Where do I stand ?

[debabrata15]

Hi All,

I took my GMAT today and i got a 690 (48q, 35v: 88 Percentile).
I am B.Tech in Civil Engineering from one of the premier institue in India and graduated in 2004 with 70.5% with distinction.
I have in total 6 yrs of work experience in IT industry with good exposure to work with foreign clients.
Please help me gauging my profile.

Is 690 good enough for INSEAD, NYU , Boston SoM, Chicago Booth, Yale or Wharton? or should I consider retaking it ?

Thanks in advance !!
Deb

[mbamission]

Hi Deb,

Thanks for writing in. Your GMAT score is only one component in your application, along with work experience, extracurricular activities, strong essays, etc., so it's hard to say if a 690 is good enough for a particular school.

Your GMAT is in the range that of the classes most of those schools usually accept. As you likely know, Indian engineers are an overrepresented group, so you will be to focus on your points of differentiation in order to get the schools' attention, especially if you are aiming for the top tier. I suggest evaluating the overall strengths of your application. If practice exams indicate you can raise your GMAT score and you have ample time to prepare, you may want to consider retaking the exam,

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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[debabrata15]

Thanks Daniel for the express response !

But let me tell you that retaking the GMAT is a secondary option for me. I would rather stagger my dreams to get into the top-30 US B-Schools instead of the top-10.

So please help me in regards to the following:

1) How should I choose my schools meaning where do I stand a good chance of getting accepted ? Lets not take the finances and programs into considerations now.

2) What I found in my research is that have I fall under average score above 80% for almost all the top-20 schools ? So, should I just focus on my application essays and apply anywhere I find the programmes I am interested in ?

3) Do I really need to join any admission counselors for advise on the essays ? Is the investment worth ?


Thanks,
Deb

[mbamission]

Hi Deb,

In response to your questions,

1) I'm not quite clear on what you're asking here. It depends partly on how many applications you have the time to complete. I would recommend picking one top-10 program that appeals to you and making it your reach school, as well as 3-5 programs in the #15-30 range. You should select those schools based on which curriculum appeal to you and where you think you will be competitive.

2) I'm also a bit unclear as to what you mean regarding your GMAT score. Can you clarify?

3) As an MBA Admission consultant I believe that a advising service can be a great help for applicants who are unclear on how to frame their goals, what schools they should apply to, and similar questions that come up during the admissions process. Whether or not the investment is worthwhile to you is really a personal choice; think about how well you understand your strengths and weaknesses and what the schools are looking for. MBA Mission does offer a free consultation (http://mbamission.com/consult.php) if you are interested in discussing this further.