Despite a 620, still got accepted to some good programs

[bwh3655]

Hi all, just wanted to share my experience and reach out to those of you who (like me) may just not be good standardized test-takers. So here goes.....

Despite investing thousands in test fees, practice materials and private tutoring I scored a 620 three straight times on my GMAT (although if you took my highest score on V and Q, it would've been 660-670). I had to make a very hard decision and cut my loses, so I started looking at places where I may have still have a chance.

Much to my pleasant surprise, I'm now sitting here staring at acceptance letters from:

Olin- Washington U-St. Louis (GMAT Avg: 690)
Fisher- Ohio State (660)
Carlson- Minnesota (690)

I have several others but these were far and away my best offers. They may not be from Ivys or Stanford, but that was never what I wanted in the first place. So how did I do it? SIMPLE. I busted my butt on essays and preparing for my interview. Here's a hint.....your interview is the most important part of the admissions process because the person who interviews you will have no idea what your GMAT score is and hasn't read your essays. They do this on purpose. I think too many people put too much stock in the GMAT score alone. I'd be happy to discuss my story in more detail if anyone wishes to know but I though I'd give some hope to those of you who may be discouraged by getting a lower than desired GMAT score.

[murtuza71188]

Hello, Congratulations!
I would appreciate if you could share what type of questions did the interviewer asked you and the type of work experience you have.

Thank You.

[bwh3655]

Hello, Congratulations!
I would appreciate if you could share what type of questions did the interviewer asked you and the type of work experience you have.

Thank You.

No problem! I interviewed at 4 different schools and these were my most common questions/topics:

1) "Tell me about yourself." - This is your queue to give your elevator pitch. If you don't know what that is, look it up because it's very important for any job interview you ever have. My interviewer from Carlson specifically asked me to walk her through my resume in 2 mins or less and just give her some general background information. Make sure to practice your elevator pitch frequently and have others critique it.

2) Strengths/Weaknesses - Be able to name of a few of your major Strenths/Weaknesses and be able to describe them. Regarding strengths, avoid being to general. Don't say you "work well in groups" or "am a good communicator". For weaknesses, don't ever say "I don't have any" and make sure the weaknesses you list aren't super bad (ie. you're constantly late for work). ALSO, for your weaknesses make sure you mention steps you are taking to rectify them.

3) Job Scenarios - There are lots of different scenario questions you could get asked. Best thing to do is look them up and have answers prepared for each. Here's a couple I got asked:

"Tell me about a time when your leadership was challenged"

"Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a deadline or objective, and what could you have done better?"

4) "Why are you currently pursuing an MBA?" - A lot of people will tell you that you have to have a very specific answer for this. I don't agree. Perhaps for your essay, but admissions people aren't stupid....they know most MBA candidates aren't 100% sure of what they want to do. Just be prepared to talk about your field(s) of interest and explain how you think an MBA is going to help you advance your professional career.

5) "Why are you pursuing an MBA at school XYZ?" - This one should be obvious. It's called interview prep people. Research the heck out of your institution and figure out why you think it's so special. I knew enough about my institutions that I was able to frequently reference them throughout multiple questions during my interviews. Admissions people want to see that you care enough about their institution to do a little research beforehand. If not, then it's obvious they aren't your first choice so why should you be theirs? Make sense?

***NOTE*** When you answer this question the reasons you give don't have to just be restricted to the school itself and programs they offer. When I interviewed at Carlson, I told them (truthfully): "Minneapolis is a great city as far as job opportunities go and I want to live in the same city as my fiance." Those are REAL reasons so you can definitely include them.

6) Short/Long-Term goals: Again, you don't have to be super specific here because all the admissions people know you probably have no clue exactly what you are looking for. Just be able to give some general goals or benchmarks you hope to achieve.

All in all, make sure you can answer the above questions with relative ease. When you answer the questions, be sure not sound like a robot reading a script, but like a real person having a conversation. Remember, if you make it to the interview process you've already made the first cut and the school is legitimately interested in you.


EDUCATION/JOB BACKGROUND:

Graduated with a BBA from Belmont University in Winter 2008 (I'm 26yo). GPA was 3.7.

4 yrs active duty military for the (US) Air Force. I worked in meteorology and my main job was creating forecasts for bases and briefing weather reports to pilots. Was deployed in Iraq for 6 months back in 2011. Writing essays and doing interview prep was tough for me because it's very difficult to explain my job to someone who isn't in the field. But through this job I've had some amazing experiences and been given an extraordinary amount of leadership opportunities so the interview process was seamless for me. I'll certainly answer any more questions if anyone has them!!!!


EDIT: Be sure to leave thank-you notes after all your interviews! Seriously, no one does this and it helps them remember you!!!

[sekiguchi.tim]

Congratulations! Seriously. And thanks for the incredible breakdown of questions for interviewee's, this is nice to hear from an actual person and not just a prep book.

Just to side bar: where there any schools that you applied for, had an interview for, and didn't get in? Do you attribute that to your GMAT score?

[bwh3655]

Congratulations! Seriously. And thanks for the incredible breakdown of questions for interviewee's, this is nice to hear from an actual person and not just a prep book.

Just to side bar: where there any schools that you applied for, had an interview for, and didn't get in? Do you attribute that to your GMAT score?

I was accepted at all places I interviewed (4 total) so, like I said, getting an interview is a very good sign. Carlson slow-played the heck out of me....to the point where I'm not going there because of it. The reason was definitely my GMAT score. I was asked many times if I was going to retake it (I could tell they liked the rest of my app except for the score). I said no and they eventually offered anyway.....3 days after my deadline to accept Wash-U had passed. I took the Wash-U offer because I didn't want to risk not getting accepted elsewhere. I don't really understand Carlson's logic here at all. They were my top choice and I let them know that. PLUS I'm military and get full coverage from my GI bill so money wasn't a problem. Their loss I guess.....they woulda made a lot of it off me. I think part of the reason they harped on my low score was their small class size....only about 50 people in each graduating class so it's tiny. I don't know and I really don't care at this point. As far as I'm concerned they made a mistake slow-playing me....they missed out on some serious mullah....kind of the antithesis of running a business if you ask me:)

I should note to everyone out there that a 620 will not get you a scholarship....so if you're depending on academic aid you'll need a much better score. Luckily for me my GI bill offers full coverage at most institutions in this country. It feels great to finally say good riddance to this test. It's also nice to know that there are institutions out there who place 4 yrs of military service and an outstanding undergrad record on a higher pedestal than a stupid 3.5 hr standardized test which, quite frankly, is nothing more than a shameless money grab (kinda like the SAT/ACT).