Hi Folks,

Wish everyone a Happy New Year..!!

I would like to ask a very subjective question which has been on my mind for a while now. I decided to go for a full time MBA a month back and I am preparing for GMAT right now. I aspire to do an MBA only from Top 20 schools across EU/US. Though I am from India, I am not considering any school here as I am looking to have a multicultural experience which in my opinion is imp for me.

Here is my profile:

Education/Work Ex:
~3 Yrs Full Diploma in Hotel Mgt - 68% marks

~Total Work Ex (as on date) - 9 yrs, 6 months

1st Job:
~Started of as a Mgt Trainee with a 5 Star Hotel Chain in India. Worked for 5.5 yrs and got 4 promotions during this time. Last assignment Head of Dept of Front Office (Associate Director-Rooms)
~Several commendations during the above tenure. High performer

2nd Job:
~Post 5.5 yrs exp in Hotels, I moved to Outsourcing industry with India's top IT company as I wanted to try something new and as age was on my side I could make that switch.
~completed 4 yrs with this firm. so in my 2nd job.
~Currently I run Order Mgt/Supply Chain operations for a Fortune 500 networking firm. I hold a Manager's position.
~Handle a team of 120+ people across India, China, Mexico, Brno. Strong project management, operations skills
~High performer awardee for 2 years in a row.
~60% responsibility towards Operations, rest 40% towards Business Development for BPO.
~Within Supply Chain i am working for an emerging field called Reverse Logistics for my client. This is really coming up within the SCM space.
~Ability to work in a multicultural environment. Multiple start ups/launches of best practices.
~Lastly, though I work for an IT firm, I am not a techie as most people from India are.

Others:
~Being from an army background, I have been a sportsperson throughout. Several awards at school level.
~Extra curriculars included debates, dramatics, Master of Ceremonies etc.
~Sponsored a child's through one of the NGOs
~Planning to start my charity service in my city
~I plan to visit in Brno for 2 months in Mar, Apr. I am going to work with a charity organisation there as well during weekends.

The question is :
1) considering my profile (exp of 2 different industries etc.) what should be a minimum score which could get me through a top 20 college. I am not looking for an avrg score but the minimum score.
2) though i have read in a lot of forums that selection in last deadlines is difficult, do you think it makes sense for me to give it a shot during the mar/apr deadlines of some schools.

I am also clear as to why I wanna do MBA now so all responses will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

VA

"Handle a team of 120+ people"
You must be around 30 years old. It sounds in terms of work experience you are way ahead of anyone I know of that age. My common sense tells me therefore you wouldn´t need an outstanding GMAT. Just my two cents..

"Handle a team of 120+ people"
You must be around 30 years old. It sounds in terms of work experience you are way ahead of anyone I know of that age. My common sense tells me therefore you wouldn´t need an outstanding GMAT. Just my two cents..

The bare minimum a top 20 school will usually even look at is 600. So, you need at least that. But I think around 640 is the minimum you should be happy with.

Here's my perception scale:

0-400: Terrible.
410-500: Not good, but might get you into some lower tier schools with some remedial coursework
500-570: Can get you into a decent program, but not top 20
580-590: You have a very teeny weeny tiny chance at a top school. But there has to be something really exceptional about you or your application, or you are phenomenal at networking.
600-630: You can get into a top school if you have a unique background, solid work experience and the rest of your application really stands out from the crowd.
640-670: I think you should shoot for at least this range. Once you hit the mid-600s, your GMAT requirement will get a solid check mark and not be seen as a weakness.
680-750: Super impressive exceptional score. If you don't get in to a Top 20 school with a score in this range, it's not because of your GMAT.
760-800: You're either a natural genius or practiced your butt off for the GMAT. A score like this is great. At the same time, the adcom would probably pay extra attention to the rest of your application to make sure you're well rounded, and not just a master test taker.