eazyb81 wrote:
Thanks for the reply Paul!
You are correct, my career goals are in finance - IM to be exact. Do you really think I stand a chance at schools like Cornell or Darden, considering my weak gpa from a small state school?
When I discuss my verbal score in the optional essay, what should I mention? Obviously I should point out my verbal score in the previous GMAT, but what other evidence should I use to illustrate that the V34 is not indicative of my true abilities? I'm just struggling to see what I would say to them, other than a few sentences that mention the irregularity in the score.
Finally, I failed to mention in my previous post that my fiance will be moving with me when I go to business school. Therefore, I am trying to focus on schools located in mid to large metro areas so she can continue working in her career field. I would love to go to school at Cornell, but it doesn't seem like Ithaca has much to offer her in terms of employment.
I am thinking about applying to Yale and UNC, in addition to the previous schools I mentioned (Vandy, GTown, WUSTL, IU-Kelley). Yale seems like a bit of a longshot, but they state that they will evaluate candidates based on their highest individual Q and V scores, which is certainly in my favor. Am I aiming too high with Yale and/or UNC?
eazyb81,
Cornell, Darden, Yale, and UNC won't reject you for your GPA alone, especially if you had mitigating circumstances for it. Your GMAT answers to some degree the doubts that your GPA raises. These 4 schools may be semi-long shots for you, but I wouldn't be surprised if 1 or 2 came through for you.
The other evidence regarding your verbal abilities you could mention would be good grades in language-heavy courses and some discussion of the amount of writing required in your job, etc. If these aren't relevant to you, then obviously don't use them. You can also have your recommenders give special emphasis to your verbal skills.
Good luck,