Profile Evaluation Request and Business Schools Suggestion

[Zid326]

Hi,

I recently took the GMAT and I am hoping to get some advice prior to R2 deadlines:

GMAT: 660 (45M, 36V, 82 percentile overall)

Undergraduate Degree:
SUNY Binghamton University class of 2007
B.S. in Management, concentrations in Finance and MIS
3.4 overall GPA, 3.6 concentration GPA
Graduated in 3 years

Work experience: Goldman Sachs & Co (3+ years, 4 years by summer of 2011)
Title: IMD Corporate Controller
Level: Associate (promoted to Senior Analyst in 1 year and to Associate in 2 years)
Responsibilities: Various projects for the Federal Reserve and SEC. Lead project designer and coordinator for my group. Responsible for doing analysis on the business and prepare daily/weekly/monthly performance reports for senior management. Also responsible for external reporting of our division's performance to SEC and investors

Activities: Volunteered for the Habitat for Humanity Global Village program, spent 10 days in Poland building houses. Also team captain and volunteer for yearly Community Teamwork projects hosted in Goldman Sachs. Participant and assistant to American Cancer Society charitable events such as Making Strides and Relay for Life.

Goals: Upon completion of my MBA, I would like to work in the finance field in the United States for another 2-3 years and look for opportunities in China.


I've taken the GMAT twice with 660 being my highest score. I understand that score isn't close to the average for top business schools like Harvard, LBS, and Stanford. But I was wondering if my work experience and extra-curricular activities can somewhat make up for my GMAT score if I were to apply for the top business schools mentioned?

Also what other schools can you suggest I apply to with a good chance of gaining admission? I am open to any region/country.

Thank you for your time and help.

[mbamission]

Hi Zid,

Thanks for writing in. Your extracurriculars do sound noteworthy, and I'm sure working at such a high-profile firm during this time period should offer some great essay anecdotes as well. Still, as you mention, your GMAT is a weakness for the likes of HBS and Stanford, although you still fall within the middle 80% for LBS.

It is true that other strengths such as work experience and community work can offset a below-average GMAT at these schools, but keep in mind that these cases are the exception, rather than the rule, so think carefully when selecting the range of schools to apply to.

You may want to look at Duke and Cornell as more reasonable "reach" schools.

Good luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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