dorgo

04-18-2003, 03:39 PM

Dear Dori,

Thank you for your posting. I have responded below:

I would be very thankful about your feedback to my profile:

I am a 27 year old international applicant. I've applied to HBS, Columbia and Wharton. I interviewed at Columbia but in the end was rejected from all three schools. My GMAT is 710 (Q47 84%, V40 90%, AWA 4.5). TOEFL 283. My GPA is 3.44 in a joint degree of Economics and Computer Science from the top local univ' (Summa Cum Laude in Economcis). I have 7 years work experience in the Israeli military, as an enterperneur in high-tech and now as as a consultant in strategic MC.

First and formost I am trying to understand wheter I should retake the GMAT or focus on other aspect of my re-application ? I undestand that the 2003 year saw ever increasing scores in the top schools and I cannot afford to waiste another year....

Also would a visit to the US schools be of value in the eyes of the AdComs ?

I am very sorry to hear of the negative results you have had this season. Oddly enough, your age, length/quality of experience, academic training, TOEFL and GMAT scores are all very competitive at these schools. Yes, the average GMAT at programs like HBS and Wharton is quickly creeping towards 720, but the GMAT is only one element, and given your strong academic background I sincerely doubt that this was the problem with your files. In fact, the average GMAT for international students at HBS, Wharton and Columbia is typically lower than the general average (excluding Indian males, perhaps) - so this really should not be your focus going forward.

It is very hard for me to pinpoint exactly where you may have fallen short, but I suspect it was more in the execution of your essays, recommendations and overall positioning in the process. An ex-colleague of mine in Wharton admissions used to say that the school rejected 'applications' not 'applicants', which I think is a very relevant point here. Judging from your profile, you are clearly a strong 'applicant' - but you may have room for an improved 'application' this time around.

Clear Admit offers detailed feedback reports for reapplicants, in case you are interested in getting a thorough analysis of your applications along with a road-map for success as a reapplicant. We analyze your essays, application forms, recs (if available) and help you to develop a stronger strategy as a reapplicant - as well as highlighting ways to work on your candidacy between now and this fall. Feel free to contact us at info@clearadmit.com. We have offices in Paris and Philadelphia and have a lot of experience with international students.

Best of luck,

Graham Richmond

Mr Richmond,

I applied to H and K and was fortunate to be accepted to K. (GMAT 600, GPA 3.8, 4 years in non-traditional industry). H has always been my first choice and I have worked towards being a successful applicant since I was in undergrad. What makes the choice even harder is everyone of my friends who applied to H were accepted and are going next year. I know I should be happy that I was admitted to a top school but I don't know if I go to K, I will regret not trying to go to H. Another part of me feels like I got into K and not H because the powers that be knew that K was the better school for me and I would have only gone to H for the name.

I am trying to decide whether to try to defer K and reapply to H or just go to K. K has a strong brand name but it's not H. I don't know if my opportunities will be so much greater going to H. But, if I'm going to spend $120,000, I'd prefer it to be at my dream school. I feel like I submitted the best application possible to both schools and don't know if there is any substantial improvement I could make. Am I being silly and making too much of a name?

Some quick points. Congratulations!!
1) If by K, you mean Kellogg, it's the dream school if you are after a Marketing Strategy career - and what's wrong with that?
Its branding is powerful enough
2) Is your GMAT really 600? (or was this a typo). If so, to be quite honest, for schools like Harvard and Wharton you'll need
to sit it again and score much higher (which many people do
for US schools). GMAT is not everything (and a very questionable test in many ways) but it IS a good 'baseline' test of raw ability
(qualitatively and quantitatively)
3) The world's your oyster if you treat the MBA in a top-tier
school for any region of the world and APPLY it in your everyday life, interviews with employers (watch them get blown away by your models and change management knowledge), regardless of whether you are at Harvard or Wharton or LBS etc. BREATHE the MBA, and get ready to come out a changed man/woman
4) Kellogg consistently has the highest rankings of any school in the world for esprit de corps - and believe me, this is so important in your experience.

Chris Oh,

Thank you so much for your helpful advice. I knew I was just being silly, but I wanted to get some outside opinions. I'm going to Kellogg in the Fall. And yeah, that was my GMAT score so it's definitely not impossible to get into a top school for anyone who has lost hope after taking the GMAT.