Applying at LBS

[Levent-g]

Hi,

I would like to apply for a fulltime MBA at London Business School for the 2013 intake. I heard that the later application rounds are more competitive and that one should definitely avoid applying for the last round.

The problem is that I am struggling on the GMAT. As I have already taken it twice with not sufficient results, and I would like to spend some more time on studying and not repeating the same error of hurrying to apply on an earlier application round.

Do you think I should hurry for the third round and avoid definitely the fourth round or should spend more time to study and apply for the fourth round?

Also I think it is not considered good to have retaken the GMAT to often right? How often can I retake without having disadvantages for the application?#

Furthermore does anybody know if LBS has a minimun TOEFL Score, like INSEAD?

If anybody has some more helpful insights for an LBS application please let me know. Much appreciated. :-)

Thanks in advance

[mili]

Hello,

That's a tough one! What you've heard is correct - candidates in the last round have slimmer chances than candidates in earlier rounds. That said, it likely won't help your case to hurry through the application and submit something of lower quality than what you are capable of. I think in this case, assuming you can't retake the GMAT before the 3rd round deadline and that you haven't made much headway on the rest of the application, I'd recommend you pull together a solid application and apply R4.

It's true that taking the GMAT too often can be seen as a negative. But there's no rule of thumb as to how many times is "too many." It depends on your past scores and the rest of your profile, too. So, let's say you've taken the test 3x and each time you increased your score by 40ish points. You're at a 650. In this case, it might be worth retaking it, because there's a chance of scoring close to a 700, and that can make a material difference in your application. If, however, you've taken in twice already and scored within 10 points of each other, you may want to think again before retaking the exam. Or, if you've already scored a 730 and trying for a 760, don't bother!

I'm not sure whether LBS has a minimum TOEFL requirement - you can call their admissions office and ask them directly, though.

Best of luck,
Mili

Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com
 
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