MS Finance/Financial Engineering Profile Evaluation

Hi Abhinav_1630,

Thank you for your post. Although I work with applicants on business-related masters applications such as MSBAs, MFEs, etc., my primary area of expertise rests with MBA programs, so if you are seeking super nuanced advice regarding these particular degree programs, I encourage you to seek the counsel of consultants with specific expertise with those degrees.

At the same time (and even without knowing your geographic preferences), I would strongly encourage you to revisit the GMAT as a 520 score with a 15 on Verbal is going to preclude you from a huge swath of programs. If you are seeking to identify programs that fit your ambitious, moderate, and safe parameters, then a first step for you would be to research the class profiles and average scores for students at programs you think you're potentially interested in.

Generally speaking (and without regard to other profile elements), I would say that "moderate" programs would be those where your GMAT score is 40-50 points above the class average (given how crowded and competitive your applicant pool is). I unfortunately think you are going to be hard-pressed to find programs where the average GMAT is 470/480, and that Verbal score is likely too big an obstacle to look past. Your AWA suggests that you can do better on Verbal, so I would encourage you to focus on improving your score.

I wish you the best of luck!!

Kind Regards,
Greg