Please evaluate my profile. Thanks

[darkzx]

Code: Select All Code

- Asian American Male (Moved to US at age 15, US Citizen)
- 26 years old
- Undergrad. - Georgia Institute of Technology
- Double Major in Management and Biomedical Engineering
- 3.7 GPA - Highest Honor
- 700 GMAT (50 Quant / 34 Verbal 5-6 AWA) (May Retake, 750-780 on GMATPrep usually)
- 4 years domestic and international experience at mid size strategy consulting firm (1000+ employees) (1.5 in US, 1 in Japan, 1.5 in China)
- Currently Sr. Consultant (Youngest at my level with oversea assignments)
- Some community experience: red cross and junior achievement
- Extensive international travel
- Interest: Scuba diving, snowboarding, hiking ...

Timing: Class of 2010
Target Schools: Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, Chicago, Northwestern ..
Plans After MBA: Finance for additional experience -> start own business

A couple of questions:
1> Could you please give me an honest assessment of my chances at getting into my target schools?
2> Should I retake the GMAT?
3> What areas do you suggest I focus on in the coming months?

Thank you!

[MBAApply]

HBS, Wharton, Stanford - long shots, but if you dream of going to these schools, you might as well just go for it; just keep your expectations realistic

Chicago, Kellogg -- should be competitive; not a shoe-in, but put in a strong application and you should be in the running

As for re-taking the GMAT, as I mentioned to another poster -- unless you can score a 760 or greater without much additional prep, then I wouldn't retake it. And even then, for the league of schools you're applying to it's not really going to make a huge difference because it will still come down to your overall application and whether they like you. If you have limited time, focus on the application rather than prepping for a GMAT retake.

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

[darkzx]

Alex,

Thank you for your quick response. I certainly appreciate your honesty.

I am actually more concerned about my verbal score of 34 than my overall score. Do you think it will raise a red flag? Hence warrant a retake.

Also, can you tell me what you think are the weak/strong points of my profile, so I can focus on improving them, and/or compensating for them in my essays.

Cheers,

Y

[MBAApply]

The verbal will raise an eyebrow or two, but not enough that it's going to make or break your application. Again, if it's going to take time away from your essays, then don't re-take the test.

As for your profile, there's not much you can do to fundamentally change who you are and the 26 prior years you've been on this planet. Think about it. What can you do in a month or two that won't be window dressing, short of going on some Hunter S Thompson bender in Vegas with suitcases of coke, mescalin, and gin as your fuel for a religious awakening? Window dressing your resume won't fool many people.

What stands out are extraordinary accomplishments. Which takes talent and hard work - which accumulates over years and decades. Founding a successful nonprofit that has a significant legacy isn't something that's done overnight, but is something that involves years of heart, sweat, and lack of sleep. Becoming an Olympic-caliber athlete competing in the trials or even being on the national team isn't something that is done in three weeks or even three years -- but is a lifetime commitment. You can't fake these things, and adcoms know it because they see other candidates who have it.

In short, it's not about strong or weak points in your profile (you are who you are, your history is what it is) -- it's about being as accomplished as you can and highlighting it in the applications to the best of your ability.

From a practical perspective, all you can do is focus on the applications themselves -- do the best you can to showcase what you've accomplished in the last 26 years of your life. It may not be good enough to get in, but it's the only way to get in.

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