How many gap years are too many?

Profile:

Bachelors 2.2 (University of applied sciences, german grading system)

5 Years experience founding a startup

1 Semester abroad + 1 year abroad 

1 Internship abroad (Big4)

Social work as well as other extracurriculars

24 Years old


My goal after my masters degree is to land a job at MBB. Because my bachelors degree is so bad I basically need to get my masters degree from a top university and excel there.


Now the problem is my GMAT(620)is not the best, especially the quant score(35). I may land a spot in some MiM programs in top 30 business schools this year (Nova Lisbon, WU Vienna, Mannheim) but since i got only 1 more shot it got me thinking.


I could, in autumn this year, get my GMAT over 700 and my quant score up to land a few spots at top 10 business schools like Bocconi. I could also do 2 more internships next summer, and get a third language on at least B1 level. The problem is in that case, by the time i finish my masters, i will be 27 turning 28. 


The second variant would also mean money is a way less stressful affair. I could manage a 30k program this years but it would be connected with lots of stress in a short amount of time.


My question is what would be the smarter choice for my goal? Do a masters now at a tier 2-3 school or just take a second year off to maximize my chances next year and get more experience? Considering I may also want to do an MBA or PhD after my masters during an educational leave, i feel like waiting another year would delay my carrer too much.

 

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