I just took a gmat yesterday, so the AWA is yet known. please take a look anyway, advice appreciated.
GMAT: 730 (96%), Q50, V38, AWA n/a
Education & GPA: B.Sc 1st class with honor in a British University (ranked around 20) GPA about 4/4 (almost straight A). And I also have a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science in Cambridge University, UK. (graduated with merit)
Nationality: China
G: Male
Age: 29
Applying for: Fall 2011
Exp: 4 years in engineering, 2 years in project management, both in the same Fortune 500 IT company. 1 year in a startup Internet company as general manager.
Career target is in VC.
Target program:full time MBA in Stanford, UCLA, Berkley, Wharton (those with reputation in VC)
My life was pretty much planned when I was 18 (be IT professional, into management, then take MBA, eventually into VC). I don't know how to polish that into an application essay. Could I say I was a Chinese boy with a big american dream? ;-) that's pretty much what I am.
Anyway, I planned to shoot for the Jan 2011 deadline. But was expecting a 750+. I am not sure how much chance I have with 730. Was quite depressed yesterday. What should I do with the this Nov and Dec? Should I retake GMAT or spend more time in the application?
And how much does AWA matter?
Thanks in advance!
GMAT Forum
2 postsPage 1 of 1
- leovannys
- Forum Guests
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:03 pm
- mbamission
- Students
- Posts: 1118
- Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:20 pm
Re: Profile evaluation please
Hi leovannys,
Thanks for sharing all those details. I'll jump straight into your questions.
A 730 is a very strong score and the incremental benefit of a 750 is quite small. At 730, you've likely "passed" the GMAT litmus test of any top school, and now it's up to the rest of your application.
It sounds like your time in November and December will be best spent focusing on your essays, not your GMAT. I do not recommend going with the "my life has been planned" approach because that can come off as very mechanical, and could be perceived as insincere by the schools.
Instead you could use your essays to map out how and why you made the decisions you've made to date in regards to your career. Then you can explain how an MBA feeds into your post-MBA goals and how the skills from your experience to date will help you reach those goals.
Lastly, AWA is typically of minimal importance; it might be looked at as a last factor or a tie-breaker, but is generally not considered to be that critical in a decision.
Good luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com
Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (14 individual school titles)
Visit the mbaMission Blog
Follow mbaMission on Twitter
Thanks for sharing all those details. I'll jump straight into your questions.
A 730 is a very strong score and the incremental benefit of a 750 is quite small. At 730, you've likely "passed" the GMAT litmus test of any top school, and now it's up to the rest of your application.
It sounds like your time in November and December will be best spent focusing on your essays, not your GMAT. I do not recommend going with the "my life has been planned" approach because that can come off as very mechanical, and could be perceived as insincere by the schools.
Instead you could use your essays to map out how and why you made the decisions you've made to date in regards to your career. Then you can explain how an MBA feeds into your post-MBA goals and how the skills from your experience to date will help you reach those goals.
Lastly, AWA is typically of minimal importance; it might be looked at as a last factor or a tie-breaker, but is generally not considered to be that critical in a decision.
Good luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com
Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (14 individual school titles)
Visit the mbaMission Blog
Follow mbaMission on Twitter
2 posts Page 1 of 1