GMAT and my future

I graduated in 2010 from the University of South Carolina B.S. in Finance, 3.3 GPA

I just took the GMAT for the first time, scored a 650, and this is after I prepared for a month using the princeton review books (really helped in my opinion, scored a 610 on my only full length computer practice test)

I am preparing my applications for several MSF programs, some being quantitative/mathematical. I'm considering U.F., UNCC, Alabama, Villanova, and possibly Duke MMS. I think this is the best route because I can't find a decent finance job, and I definitely did not give my undergraduate experience all of my time or focus. So I plan on busting my ass for one more year to show anyone who will watch, my newfound drive and motivation, which I had none of at USC.

My question is whether or not a 650 is strong enough to start me on the right track to a career as an analyst. Should I buy another book/take a class and shoot for a 680+?

Also, I am a fresh, hot-out-of-the-womb chimp on this site, so be easy with all the fancy acronyms because I'm still learning.

7 Comments
 

Just look at the candidate profiles of those schools...once you're there, getting a job will be on you

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Sounds like you're looking at the right schools, and you should have a good chance of getting into those. Of course, Wall Street won't look at your GMAT scores, and getting a job as an analyst is still a very long shot. But hey, the economy's turning around, you'll find a good job.

 

Sounds like you're looking at the right schools, and you should have a good chance of getting into those. Of course, Wall Street won't look at your GMAT scores, and getting a job as an analyst is still a very long shot. But hey, the economy's turning around, you'll find a good job.

 
qwertyzapPR sucks, go for Manhattan GMAT or Veritas. And take the in person class... small investment if you're able to break into the next tier.

Fully agree with above. Stay away from Princeton Review and Kaplan books, and especially classes, at all costs. Veritas>=Manhattan >>>>>Princeton=Kaplan. The in-person classes show the largest gaps between these programs, but difference in quality of sample questions in the books is also significant.

 

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