I am a rising senior with an internship at a boutique this summer. I plan on applying to MBB/OY/Monitor next fall. I am an econ major at a target school with a 3.9+ GPA, good extracurriculars, and very strong SAT scores (2300+). I have little in the way of connections.
My questions are:
How much would it help to have a strong gmat score on my resume, especially in light of my high SAT scores?
AND
How good is good in the world of MBB? Would 720 help? 740?
Basically, I am considering studying for it this summer, and based on a practice test, I think that with some effort I could at least get 720, probably higher. I may decide to get an MBA someday, but the main reason I would take it soon (i.e end of the summer) is for the boost to my resume for recruiting this fall. Of course it would be nice not to have to worry about taking it later, but that is not my main concern.
Any thoughts appreciated, thanks!
No, getting a GMAT right now does nothing for you. Work hard during your internship and become a champion there. That's my opinion. You're lucky in that you're smart, have all the right scores, and are in a target school.
Where you lack is networking - spend time on that this summer, not the GMAT.
2300 sat and 3.9 from a target should get you an interview without needing the GMAT
If you get into one of these firms, you'll be harder pressed to find time to study for the GMAT ( I took it before I started) but the firm might pay for you to take a prep class, so there's upside and downside either way.
dont put your gmat score on your resume when applying for a job unless its consulting..... or you have a very compelling story about it.
who wants to hire someone to train them for a few years just for them to springboard to hbs for the next best thing.
if you do well at any bb they will want you to stay, and NOT necessarily go on to business school. experience rules the world currently, not advanced education (possible exception for quant phd's)
is it really a big deal for consulting?
I do think I will get interviews even without the GMAT but do resumes mean truly nothing once interviews start? I am thinking that consulting firms might value knowing that one of their new hires has already made progress towards getting into a good b-school (at least at the top firms where they expect MBA after 2yrs).
I thought bain doesnt expect it after 2 years they are more like 3 i know mckinsey is 22 months whats bcg?
Resumes can still matter after interviews start, but only if there's some unresolved issue. If one does well on the cases, well in the fit interviews, has a good reason for why the want to do consulting, pass the Pittsburgh airport test, etc. etc. then there is no reason to look at the resume. If you're on the border on anything, who knows how they might resolve it.
With a 3.9 GPA and 2300+ GPA, I don't think that anything below about 750-760 increases the average impressiveness, so I would leave it out.
Remember, business schools do not use GMAT as a filtering mechanism all that strongly. They could easily raise their average GMAT scores if they wished. Work experience, etc. etc. is more important. Thus, for the GMAT in the abstract to be impressive, it needs to be well above the average of actual MBA classes.
Thanks for the insight. I always was a little surprised at how low the avg GMAT was even at HBS/Stanford ect. I mean, that is only like 93rd or 94th percentile, which I know is high, but not as high as I would expect the top 2 b-schools to be.
Also, that brings up the question, is 2 years at MBB considered impressive experiance? Would someone with 2 years at MBB and the average GMAT (730ish) have a good shot at HBS?
Hard to say. Good shot? Probably. Will said candidate get in? Who knows based on those 2 data points alone. There are many applicants that will fit that description, so the kicker may be whatever this person has been doing on the side (non-profit work, etc.), interview skills, and ability to tell their story effectively in writing.
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