Columbia - 06-05-2018 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

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June 5, 2018 1:16pm ET

Applying: Columbia, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, London Business School, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, U. Chicago Booth

Intake Year: 2019

Pre-MBA Career: Commercial Banking

Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Investment Banking, Asset Management, inc. HF, Commercial Banking

GMAT: 710

GPA: 3,2

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Brazil

Notes:

Female. Merit based scholarship for school and undergrad. Other than internships, worked always in the same bank but with different teams and projects during this time. Focusing on career change - finance or technology. Strong personal background. GMAT Q46 (60) and V41 (94), but considering to take it again and improve the Q percentile.

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Show Comments (4) Last: June 8, 2018

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 If you think you can improve the quant score on your GMAT, because you have time, it should be worth the retake. Best to really try to focus your goals to one path, going forward, it will help you navigate the admissions process, as well as school selection and MBA experience. Hopefully you can show real impact, through your work experience. A strong personal background should help, showing growth from that background. How about ECs/volunteer activity? (0)

anon11174 Likes Earned: 0 I am actually in doubt about retaking the GMAT. Do you think the 70+ percentile in quant is essential for LBS and Columbia? They do not specify this requirement anywhere, as does Insead (suggests a 70-75 minimum in each section). My main options are LBS, Insead and Columbia (in this order). I have some diverse volunteer activities, but nothing outstanding, honestly. ECs are more relevant as I was member and manager of different clubs during undergrad, did an exchange program and a summer job. (0)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 The quant score may not be a requirement, but improving the quant score would remove a potential concern. Do you have a lot of quant in your undergrad/other coursework? If so, that will help. Your overall GMAT score is solid. (0)

clearadmitadmin Verified User. Likes Earned: 10 As a Brazilian female, you won't face the same level of 'over-subscription' in the applicant pool - and that's a good thing. There is also an understanding among admissions professionals at leading schools that the GMAT scores from Brazil tend to run lower than other countries (like India), so you could certainly squeeze by with your score... With that said, if you think you can boost the quantitative score (and therefore your overall result) you might find that your admissions odds increase rather dramatically at the likes of HBS, CBS, and MIT - not to mention INSEAD and LBS. I'd be curious to know what sort of undergraduate studies you pursued - caliber of program, course content - since that will play a role in how the schools interpret your 3.2 GPA in tandem with the GMAT result. Also, be sure to connect with the Latin American clubs on your campus - as those contacts can really help you get to know your target schools. Also, do what you can to refine your career plans and come up with a single, highly feasible, targeted path. Best of luck! (0)