Hi

I got a 640 on the GMAT and I'm pretty bummed out! I would like to hear some recommendations on what MBA programs I can apply to at this point. What are my options?

Some background:

I'm an older applicant (36) and I've decided to do a full time MBA in order to change my career. I've been in sales for 10 years at this point. I'm undecided about what I want to do after the MBA but I do want to get out of sales.

The problem with the GMAT was the quantitative section (scored 33). I studied a bit before and I thought I had a grasp of the general possible questions but when I sat down for the test, with the stress and all that I drew many blanks. Guessed a lot. It's a bit painful to think about actually!

I was set on Boston University (and was also planning on applying to Cornell as a long shot) but I guess these schools are pretty much out of the question. I was hoping that somebody could suggest maybe 2 or 3 schools that might fit for my score. Thanks to this helpful community!

Focus on clarifying your career goals, not an MBA. Spend $200 on something like careerleader.com

Yes, I agree that you should focus on your goals. A 640 GMAT isn't *bad* but yes, maybe Cornell might be a bit of a reach for you.

That said, many MBA programs value students with more work experience and who might be a bit older than the average applicant. It adds diversity to their classrooms, and in some cases there might be a bit of flexibility for 'lower' GMAT scores.

That said, without solid career goals and being able to explain why you want to attend a certain school (BU for example), you still might be a hard sell.

Yes, I totally agree about my goals. I have a few ideas, for instance, I'm quite interested in transitioning into data-driven marketing or potentially some kind of finance-related role. I don't want to get too specific about my goals because I would like to start the MBA to get exposed to new ideas.

I was mainly interested in BU because of its elective offerings, there were many classes that were interesting to me, plus the possibility of doing a concentration in either marketing or finance.

You are not the customer. The schools' corporate partners are the customer. They want people with clear goals so they can see whether they meet recruiters' needs. If they are not sure they can place you, or what your goals are, you are a risky candidate they will replace with someone similar but more motivated.

Yes, exactly. Even if you're open to other career paths, I'd make it clear that you have a strong focus on one (or at the most, two) career areas, and even have a few companies in mind where you'd be interested in working (preferably ones that have recruiting relationships with the schools you're applying to).

Thanks to the both of you and happy new year! I will certainly refine my goals before applying. I've also decided to retake the GMAT and will be doing so in February, sort of a new year's resolution. Aiming to get my application in to BU before the end of round 3 in March. Your advice is appreciated.

Good luck!

Hey did you retake the GMAT? I also have a low quant score and I am not sure if I should retake or not.

What is your score breakdown?

36Q 42V

If you think you can do better on the quant, you should retake. Getting your quant score closer to your verbal would help a lot.

A bit of studying will go a long way, especially since you can focus the majority (or even all) of your efforts on one part of the test.

You can do a lot with 640 GMAT. Depending on your goal and your risk taking appetite.
Take a look at my blogs about how I used my low GMAT score to get admits.

I will look at the blogs. Thank you for your time.

I used an a basic algebra and calculus book... Helped me massively