why not to see where I stand..

Question

I'm 27 years old, and I come from the poorest country in the Europe. I got my Bachelor in Economics, with specialization in Business Management & Administration, and my Master in Management from the top university in my home country. I tried later to apply to different universities in EU - yet it was difficult for me to secure a position there, especially because I was not an EU citizen. After graduation, I started working for the biggest and top bank in my country in Credit risk management (credit control - some kind of internal audit of the credit operations). During the period I worked there, beyond my day to day tasks and duties, I had the opportunity to be a part of the team that had to restructure the credit risk department. Since I am good with computers/software and other stuff, I worked on identifying and establishing the functions (in bank's informational systems - SAB Globus/Temenos T24, and other softwares) that each individual needed for their day to day activities. Moreover, I worked closely with IT and HR departments, so that to update the job descriptions for each member of the new departments, and to eliminate the major risks that I had identified. At last, but not least, I represented the department in the Continuity Management team of the bank. Since May 2014 - I have been living in Illinois. I had to start form zero here

. I got a job in a logistics&transportation company, in the fleet operations department. Within few months, I got promoted to Financial Officer, and then later - to General Manager, the position that I held for already more than a year

. Our company is currently extending, and as a result, we purchased few properties in different cities in the Chicagoland area. The plan is to build logistics centers, and thus, we have been working with local authorities to get all approvals on rezoning, obtaining tax incentives, etc. My long term goal is - obtain a better education so that not only to better manage the company, at which I work at the moment, but also, after obtaining some experience, to return home and help improve what can be improved. My GMAT score though, is not very competitive - 650 only (Q49, V30, IR5, AWA6), an increase from 550 from 4 years ago. My GMAT experience is posted on gmatclub as well

TOEFL - I plan to take in October. Applying in R2. Do I have any chances? what do you think?

would appreciate any feedback. thanks in advance

nazim391 · Answer

Hi mate,

Given that some top schools are relatively more flexible with GMAT scores I believe you have a chance to get in. A colleague of mine score 750 in his GMAT and could not get in any business schools. Takeaway is: GMAT is a mandatory and important part of the application, but it is not decisive. I think 65-75% of your success would depend on your application and story. What I see from your write-up, you have above average chance to get in.

By the way, GSB is my first choice as well

MBADecoder · Answer

Hi Mvictor,

I really like your story of perseverance, determination and career awareness. When presented properly it should impress the admissions committees as well.
Admissions to top business schools are highly competitive, and as you seem interested in Stanford, I am assuming you are aiming high with other b-schools as well. You have time until R2 to try your luck with GMAT once again. Its not that people with high scores have a sure shot entry to top b-schools or people with low GMAT scores never get admission (your minority status in the applicant pool with benefit here); but it will decrease your risk of applying with a lesser GMAT score.

There are other factors as well- what was your college GPA? 
Being the GM of a company sounds big and your journey there sounds fantastic. How big a team are you leading? 
Since you have mentioned about going back to your logistics company, are you also looking at eMBA as an option?

mvictor · Answer

Hi, I appreciate your time to write your response. To be honest, Stanford is my only choice, and so far, I haven't thought of applying to other b-schools. I indeed plan to retake the GMAT, after I finish with TOEFL. Unfortunately it is still a requirement for those who did not study in English, although I believe it is a non-sense to ask for it, especially because one could not get a good GMAT score without having more than average knowledge of the English language and because I have been living in US for already more than 2 years (I have heard and seen some people who live in US without speaking English, but definitely it is not my case

). Since I studied outside of the US, it is somehow difficult to talk about my GPA, as in my home country a different scale system is used. I finished my Bachelor with 8.90 out of 10, or 89% out of 100 (I got 10 for my thesis). My average grade for master was 9.88 out of 10, or 98.8% (again 10 for my master thesis). During my master, I got a "scholarship" if I can say so during my second year, for the outstanding results. Out of 175 students, I was #9, so basically in top 10 for the class of 2012. About my position as GM - i find it difficult to quantify the number of people I manage, as I try to eliminate any barriers in communication within the company and not to concentrate on the titles... If taken together with our European office - then ~40. Indirectly, ~300, as we have different divisions that have full autonomy, except when it comes to financing/billing/accounting/etc. I can't say it is a big company, relatively to other US companies, but we do have revenues in the upper tens of millions of USD, with the projections to get into 9 digits numbers. The positions that I held here allowed me to work with different financial institutions and other Fortune 500 companies (e.g. BoA, US Bank, Wells Fargo, Chase, Ryder, etc.). eMBA - I was thinking about it, but it always good to know that there might be an alternative after you finish your studies...

ARINGO · Answer

You have a really interesting story and great goal for yourself, so while 650 is a score that would normally be a bit low for Stanford, I would say your chances are good, even with your current score, but of course a higher one will not hurt in any way, so if you are up for retaking, please do!

It is important to keep in mind though that your GMAT score is without a doubt important, but it is only one part of the puzzle. You need really strong essays in order to be able to address everything you mentioned here in the best possible way, so spend as much time on that as you possibly can (or get professional assistance if you think that would help) as I think that will be what sets you apart and seals the deal for you.

I am not sure why you are only going for one school, however. As I am sure you know that is pretty rare and there is a reason for that. Basically you are not doing yourself any favors by sticking to only one school, so if at all possible, I would consider other top schools as well if I were you. I am sure several of them would be interested in someone with your profile. Just food for thought...

Good luck!

mvictor · Answer

Thanks for the comment! 
I plan to start working on my application end of october - december (~2 months...+ I believe that this time frame will allow people that I asked from a recommendation letter to have them written in the way they think is best). I was interested in Booth as well; moreover, it is even located close to my current location. Don't want to be arrogant or smth, considering that up until now I have never applied to top business schools, but I always believed that Stanford is the more progressive and modern business school among the top ones.

bb · Answer

why not to see where I stand..

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