Veritas Prep Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Jul 2010
Affiliations: Veritas Prep
Posts: 1910
Given Kudos: 3
Re: Need suggestion for 2nd recommendation
[#permalink]
07 Jan 2013, 12:13
Lots of questions in there. Firstly, regarding Cornell, they have seen a meteoric rise in their rankings this year which will attract more applicants than in the past, so unfortunately for you, it will be a challenging spot to get in there with a 630. Additionally, as a reapplicant, you will need to demonstrate significant improvement in your profile so you can justify to the committee why this year has transformed you into a better candidate than you were last year.
In general, if you are aiming for top ten programs, you should be offering a top-tier profile and I think you have much of that squared alway alreaqy. AS for the recos, you should go with the person who can shed the broadest adn deepest insight into your background and work performance vs. someone with a specific title. Work performance does not have to mean professional either, so it's fine to use the gentleman you mentioned with whom you were involved at Toastmasters. The key is finding somone who is in your corner and can comment anecdotally on how you work individually and with teams.