profile evaluation request

[GraceR626]

Hi,
I just took the GMAT for the first time and scored a 680- 37Q/45V. I am planning to take it again and really buckle down on the math in August. Hopefully I can stick with my 99th percentile verbal and significantly improve the quant (as well as the overall score- hoping to be in the 710-30 neighborhood- I have done much better on the quant in my manhattan CATs, just had a rough outing). The quant is particularly important because I don't have much quant in my coursework or professional background. I am a non-traditional applicant with a background in politics and government. I am also on the older side (32 now, 33 at matriculation) AND pregnant. I don't have a sense for how the last fact will impact my admission, if at all, but I will be very obviously pregnant around interview time. Because of the non-traditional background, it has taken me a little longer to narrow my focus to earning an MBA and I think I have a compelling narrative about why that's the case. My undergrad GPA is 3.3 at a top 25 US school in the humanities and I have a lot of recent community involvement/leadership to feature in my application.

My ideal programs are Berkeley, Yale, Kellogg, Georgetown and the University of Washington. My question is a) do I stand a chance at these schools with the improved GMAT + emphasis on quant; and b) any suggestions for off-setting the many cons in my profile (lack of quant, age, traditional background)? Thank you!

[mbaMissionKate]

Hi there!

Glad you are planning to retake, I'm sure you will score higher if you were practicing that much higher. Sometimes that first go-round with the test can be tough just getting used to the timing, testing center, etc. Definitely focus on improving quant (40 or above would be ideal), this is important for all applicants but especially since you have a less traditional background.

I think if you can cross the 700 mark, you will be in a much more competitive spot for the schools you list, and schools like Georgetown and Foster should be quite safe for you. Definitely highlight your community leadership, that is great. And make sure you emphasize how your non-traditional background will contribute to the diversity of the MBA class, this can actually be seen as a real positive as long as you show clear reasons for why MBA now, and that you've done your research about how the MBA fits in with your career goals. That will be important too since you have more experience than most applicants. One other tip would be to ask your recommenders to highlight your analytical / quant skills too.

As far as being pregnant, congrats first of all! Second, I wouldn't worry about it at this stage. You definitely do not need to disclose that in your applications (and should not because I think it will detract from your story) and once you get interviews then you can figure out how to position it and discuss your confidence in the timing, how you're prepared to balance the work load, the support network you'll have, etc. Though legally I believe interviewers are not allowed to ask you anything about it and it shouldn't impact your chances, but yes it will be obvious so good to have your messaging clear when it comes time.

Good luck, and keep us posted if we can help with anything else!
Kate

Hi,
I just took the GMAT for the first time and scored a 680- 37Q/45V. I am planning to take it again and really buckle down on the math in August. Hopefully I can stick with my 99th percentile verbal and significantly improve the quant (as well as the overall score- hoping to be in the 710-30 neighborhood- I have done much better on the quant in my manhattan CATs, just had a rough outing). The quant is particularly important because I don't have much quant in my coursework or professional background. I am a non-traditional applicant with a background in politics and government. I am also on the older side (32 now, 33 at matriculation) AND pregnant. I don't have a sense for how the last fact will impact my admission, if at all, but I will be very obviously pregnant around interview time. Because of the non-traditional background, it has taken me a little longer to narrow my focus to earning an MBA and I think I have a compelling narrative about why that's the case. My undergrad GPA is 3.3 at a top 25 US school in the humanities and I have a lot of recent community involvement/leadership to feature in my application.

My ideal programs are Berkeley, Yale, Kellogg, Georgetown and the University of Washington. My question is a) do I stand a chance at these schools with the improved GMAT + emphasis on quant; and b) any suggestions for off-setting the many cons in my profile (lack of quant, age, traditional background)? Thank you!

[GraceR626]

Thanks! I also wanted to ask about sending my scores. I didn't select any schools before taking the test this time since based on my CATs I didn't expect to score above my minimum to keep the score (650). Now, of course, it costs money per school to send them. I don't want schools to see that extremely low quant but I also read here and elsewhere that schools will ignore the lower score or even take it as a positive that you tried again and were able to improve on a first effort. So... should I suck it up and pay to have this score set sent? Thanks again for taking the time!

[mbaMissionKate]

Yes, I would go ahead and send the score to the schools you know you'll apply to. Schools definitely accept your highest and I agree that it can even be a positive to show you were able to stick with it and improve. Plus, let's say you get a higher overall score by boosting your Quant score significantly, but your Verbal score suffers slightly. I'd rather them have your earlier score too to see that higher (and very impressive!) data point on Verbal.

Kate

Thanks! I also wanted to ask about sending my scores. I didn't select any schools before taking the test this time since based on my CATs I didn't expect to score above my minimum to keep the score (650). Now, of course, it costs money per school to send them. I don't want schools to see that extremely low quant but I also read here and elsewhere that schools will ignore the lower score or even take it as a positive that you tried again and were able to improve on a first effort. So... should I suck it up and pay to have this score set sent? Thanks again for taking the time!