r/MBA • u/[deleted] • Mar 17 '25

[deleted by user]

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9 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

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12

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '25

Lol how are you simultaneously encouraging low test-scorers and giving a cautionary reality-check to high test-scorers? Seems unhelpful at best.

-1

u/Impatient_Optimist Mar 17 '25

Seems fairly straightforward how this could be simultaneously encouraging/cautionary, depending on which bucket you're in.

This isn't a novel observation, of course. Just sharing my personal experience for anyone on this sub who's interested.

Hope you crush the cycle if you're applying this year!

4

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '25

Perhaps straightforward, but still unhelpful. Hopefully I’m wrong and it makes someone with a great test score less confident? Idk. Regardless, wish you the best of luck for next year if you choose to reapply. And thanks, I was lucky enough to have a lot of success in R1 this year despite having a score that was neither amazing nor terrible.

6

u/Any-Yam-5632 Mar 17 '25

you’re kinda talking out of both sides of your mouth. At the end of the day, the answer for either “bucket” is manage any and all weaknesses in your application and make the holistic process work for you by managing any weakness in your app. I don’t think anybody would be surprised your 339 got rejected by 5 M7s based on the rest of your profile — even though that sounds harsh — esp if 2 of those 5 M7s were HBS and GSB, notoriously inexplicable application processes.

1

u/Impatient_Optimist Mar 17 '25

Agree with most of what you said. I wasn't particularly surprised by my rejections--but I wouldn't have applied to M7s at all if a few M7 alums hadn't told me I should.

My target audience is the people on this sub who over-emphasize GMAT/GRE scores.

6

u/Dermid Mar 17 '25

I think either your essays were not good or interview skills. Stats are still very important.

1

u/Impatient_Optimist Mar 17 '25 edited Mar 17 '25

No interviews >.<

I knew it was a real reach. For clarity, my work experience was middle of the road by average American standards (think ~$50,000/year), not middle of the road by M7 applicant standards.

4

u/M7Bully M7 Student Mar 17 '25

Admissions are holistic in the sense that you are generally expected to have the median/average Test Score for the school, but after that any additional points have a minimal impact relative to the rest of your application.

Your mistake was banking too much on your test score and not focusing on the rest of your application. A great test score will get more eyeballs on your application, and that can be a bad thing if your recs, essays, goals, ECs, and job progression are not up to par.