680(86%): 43Q(68%),40V(89%) - Good enough for top schools?

[Jesse]

I took the GMAT yesterday and got a 680. I'm hoping this score is good enough to apply to top schools; however, I'm very concerned about my poor performance on the quant section of the exam -- 43 (68%). I'm also a little concerned about whether I have enough professional experience.

Here's a little background information about me:
Undergrad: Washington University in St. Louis. GPA = 3.6, cum laude. Major: Psychology. Minor: Legal Studies. Senior Honors thesis in Behavioral Economics and Game Theory.
Professional Experience: 2+ years in Advertising at Young & Rubicam in New York City (will have 3 years by the time I start business school). Currently an Account Executive on a major GLOBAL electronics account. I was promoted to my position extraordinarily fast, and I have good relationships with very senior management. I am confident that my job responsibilities throughout my experience at Y&R will stand out amongst other applicants with a similar professional background.

With great professional recommendations (from very senior executives in the firm), and solid performance in Marketing/Advertising -- is a 680 too low to be competitive for a spot at Kellogg? I mention Kellogg in particular because it is known primarily for its Marketing program. Whereas, I do not expect a school like Wharton to consider me because it is traditionally viewed as a quant-heavy school (and my background isn't quant-heavy) -- is this a reasonable assumption?

I would very much appreciate any insight/advice on particular programs for which I might be best-suited for (and also any programs which I should probably avoid).

If I were to retake the GMAT, I suppose I could realistically raise my quant score to somewhere in the 70-80% on a good day (my highest quant scores on practice exams were 81% and 86% -- but the majority of my practice exams netted-out in the mid 70s.) Is it worth the time and effort to retake the test at the expense of using that time to develop my applications? I haven't started the application process yet, but if/when I do, I am hoping to apply round 2.

Any information would be tremendously appreciated!

Thanks,
Jesse

[MBAApply]

Kellogg is certainly a little more forgiving than say Wharton or Chicago when it comes to the quant section of the GMAT -- with the emphasis on *little*.

Round 2 deadline for Kellogg is Jan 12, which gives you about 3.5 months - plenty of time to prep for the written application as well as a GMAT re-take. For most people, it takes around 6 weeks to complete a batch of 3-4 applications.

Even though Kellogg isn't as hardcore about the quant, they still care a lot, especially if you don't have an extensive analytical background. As such, I recommend giving the GMAT another go. Shoot for at least mid-70s if you can, and ideally above 80%.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogpsot.com

[Jesse]

Thank you, Alex. I will endeavor to take the test again.

If my quant score does not improve, can you please recommend any particular MBA programs which would best fit my profile? Though it seems HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, etc. are out of reach, are there other top schools - aside from Kellogg - which are *slightly* more forgiving regarding quantitative abilities?

I would really appreciate any advice (including yours, forum-reader!)

Thanks,
Jesse

[MBAApply]

Honestly, none of the top schools are forgiving of a low quant score.

Re-take the test. Do whatever it takes to boost that score. And if you can't just do the best you can on the applications. Not much more you can do than that.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogpsot.com