The Profile
GMAT: 720 (Q46 -73%, V44 –97%)

Undergrad: GPA – 3.7 w/ degree in finance from honors college @ a Pac 12 Non-California state school

Work: 4 Yrs in strategic planning for $10B AUM NY based real estate fund manager, promoted twice, developed and maintained forecasting models, part of 4 man internal team that executed $4B merger, worked closely with Chairman on special research projects

Extracurriculars:
Post College – inner city youth mentoring program, faith based financial services leadership committee
College: Leadership in student govt, hand selected as school ambassador, thesis developed w/ interdisciplinary team to create center to combat high school dropout problem, international travel to help develop mentorship program

Post MBA Goal: Real estate acquisitions and asset allocation with institutional investor

Target Schools:
-Wharton
-Haas
-HBS
-MIT
-Columbia
-UCLA

The Questions
1)Given the large split in my GMAT, would retaking it dramatically improve my profile assuming 80%+ on quant on the retest or should I focus on other parts of my application?
2)How realistic are my target schools given my profile?

Hi West to East,

Thanks for writing. Overall with the details you provided I see the potential for a strong application -- as you have good data to share on academics, career progress and extracurricular involvement.

As to your questions,

1) I don't think your GMAT breakdown warrants a retake. You have a Finance background and strong transcript, so there are other ways to prove your Quant background besides the GMAT score. You're likely better off investing that time in your essays.

2) I would rate you as competitive for all schools you listed. HBS and Wharton will likely be a bit of a reach, but Columbia could be a good target program for you given its competitiveness and real estate focus.

Best of luck,

Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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