Ms. Mechanical Engineer

I have to agree with the tough love you’ve gotten from Sandy. You may be crossing your fingers and hoping for the best becuase the full range of GMATs in Columbia’s latest class ranges from a low of 560 to a high of 790 with the average score at 727. But a 610 GMAT just won’t cut it at CBS unless you were an NFL quarterback or receiver or a hedge fund guy who has performed the cello at Carnegie Hall. In other words, candidates with GMAT scores well below a school’s average need a killer story to overcome it.

This is even more of an issue for an Indian with an engineering background who does not have a degree punched by an IIT. As you know. that is the most over represented part of the elite MBA applicant pool. Your positives are obvious: You are at a highly desired company in a cool role and are a woman in a field dominated by men. That is a strong narrative for an MBA applicant to a highly selective school. But that GMAT score is a killer.

LOTS to like but you need to retake GMAT and keep retaking it until you get someplace near 700. This profile with a 700 GMAT gets my odds of near 40 percent. Schools always on the look out for female engineers and the auto focus is a plus. With a 720 GMAT your odds at the tougher to get into HBS are 30 percent.

I am tired of being the GMAT shrew but the dirty little secret is that many schools really value it. It affects their rankings and ratings. Getting in to B school can be an important filter in your life, lots and lots of stuff flows from and through it. The fact that some stinking exam is hindering you has to be met with resolve not regret. Keep taking the flippin’ test til you get a 700.

Hi Ms. Mechanical Engineer! Talon Rindels here, Sr Admissions Consultant with the MBA Exchange. Love your work experience – Auto industry, Fortune 100 company, Female Engineer (although your ethnicity makes it a bit less unique) – and your GPA is solid. The two key drawbacks I see are (1) Your GMAT is a dealbreaker. Maybe each top school lets about one candidate in each year with a 610, but they have to have a super unique story that captivates adcom both from an emotional and logical lens. You’ll have to get your GMAT up. Or, perhaps the GRE is more your thing. Most schools accept the GRE now, so you may want to consider that. Either way, I suggest getting some test prep support. Your GPA suggests you should be able to score much better, so I think you’re capable with the right support! (2) I’m not seeing much extracurricular activity. Maybe you just left it off here, but admitting well-rounded candidates is essential to MBA programs. They want to know that the student will leave the school/community in a better place than it was when they started and your extracurricular involvement pre-business school is what gives them the confidence that you will do that. If you fix those two things, scoring a GMAT around 720/730, I’d up your odds to about 50%…. maybe 55% to indicate that I think you’d have better chances of getting in than not. Good luck to you!

You have very cool work experience – automotive design is the stuff of some people’s dreams! However, to echo the other commentators, you definitely need to retake the GMAT. A 610 would make it tough for anyone at a top school, but for Indian applicants, a high GMAT (preferably 730+, though I know that’s easier said than done) is critical. I did a study for mbaMission last year on Indian applicants and the factors that lead to their success, and unsurprisingly the GMAT score plays a decent role. Regarding the other parts of your profile, I would need to know 1. the career progression you’ve made – have you been promoted or received additional responsibilities/compensation over the last ~5 years and 2. Your extracurricular involvement in employee engagement – do you have a leadership role and feel you’ve made a notable impact in this area? Separately, about your goals – I nearly always recommend framing entrepreneurship as a long-term goal, as the AdCom would see this as far more feasible. So, think about what you’d want to do immediately post-MBA and how each program you target would help you get there.

Ms. Mechanical Engineer – Susan Cera, Director of MBA Admissions, here. I spent 10 years evaluating applications at Duke Fuqua and reviewed thousands of Indian candidates. I really like your experience in the automotive industry. The two major weaknesses I see in your profile are your GMAT score and your limited outside engagement. If your interest is in entrepreneurship and green technology I encourage you to broaden your school list. Look for schools that have a lower percentage of women (Tepper?) or fewer international students (Babson?). You must absolutely retake the GMAT.