Profile Evaluation Please? 690 GMAT, 3.2 GPA

[BenR101]

Hello!

Looking to get a quick read on my application profile... I'm an American male living and working in China for 6 years. I have work experience in automotive advertising, marketing, and entrepreneurship with good examples of leadership and project management. I'm applying for an MBA so that I can make a career switch to marketing in the tech sector (still keeping the marketing/project management focus). Have a 690 (Q45 V40 IR6) GMAT and 3.2 GPA from a US state university (liberal arts degree) and am apply to Tuck, Kellogg MMM, Haas, and INSEAD for January deadlines. I think the international work experience makes me stand out but am worried that the sub-700 GMAT and low quant will hold me back. Should I reconsider my choices?

Thanks for your advice!
-B

[mbaMissionKate]

Hello!
I agree that your international exposure will help you stand out. Sounds like your work experience is strong too! And I also like that your post-MBA goals are related to your current experience. For those schools you list, your GPA will be below average, and so will your GMAT. But I would not rule out those schools, because I think you have a lot of strengths too. It's just hard to say how much that will hurt you without seeing your full application since these decisions are made very holistically. I think it depends on the school too...for instance, I've heard that INSEAD really wants to see at least a 70 or 75 percentile score on both Quant and Verbal, and they've asked some applicants with scores below 700 to retake the test before being admitted. Haas is another school too where I have the impression that they like to see high Quant scores. But then again, since your career goals are tech / marketing, not I-banking or something heavily quantitative, then your score may be just fine. I think Tuck and Kellogg are both great schools for you and I feel better about your chances there. If you want to be on the safe side in case the GMAT / GPA does become an issue then you could add another school to your list too, something like Duke perhaps? If you'd like to chat further about strategies / options, feel free to email me back or sign up for a free consult at http://www.mbamission.com/consult/.
Good luck!