.

Please pour in your recommendations and feedbacks.

Thanks in advance

MBAandBeyond · Answer

Hi Vaishali1310 , Thanks for your Post! First of all, I would like to say that eight years of experience is a lot, and you must be no short of examples defining your characteristics and technical prowess. All in all, I would say being a member of the founding team for three different startups surely characterizes your leadership skills, your nature to take risks, and be different from the normal status quo. Now coming to your GMAT, it’s quite low. I suggest you retake the GMAT and try to score 700+. However, we have helped candidates with low GMAT to get into top b-schools like LBS . Apart from factual data and scores, a lot of aspects decide your admission to a top B-school. If you present some very strong examples of leadership, relevant ECAs, examples of your technical prowess, and craft amazing essays, you may have a chance. On the work front, you have mentioned that your role was never limited to designing, so I would like you to mention some relevant projects that would highlight skills other than designing and execution. Moreover, you could add any professional accolades during your tenure and quantify your profile by adding relevant numbers. What are your post-mba goals? It helps in shortlisting b-schools for you. You can apply to (totally based on your GMAT) ESMT Berlin, AGSM, University of Machester, Rotterdam University, Alberta, Sauder, Smith, John Molson, and Hec Montreal. However, I would like to know more about your profile and your post-mba goals to assess your chances better. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances to b-schools. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience. Cheers! Neha Hadke Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond Testimonials Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com https://gmatclub.com/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=64375&sid=4c79da414801565a5961b10589b27f10

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  Vaishali1310 . I agree with the above poster that a more holistic approach to evaluation is better than looking at a test score and some other hard data. That said, have you given the  What are My Chances tool  a go? It may provide a list of schools to consider or even corroborate a few of the names given above by  MBAandBeyond .

Good luck.

- Andrew

Admissionado · Answer

Vaishali1310 :

As noted above, it would be helpful to know more about your goals and broad criteria for schools. Some of the MBA programs in Canada and Europe will still look at a candidate such as yourself even with your GMAT score.

Please respond so everyone here can be of even more help!

-Admissionado

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello  Vaishali1310 ,

Hope this finds you well.

With your years of experience, particularly in the start-up domain, we are certain that you will have a number of valuable talking points to include in your essays. Yes, an improvement in the GMAT score would be great; however, even if you aren't able to push it to 700 and beyond, you will have a number of options available particularly in the UK and Europe. Of course, the choice of schools will depend on what you wish to pursue as your post-MBA career.

At this point, all your focus should be on the GMAT. Once that is out of the way, you must deliberate on your need for MBA and what you wish to pursue after the same. The essays will follow, thereafter.

All the best!

MBAGuide · Answer

Dear  Vaishali1310  , As I can see from your GMAT score breakup, you are not too far off from your country average for quant. This is good. However, there is definitely scope for improvement on the verbal section. Take a targeted approach and analyze - improving what part of verbal - RC, SC or LR will help you make the leap to a 680+ score? If you want some advise on improving verbal score you can reach out to me. Reading reputed newspapers such as FT or the Hindu daily can help in improving verbal score (speaking from personal experience).

Your work profile is decent and worthy of getting noticed by the Ad Coms of top B Schools. Put your best foot forward through stellar essays and well researched career goals. I consider ISB a great fit for you if you are interested in advancing your career in India in leadership positions given you may already have strong connections in this geography. A differentiated background of B. Design coupled with long and diverse experience of marketing and scaling operations in startups will give you a well deserved advantage in the application process.

If you wish to seek professional guidance on creating strategy for your B School application, do reach out.

Best wishes

MBAGuide  applications consulting and interview coaching for Top Global B Schools
Founded by  INSEAD  Alum and ex INSEAD Admissions Interviewer
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GyanOne · Answer

Hi  Vaishali1310

The short answer to your question is that, yes, 640 is a bit of a deal-breaker. The average GMAT scores for the top 25 schools around the world are significantly above your score. While we have  helped people in the past make it to top programs with low scores , our recommendation is that if you can, you should still try and raise your score.

If you're applying to MBA programs that are competitive, you might want to take the test again. You've got a good score, so it shouldn't take too much prep to improve it if you can go for just a couple more points. I recommend taking practice tests and identifying what areas of the test you need to work on—and then practice those areas over and over until you feel confident in your ability to answer those questions.

That said, there are plenty of exceptional candidates who don't have great GMAT scores but have other strengths that make up for it. If you can demonstrate that you're truly exceptional in some other way—perhaps your work experience has been really impressive or you've done something really interesting outside of work—you might still be in good shape.

On your apps, try to find ways to tie your work experience back to the specific MBA program you are applying for—have you learned skills from other industries that can now be applied to business? Is there a specific aspect of business that you are eager to learn more about? Additionally, since you have been involved in startups, how have these experiences helped you develop your entrepreneurial spirit?

Don't worry too much about the programs to apply to right now. Focus on raising your GMAT as much as you can. Also, try to apply this year (2022) as you are approaching the 10-year experience mark. Your profile has promise, and if you work hard, you can do great things.

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