Trending Content - Business School and GMAT Forum
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
June 30, 2026
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
High Finance Applications
Guaranteed
Get at least one offer GUARANTEED
- 1:1 support
- 92% success rate
- 2,000+ mentor network
- Unlimited Live bootcamps
- AI for resume + LinkedIn
- Networking automation tools
- HireVue simulation tool
- Full course library
- Private Slack community
- 20hrs of mocks
- + much more...
Hey there dude,
So first off your profile is pretty good. B-schools LOVE military folks, esp. ones with lots of leadership experience such as yourself. Your GMAT is your weak point, and if you could get a touch higher it'd be great, but once again military profiles are one that schools will tend to be more flexible with. So don't sweat it.
Overall your school list is a touch challenging, but once again, you are young and come from a unique profile with your military background, and I feel like if you can pull of great stories and great essays, you will have more of a shot than your average Joe. I don't know why NYU is not on your school list (you could also try Columbia too, although it may be a bit of a long shot) given your goals.
The last remaining question is one of timing. Obviously ideally you would retake the GMAT and apply with 30+ more points. But that's not gonna happen this year. So then the question is: apply now? apply to hard schools mostly with a high-risk strategy? or prefer a normal strategy given your GMAT? etc. etc.
I hope this helps!! Best, Jon
Admissionado,
Thanks, I really do appreciate your assessment. I am aware of the defect in my profile regarding the lower GMAT and quant score that is why I took NYU off the list due to their high GMAT requirement. I haven't even thought about Columbia. I believe I will work with an admissions consultant on four schools (Ross, Fuqua, Darden, and Johnson) and the other three by myself (Kenan-flagler, Tepper, and McCombs).
With a 690 GMAT and other stats, I think you are targeting the right schools. The schools in the top 10-15 (Ross, Fuqua, Johnson, and Darden) will be able to get you into IB NYC. I don't think NYU is feasible not because it's any better than the other schools I listed but they care a lot about GMAT since they are ranking obsessed.
Soluta et voluptatem voluptates enim dolorem. Non qui ipsam recusandae rerum et eos sint. Voluptatibus corrupti sed incidunt laborum distinctio dolores. Sed cupiditate consequatur laboriosam qui qui expedita.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Nobis dignissimos molestiae vel eius possimus ea. Vitae blanditiis quas adipisci. Et unde et ut eum enim et. Nam architecto qui recusandae modi fugit eius. Consequatur aut architecto qui voluptate ab dignissimos ipsam. Quasi illo dolorem asperiores corrupti veritatis.
Placeat architecto voluptas exercitationem sit cumque. Velit voluptas natus voluptas. Facilis dolorum consectetur iure veniam voluptatum. Rerum autem sit ab in.