I want to do my MBA in the US, and I got a 680 on the GMAT. What's the best school I can get into with this score? I was thinking Emory or Irvine, since they are ranked in the Financial Times, but is there a better school? I'm interested in working in the tech industry, and I have permanent residency in the US already.

Try GMAT Tiers - strong schools for your GMAT www.find-mba.com/board/27082

Also, this list:

http://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-school-by-speciality/top-business-schools-for-a-career-in-technology-or-information-technology-it

Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon are in that list, although depending on how many years of work experience you have, they may be reach schools for you.

Since working in the tech industry is a pretty broad career goal, I suggest you narrow it down either by function or location.

Yes, true. I'd like to work in IT project management or maybe IT consulting, and southern California is my ideal location. So would UC Irvine be an ok choice, or perhaps UCLA Anderson, even though Notre Dame etc. are in that list?

I think that Anderson is relatively comparable to Notre Dame, given each school's rankings; if you can get into that school then it's probably a safe bet. It looks like it has been placing around a quarter of its grads into the tech industry in recent years, which is comparable to Notre Dame. However, your GMAT score is lower than the average there, so it may be a reach school.
I think Irvine doesn't line up as well with your goals, but it is more in line with your GMAT score.

Ok. Since I am past the round one deadline for Anderson I plan on re-taking the GMAT in early December to try to get my score up. That should give me enough time for round two. Do you think that there's a substantial penalty for applying in round two? How high should my GMAT score be?

The schools are not at all comparable. Notre Dame has a 670 average GMAT and accepts two applicants in five; UCLA has a 706 average and accepts one applicant in five. You should certainly target a GMAT score above average, but how far above average depends on how strong a candidate you are.

[Edited by Duncan on Nov 12, 2014]

Dear Duncan, I have read many of your posts and they are really helpful. Could you do me a favor to assess which school I should apply?
Here is my details:10 years WE in journalism+3 years WE in banking/GMAT 680/IELTS 7/GPA 2.8 in undergraduate majored in finance and GPA 3.5 in graduate majored in journalism/nationality is China but based in Hong Kong for 4 years. Wish to do marketing , public relation or brand management in China for US company in IT or new media related industry.
UCLA is my dream school but worry my GMAT is too modest. As a 35 years old mid-career candidate, am I too experienced? I am willing to learn new things yet.Thanks in advance.

The schools are not at all comparable. Notre Dame has a 670 average GMAT and accepts two applicants in five; UCLA has a 706 average and accepts one applicant in five. You should certainly target a GMAT score above average, but how far above average depends on how strong a candidate you are.

I'm not sure that US firms would want an MBA to be leading brand/marketing work. Surely something like an MS from the Annenburg School of Communication at USC or the Medill school at Northwester would be better for that?

Sounds reasonable. Thanks for you advice. But I have had a MS in this aspect and want strengthen my management skills.so MBA is my priority.
I was wondering what's the possibility of 2 tier MBA for me. If my target is UCLA, which aspect should I improve?

Your weak points are probably your GMAT, your weak connections to the firms that hire from the Anderson school and your lack of leadership experience.

thanks Duncan.
registered a new GMAT next month for a higher score. And I have taken a position as the managing editor in our HK office for 4 years. But am not sure if MBA admission officials accept leadership experience in media industry.
Could you tell me which business school has tight relations with the firms I am interested, ie marketing in and business development in Asia.
Thanks for your patience.

Read: How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571

And, generally, look at the posts linked to from my profile page

People transition into marketing roles post-MBA all the time. And I don't see why adcomms wouldn't look at your leadership experience in the media industry. As long as it's post-graduate, full-time work experience, it should be fine.

Heart-felt thanks badux.
Could you recommend a few schools for me please?

Look for schools that have strong placements in marketing functions. Are you only looking at US schools? If so start with Wharton, Minnesota - Carlson, and Wisconsin. Oh and perhaps Rutgers. Your GMAT might be low for some of these programs so I would suggest trying to re-take and getting it up to 720+. Your higher-than-average work experience may work in your favor as well.