Profile Evaluation

[RYANJONES_15]

Dear Sir,

I have given the GMAT twice :

1st Attempt : 600 ( Q 41 V 30)
2nd Attempt : 670 ( Q 48 V 36)

Gap between the two tests was 4 months.

I am a 26 year old Indian. I graduated as an Electronics Engg. My GPA is weak. ( As the Indian education system does not give a GPA as such, how do I calculate?). I joined my fathers' company as soon as I graduated with the intention of doing something while I applied for a job but it turned out that I really loved what I was doing and in the process actively pursued one of our customers for a job. I got the job and subsequently joined them in Dubai. I have been working with this company for 4 years now :

2 years as shipping and operations executive and 2 years as an Asst.Trading Manager. Our company is the no.1 in the world in its field and a well known name worldwide.

I have two questions :

1) What are the chances of me getting into any of the following colleges with my current profile :

UK : Manchester School of Business, Oxford Said, Cambridge Judge.
US : Cornell, Darden, Boston University.
Singapore : NUS ( National University of Singapore), NTU ( Nanyang Technical University)
Spain : IE Business School, INSEAD. Iese Business School.

Any recommendations?

2) Do I need to sit for my GMAT again? I would prefer a score of 700 but is there a significant difference between a 670 and a 700? Will the admin comm. look kindly upon 3 attempts? Will my first attempt of 600 hamper my chances?

Ok, these were not two questions :)


Please help me.
Thank You,
Best Regards.

[mbamission]

Hi Ryanjones,

Thanks for writing in. Congratulations on improving your GMAT score by 70 points - no small feat!

As to your questions:

1) Evaluating your candidacy against schools is tough when I don't know much about your work accomplishments and post-MBA plans. I'm also not as well-versed in some of the non-U.S. programs you listed. As for the U.S ones, I think you're looking at about the right track. I would label Cornell as a "reach," Darden as a "near-reach," and Boston U as "competitive."

2) Schools typically look at your best GMAT performance , so another attempt won't hurt you necessarily. There certainly is a perceived difference between 670 and 700, but for the schools you are looking at a 700 isn't required. Your chances for Cornell and INSEAD would likely go up with a 700. Still, GMAT is just one component, so make sure you leave time to write clear, coherent essays with logical goals.

3) Re: Indian GPA, since Indian candidates are common I think most schools are used to seeing equivalent academic scores. You may want to ask an Indian friend or call the school directly to ask how you should handle this.

Best of luck!

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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[RYANJONES_15]

Thank You Mr. Richards.

The 600 score was purely because of nerves. I panicked. I didnt study at all during the 4 months after my first attempt. Just brushed up what I already knew about one month before my scheduled test. I was hoping for a 700...but I lost concentration during the last 20 min ( fatigue) and it affected my score. Anyway...I've got to work with what I have.

Can you please get me some information on the UK colleges?

Also, in addition to the US colleges that I have mentioned, are there any other colleges ( top 40 ?) which I can look at?

Appreciate your help.

Thank You,
Best Regards.

[mbamission]

Hi again,

To learn more about UK schools, and really any school, I suggest reading the MBA sections on the websites of BusinessWeek, Economist and Financial Times.

Good luck!
Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (14 individual school titles)

Visit the mbaMission Blog

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