Chances to get into good schools??

[JaiBalaji]

Dear Friends,

I gave my GMAT yesterday and got 690 (Q50 and V34). First exam in 12 years after I completed my degree !! Just spent a week and a half preparing for the test.

Do you think this score is competitive to get me into a Top B-School like INSEAD, London Business School, Wharton, Kellog etc? I am not sure how these schools evaluate applications. I would like to know which schools I should target with such a score. A bit of background about me:

Age : 33
Qualification: B.E. Comp Science from VJTI. Number one in Maharashtra after IIT. First Class with Honours. 68% as the avg of 3rd and 4th year
Experience : 12 years.(Includes 6+ years onsite in US, UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and other european countries.)
Current Position : Senior Manager in one of the world's Top 5 IT consulting companies. Fall into top 1.5 % of the organization.

12th standard : 91% aggregate. 26th in Maharashtra. 1st in college.
10th standard : 86% aggregate. 1 st in School.
District topper in 4th and 7th Scholarship exams.

Your inputs would be greatly appreciated. I would also be interested whether ISB can do justice to my level of experience and current designation to really give me the advantage of forgoing the salary + paying 20 lacs for the MBA.

[xperience]

Originally Posted by JaiBalaji

Dear Friends,

I gave my GMAT yesterday and got 690 (Q50 and V34). First exam in 12 years after I completed my degree !! Just spent a week and a half preparing for the test.

Do you think this score is competitive to get me into a Top B-School like INSEAD, London Business School, Wharton, Kellog etc? I am not sure how these schools evaluate applications. I would like to know which schools I should target with such a score. A bit of background about me:

Age : 33
Qualification: B.E. Comp Science from VJTI. Number one in Maharashtra after IIT. First Class with Honours. 68% as the avg of 3rd and 4th year
Experience : 12 years.(Includes 6+ years onsite in US, UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and other european countries.)
Current Position : Senior Manager in one of the world's Top 5 IT consulting companies. Fall into top 1.5 % of the organization.

12th standard : 91% aggregate. 26th in Maharashtra. 1st in college.
10th standard : 86% aggregate. 1 st in School.
District topper in 4th and 7th Scholarship exams.

Your inputs would be greatly appreciated. I would also be interested whether ISB can do justice to my level of experience and current designation to really give me the advantage of forgoing the salary + paying 20 lacs for the MBA.

Your profile looks good for INSEAD and LBS. ISB is too hung up on numbers, if you ask me, so it could be a touch and go there because though your work-ex is way higher than the average the GMAT score is almost there (I have heard that they like seeing 700). Wharton also seems to be within reach. Just one thing though, in case you are planning for US, make sure you have sufficient funds. The total cost of fees alone is 1,20,000USD+ for both years.

other than that, a lot of it will depend on how you come across in your essays because since your score is somewhere in upper half of the GMAT range, your experience will count the most.
So factor that in and go for the kill

[JaiBalaji]

Originally Posted by xperience

Your profile looks good for INSEAD and LBS. ISB is too hung up on numbers, if you ask me, so it could be a touch and go there because though your work-ex is way higher than the average the GMAT score is almost there (I have heard that they like seeing 700). Wharton also seems to be within reach. Just one thing though, in case you are planning for US, make sure you have sufficient funds. The total cost of fees alone is 1,20,000USD+ for both years.

other than that, a lot of it will depend on how you come across in your essays because since your score is somewhere in upper half of the GMAT range, your experience will count the most.
So factor that in and go for the kill

Hi xperience,

Thanks a lot for the encouraging reply. I am torn between focussing on applications with the current score and taking the GMAT again. I am confident that I can cross the 700 barrier. But with a more than full-time job, I would find it difficult to do both. What would you suggest?

Do all US schools require TOEFL/IELTS score or can I get a waiver. How do you think the lower Verbal score in GMAT affect the chances if I come out well in my essays etc that demonstrate good command over English?

Do you think Indian banks would give a loan for an amount like USD 120k? Otherwise, I may have to sell some property to raise the funds. How easy would it be to get the loan from a foreign bank based on the admission letter?

Many thanks for your guidance.