Profile Evaluation - New Grad

[arjunsingh17]

Hi,
I recently graduated at the top of my class from a Canadian business school (undergraduate) with a GPA of 4.0

During my undergraduate degree, I served as the Vice President of our student body and as the founder and chairperson of a national business competition. I represented my university in many national and international business case competitions. I won numerous awards for my extra curricular leadership and community involvement. I was also a teaching assistant for various courses.

I recently wrote the GMAT and received the following scores:

1. Overall: 710 (92%)
2. Quant: 49 (88%)
3. Verbal: 38 (78%)
4. AWA: 5.5 (76%)

My target schools are:
Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Insead, LBS, Tuck, Chicago, Richard Ivey, and Berkeley.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Is my GMAT score adequate? My score is in that uncomfortable range where it does qualify as decent but at the same time it is not a home run.

2. I dont have any full time work experience but I do have significant extra curricular and leadership experience. Is it advisable for me to apply for a deferred program?

Thank you for your guidance

Sincerely,
Arjun Singh

[mbamission]

Congrats on your recent graduation! Your grades, extracurricular activities and leadership are all pretty strong so you should be proud of that. Do you have internship experience in addition to your undergraduate activities? That would make your profile even stronger.

Do you feel that you can do better on the GMAT? Or was your score in line with your practice exams? While your verbal score is below the typical 80th percentile threshold that most people strive for, if you don't feel that you can improve your score, you can highlight your verbal/written communication skills through your essays and experiences. Your recommenders can highlight these skills as well.

Provided that you have a strong grasp of your post-MBA career goals, I think you would be competitive at HBS, Stanford and Chicago since these programs welcome early career applicants. By the time you join the program, you would have one year of work experience. Please review the information for each school:

Chicago - http://www.chicagobooth.edu/fulltime/ad ... ocess.aspx

HBS - http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/collegestudents.html

Stanford - http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admissi ... niors.html

The other programs you listed (excluding Ivey since I'm not as familiar with that program) would probably be tough because the students typically have significant work experience.

Hope this helps!

Monica Okrah
MBA Mission
646-485-8844
Website: http://www.mbamission.com
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