Profile Evaluation - GMAT score - 680 - Please help

[xedaemen]

Hi,

I am aiming to do my MBA in the Fall session next year and am in the process of filling applications. This is a brief background of my profile:

Nationality: Indian
Gender: Female
Age: 23
GMAT score: 680 (85 percentile) (maths:48, verbal:35, AWA:5)

Undergrad GPA: I did my undergrad in Finance from one of the coveted Indian colleges in Delhi University. The course comprised of subjects such as Futures and Options, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Corporate and Banking law. I obtained an average of 81% in this 3-year course.

Work experience: I have worked for 2 years with a small-sized research and consulting firm in Delhi. The small-size of the firm has given me a lot of leadership opportunities and exposure to challenging, open-ended projects.
I received Outstanding Achievement Award twice during this period. I worked on various kinds of projects ranging from developing pricing models, cost structures and best procurement practices for various industries, studying the value chain, various sourcing models for manufacturing companies, analyzing the demand and supply trends and growth indicators for various industries.
I got promoted to a senor analyst position within a year and have gotten an opportunity to handle various heavy-loaded projects all on my own and have also worked in teams where I have assisted and supported my juniors.

Extra-Curricular Activities: I was one of the organizers for a lot of events during undergrad, such as the finance seminar, the annual festival. I was also responsible for getting scholarships for the events. Being a part of the organizing committee has given me a great experience in team working and coordination. I have also been an active part of the society for social service in college. I really enjoy sharing my views and communicating with the larger audience. I made various business presentations in college and have been a part of several debating and extempore competitions in high school.

Objective: I am aiming at top 20-30 US schools - is the work ex or the GMAT too low for them?The schools particularly that I am looking at are:
Duke (Fuqua Business School)
Carnegie Mellon (Tepper Business School)
MIT (Sloan Business School)
Berkeley (Hass Business School)
Columbia University
Boston University
I am also aiming at National University of Singapore and Nanyang, Singapore and LBS and Insead in Europe. According to my profile, what colleges do you think are suitable for me? And what improvement can I make in my profile? Also do you think retaking the GMAT would make my case stronger (I was expecting a higher score since I was getting about 730 -740 in mocks).

All your suggestions will really be helpful for me. Awaiting your response!

[mbamission]

Hi xedaemen,

Thanks for sharing those details. You selected a good range of schools, so while your GMAT may be seen as a weakness for Columbia and Berkeley, it should be in the competitive range for Boston University and Tepper.

If you do believe a 730 is feasible, then I would consider retaking the exam to increase your chances at Columbia and the other top schools on your list.

Your work experience will be on the lower side, so in your essays you will need to clearly state why now is the right time for your MBA. An admissions officer may think you could use another 1-2 years of work experience, it is your job to convince him/her otherwise.

Lastly, you'll want to focus on extracurriculars outside of college as much as possible, as schools like to see how you have contributed since joining the workforce.

Best of luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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