I recently took the GMAT for the first time and I'm trying to gauge my chances at admission to one of the top 15 schools in the country. I received a 680 (40 Verbal, 43 Quant) and haven't received my essays scores yet. Let's just estimate though that I did well on the first and poorly on the second.

I will be graduating Villanova University in May with a triple major in Marketing, Management, and Management Information systems. I have a substantial amount of involvement on campus (honor societies, VP of the Intrafraternity Counsel, etc). Baring any foreseeable problems my GPA should be about 3.85 to 3.90 upon graduation.

I also recently accepted a position as a Business Technology Analyst with Deloitte Consulting in Philadelphia. My plan is to work there for 2 - 3 years, get some practical experience, and then pursue my MBA.

Ideally I'd like to go to Harvard (I grew up in Massachusetts), but I know my chances aren't great with a 680. With my score and background, can anyone field a reasonable guess as to my odds of admission at a top 15 school?

Also, what type of people would it be most beneficial to have write my recommendation?

Hi! It is very hard to say you have a good chance or no chance at a top tier school without knowing more about your and your experiences - at work, in school and through your outside activities. That being said, a 680 GMAT score is on the lower end of the range for many of the top 15 schools. If you had the time, you could take the GMAT again to see if you could bolster your score.

As for your recommendations, I always advise my clients to ask people who know them best. Many schools require you to ask a direct supervisor, because they can most accurately talk about you and your experiences. In order to make sure your recommendations are full of detail, I often suggest giving your recommenders some guidance on your top accomplishments. That way they can draw from that when writing up your recommendations.

Best of luck,
Rachel Beck


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