Profile Evaluation

[seeblog]

Hi there,

thanks for spending time evaluating candidate profiles, it definitely goes a long way in helping us plan.

Before I begin, let me tell you that yes,I agree, my GMAT score is low. But it is what i ended up with after 4 attempts, although few months apart. I was surprised to see the last two attempts not produce a score over 700 as i was consistently scoring 750-760 on the GMATPreps at home. But , here is my profile.

GMAT: 660 [Q 48, V34] ( top score from 4 attempts )
Undergrad GPA (major in Computer Science ): 3.6 ( from a Indian University )
Masters' GPA (major in Computer Science ): 3.5 ( from tier 2 US University)
Work Experience : 6 years in Information Technology ( 4+ years in Financial services IT, good understanding of mortgage business)
Ethnicity : Asian (Indian)
Sex: Male
Age: 28, 29 when i apply.

Extra Curriculars: Been Volunteering with Big Brothers , Big Sisters for 2 years.
A mentor for a young kid in that program.
Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, help build homes for the needy.
Local CERT ( Community Emergency Response Team ) member for year and half.
Active member of my companies' diversity council, helped organize many events in the company.
Active in Various Charities, can get letters of support from those charities to explain my work.

Apart from my E.C activities, I can get some great recommendations from senior management at work. I definitely was vying for a score in the range of 730- 740 to begin with, but after sacrificing almost 2 yrs of my social life ..:) , i just have 660 to show up for. I cannot explain it myself , even after scoring so well at home.

With my MBA, I wish to enter Investment Banking industry , work in M&A which fascinates me a lot. My interests definitely are in Valuation and Equity Capital Markets, and i believe M&A is a proper path to achieve my goal.

My original goal was to aim for STERN, Cornell, Dartmouth, Ross, Columbia, but all of them seem a stretch now.

My question is with a 660 and with Indian IT label, what are my options with respect to good colleges with a Finance concentration that will help me achieve my goal.

thanks.

[mbamission]

Hi seeblog,

Thank for writing in. I’m sorry to hear you were not able to reach your target score on the GMAT, but you do have some good extracurriculars, and a clear goal of what you want to achieve post-MBA, so those are definitely point to emphasize in your application.

In terms of your original list, your GMAT score still falls within the range of Cornell, so you may want to still look there. Among the schools where your GMAT would be competitive, and that offer finance concentrations, are Indiana University, University of Texas and University of Maryland, but of course there are others too. These three come to mind as they are near larger cities where there is a chance you could proactively seek out M&A opportunities, in addition to what campus recruiting offers.

Of course your GMAT score is only one element of many that each school will look at, so if you believe you are a great match in all other aspects of your application for one of your top-choice schools, you may still want to apply.

Lastly, you may want to keep in mind that selling the admissions committee that you will be able to make the switch from IT to Investment Banking is going to be difficult as well. When writing your essays you will want to point out what skills you have learned in IT that will transfer well into banking, and how you can leverage your IT experience to directly lead to banking success.

Daniel Richards
mbaMission

http://www.mbamission.com

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[grad.mad]

1

[seeblog]

Daniel,

Thanks for your valuable advice. I took my GMAT again yesterday and scored 690 ( 46Q, 38V ). I guess I will settle with this score since I cannot spend anymore time with the test as my work life is pretty hectic nowadays.

So, with my profile ( as described above ) and a 690 , can you suggest some good Business Schools with Investment Banking concentration.

Thanks again for your time .

[mbamission]

Hi Seeblog,

Thanks for checking in again and congratulations on raising your score. With this 690 I think you could apply for a reach along the lines of Stern or Cornell. You may want to also look into schools like Rochester or UT-Austin to expand the breadth of your applications.

Best of luck,
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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