I recently took my GMAT and am anxious about how my profile will look for top schools when I apply this fall for '09 Admission (Columbia, Wharton, HBS).

GPA from top 5 Undergrad- 3.1 -Will this hold me back?
GMAT 740- (Q-45 & V-47)- Will my sub-80% Quant score be an issue?
Before starting, I will have 4 years working in real estate finance.

Thank you for your help.

Thank you for your inquiry.

Can you offer a few more details on your background? What was your function within your firm? Did you earn any promotions? Do you have any community/volunteer/leadership experiences or personal accomplishments that are noteworthy?

A few more details will help me provide some advice...

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844

Your numbers should be good enough that it'll mostly come down to everything else.

However, given that HBS gets a greater share of blue chip folks with strong GPAs, they can afford to be more picky. Not saying you'll be shut out, but that it'll be a factor.

As for GMAT, I wouldn't worry about it too much -- 80%+ is ideal; 70%+ barely hanging on, and below 70% is a concern.

From a practical standpoint, just focus on doing the best you can on the written application (and the interview if or when you get them).

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com