IR and AWA during GMAT retake. Plus profile eval, please :)

[AndrewF182]

Hi there,

First, a more general question. I've taken the GMAT twice, currently preparing for round 3. Last time I took the GMAT I clocked in with an AWA of 6.0 and IR of 52%. Given the lesser importance of the AWA and IR, would it be advisable to, not skip, but "breeze through" the AWA and IR during my upcoming test? I think saving that mental energy can have a powerful impact on the actual score that schools care about.

Second, please let me know if you can evaluate my profile. Here is a quick rundown:
-GMAT 1: 650 Q43%, V94%
-GMAT 2: 630 Q50% V77%
-GMAT 3 GOAL: 700 Q60% V85%+
-Applied this year to Kellogg, Ross, and Fuqua. Dinged at Kellogg and ross both w/o interviews. Currently waitlisted at Fuqua, hoping for the best, but realistic about Fuqua's high very high yield this year.
-30 year old white midwestern male. Gettin' old ! Too old for a top 10ish school? If not, do you have any thoughts on best schools for older applicants?
-Currently a full time consultant to the global marketing department at Coca-Cola in Atlanta. I analyze market research and inform the global brand managers of Coke, Sprite, Diet coke, etc. on drinking habits around the world. Manage 3 analysts.
-Worked abroad in Germany/Cyprus for 2 years. LDS mission in Peru for 2 years (strong spanish.) LDS mission also contributes to my advanced age.
-Good extra currics in leading a church (like a priest or rabbi), former intern to a US senator, local church congregation financial director.
-Strongly opposed to the part-time, online route. I'm really hoping to do some networking at school.

Thank you very much for your consideration and insights!

[mbaMissionKate]

Hello! Thanks for your post. So let's start with your GMAT question. Generally we consider a 4 or above on the AWA to be a "safe" score and the IR section is still considered to be a test section. So yes, those sections don't matter as much. If you think you can still get decent scores and save some time there, then that might be worth trying out as a strategy. In particular, I'd try to refocus effort onto Quant, as that's typically more scrutinized by b-schools, especially since you're not coming from a highly quantitative field like banking.

Sorry you didn't get the results you were hoping for this year, we've actually seen quite a few clients get wait listed at Fuqua. Hopefully you've been in touch with them and have provided relevant updates and confirmed your interest! But I know that waiting game is tough

I don't think you'll be too old, especially since you have the 2 year LDS mission. Remember that the average age is usually about 28 for most programs so that means there are plenty of people above and below that! But you will need to make sure you have a really clear and logical story around why you need an MBA at this point in your career.

Two questions --
1) Are you open to / planning to stay in Atlanta? If so I would strongly consider Goizueta at Emory. It's a great program and the alumni network is so strong in the Atlanta area that if you want to stay there, it's almost a better option than a top 10 program.
2) Are you planning to stay in Marketing? I assume so since you applied to Kellogg/Duke/Ross which are all strong in that. Some other schools that you might want to consider for strength in Marketing - UT McCombs in Austin (especially for more tech-focused marketing), Kelley at Indiana (they have really strong ties to P&G), or perhaps UNC Kenan-Flagler if you like Duke.

For the most part, schools are open to reapplicants so if you can increase that GMAT then it may be worth reapplying. Hope this helps and please keep us posted if we can answer any more questions!

[AndrewF182]

Hi Kate,

Thank you for your response and suggestions. Quick answer to your questions in red.

1) Are you open to / planning to stay in Atlanta? If so I would strongly consider Goizueta at Emory. It's a great program and the alumni network is so strong in the Atlanta area that if you want to stay there, it's almost a better option than a top 10 program. Let me resond with two brief bullets. 1.My wife and I love the ATL and would be happy to work/live here, but one of the main reasons I'm so bent on a top ten school is access to a wider network outside of just one city. This is a lesson taught to me by my in-laws in Detroit. 2. I've been indoctrinated by a few mentors of mine with the "top ten or bust" mantra. Maybe I need to get over that (for financial reasons if nothing else), but for the moment I'm doing everything I can to knock the GMAT out so that I'll be more competitive for these programs. Honest opinion, do you think the GMAT weighs heavier than any other factor? It sure seems that way to me.

2) Are you planning to stay in Marketing? I assume so since you applied to Kellogg/Duke/Ross which are all strong in that. Some other schools that you might want to consider for strength in Marketing - UT McCombs in Austin (especially for more tech-focused marketing), Kelley at Indiana (they have really strong ties to P&G), or perhaps UNC Kenan-Flagler if you like Duke. I am certainly leveraging my marketing background to get in. I really enjoy the work I do with big data/analytics but that doesn't necessarily need to be in marketing. Another reason Fuqua has been so appealing is the strength of their decision science and using that to analyze big data. My wife and I were enamored with Fuqua. It was #1 for us before it was for the NCAA or Businessweek. I'll definitely reapply next year (barring the long hoped for miracle this year.)

I'm also seriously considering using consultant services this next year. Do you have a link to rates/availability?

Oh, a couple relevant things I forgot to mention. Undergrad: Ohio State, Major: Political Science/Psychology, GPA 3.500. Previous work experience in finance, pricing.

Thank you again for your time and consideration!
-Andrew

[mbaMissionKate]

Hi Andrew -
Thanks for the additional info! I totally understand the point about the network. But I do think there are schools outside the top 10 that still have really strong alumni networks. For instance, take a look at this ranking The Economist does and you'll see schools like USC Marshall and Notre Dame Mendoza at the very top - http://www.economist.com/whichmba/mba-r ... ni-network.

Fuqua is certainly known for its strong network and tightknit community. If that is your top choice, I would strongly recommend applying there early action. That deadline is typically in mid to late September. If you're interested in data / analytics (which is a hot field!) you might also want to check out Tepper, Kelley, and Stern - they all have concentrations / tracks in Business Analytics.

To answer your question about the GMAT -- no, it doesn't really weigh more heavily than other factors. In fact, it's just one number on your entire application. But it is still an important indicator -- you just want to have a score that's high enough to demonstrate you can handle the curriculum and one that's not so low that it really pulls down the school's average. But we see applicants with lower than average GMATs get in all the time because they have really impressive stats / accomplishments in other areas, so it's not the end all be all that many people think it is!

Here is a link to info about our service options and prices - http://shop.mbamission.com/collections/services. For more specific questions or to discuss availability, you can email me direct at kate@mbamission.com. Or you can sign up for a 30 minute free phone consult to chat more about your profile and questions at http://www.mbamission.com/consult/.

Good luck!