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Tennislover1717
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MBAandBeyond
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TheRedPen
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GMAT 1: 760 Q51 V42
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ARINGO
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Hi Tennislover1717,

I am Priyanka, Client Manager at ARINGO. I hope you are doing well. Speaking about your profile, Being a first-gen finance major with a killer 3.82 GPA and construction/mortgage internships under your belt looks awesome. Your target schools like Vanderbilt and Villanova are a good start but focus on programs with strong consulting/real estate finance tracks to match your dream career.

Though you are considering test-optional for the GMAT but let me tell you that having a strong score could be a game-changer.

Feel free to share your resume and connect for a detailed review.

Click here to contact us.

You can also email me your CV at: [email protected]
Good Luck!
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Hi Tennislover1717,
Thanks for posting. We have concluded your query. Here is our conclusion:

Your GPA and internship continuity are solid for an MSF applicant, but I think you're overestimating how much the school list question matters right now compared to the test-optional decision. Going test-optional at schools that permit it sounds safe, but at programs like Georgetown and UT Austin, submitting a strong GMAT actually moves you meaningfully in a competitive pool. A 3.82 from a non-target without a score can read as an incomplete file even when the option technically exists. I'd rather you took the GMAT, even once and without extensive prep, than default to test-optional across the board.

The other thing I'd think about is your goals statement. Consulting and real estate finance are quite different MSF exit paths, and programs will read that combination as uncertainty rather than range. Professors in MBA programs may not have flagged this for you, but MSF adcoms are fairly focused on near-term career fit. Pick the one that genuinely excites you more and build the application around it. Your construction finance internship is actually more useful than it probably feels to you right now, especially if you're leaning toward real estate.

One question: what specifically changed for you during that construction finance internship that made you want to go deeper into finance at the graduate level?
Tennislover1717
­Hello, I'm 21F in my junior year, and I'm applying to MSF programs for the class of 2026. I'm from a small town, and most of my professors are only experienced in MBA programs, so I've been struggling to find information about MSF programs.

I have a 3.82 GPA, a finance major, and a business analytics minor. I attend a non-target school with a reputable business program in my state, but I'm not sure it will help my application much in out-of-state schools, which I'm mostly applying to.

I work part-time as a finance intern for a local construction company during the school year and full-time during the summer, and I have done that for about a year. I will work for a mortgage firm as a finance intern next summer, but that will be after I submit my application, so I'm unsure if I can incorporate it. I also worked as a receptionist during my sophomore year, but it wasn't major-related.

As for school activities, I'm the finance director of a hospitality club, I was an orientation leader, I'm in a community service fraternity, and I'm a member of Beta Gamma Sigma (business honor society). Outside of school, I am a youth tennis coach.

I haven't taken my GMAT yet, but I'm not feeling confident about it; I think I will apply test optional to any schools that allow that.

The schools I'm looking at right now are Vanderbilt, Villanova, UT Austin, FSU, Ohio State, Tulane, Boston College, Georgetown, and SMU.

I want to go to graduate school to break into consulting or real estate finance. My ultimate goal is to become a professor and eventually go back to school. Any advice or suggestions on other schools I should consider would be greatly appreciated. I'm a first-gen college student, so I'm very new to this.