Hi Stacy,
I've posted my profile here before, but I'm hoping you can further advise me. I graduated with a 3.97 GPA from Syracuse University with a double major in Finance and Television, Radio, Film. I was elected the Class Marshal and the valedictorian.
I've spent the last 5 years working in the TV industry on major television shows.
The problem is, despite endless hours of studying (350+), I cannot get my GMAT score up. I've hired two tutors, gone through all the MGMAT books, and practiced thousands of questions. Despite all this, I can't solve most quant questions in under 4 minutes. I'm averaging a 530 on the practice tests, and I'm planning to take the official one in mid-November. Based on my progress, I don't see myself getting a 700. The test is too stressful and I get terrible anxiety when I'm under the gun of a ticking clock.
My question is: Why can't the top schools overlook a poor GMAT score (530) and just take my GPA into account instead. I realize that it's hard to create a level playing field by simply comparing GPAs from differents schools, but I went to a major university, and it should be clear that I have the aptitude to perform well in B-school. I feel like my four years of hard work has been reduced to one impossible test.
Do I have any shot of getting into Harvard, UCLA, or UT-Austin with a 530? A 700 is just beyond my ability.
I've posted my profile here before, but I'm hoping you can further advise me. I graduated with a 3.97 GPA from Syracuse University with a double major in Finance and Television, Radio, Film. I was elected the Class Marshal and the valedictorian.
I've spent the last 5 years working in the TV industry on major television shows.
The problem is, despite endless hours of studying (350+), I cannot get my GMAT score up. I've hired two tutors, gone through all the MGMAT books, and practiced thousands of questions. Despite all this, I can't solve most quant questions in under 4 minutes. I'm averaging a 530 on the practice tests, and I'm planning to take the official one in mid-November. Based on my progress, I don't see myself getting a 700. The test is too stressful and I get terrible anxiety when I'm under the gun of a ticking clock.
My question is: Why can't the top schools overlook a poor GMAT score (530) and just take my GPA into account instead. I realize that it's hard to create a level playing field by simply comparing GPAs from differents schools, but I went to a major university, and it should be clear that I have the aptitude to perform well in B-school. I feel like my four years of hard work has been reduced to one impossible test.
Do I have any shot of getting into Harvard, UCLA, or UT-Austin with a 530? A 700 is just beyond my ability.
