Low-ish practice GMAT, high GPA. Evaluation please.

Launched April 26, 2006
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Hi all,

I have a 3.84 GPA from Penn and I'm testing in the 670-690 range, but that range is heavily dependent on the high verbal scores I'm getting. My undergrad degree was in a science major, but I didn't take any calc classes as an undergrad (I had AP Calc BC and anything I needed to know about DiffyQ for my courses I learned on the fly from a textbook my one prof lent me).

My situation is sort of unique in that I put off my college education for three years after high school due to family reasons (that I'd rather not go into here) and took a job in banking eventually becoming a supervisor and then things worked out so that I could go to school.

Even though I didn't take calc as an undergrad, most of my upper level science classes could not be done without a decent knowledge of calculus. I also had quite a few Wharton classes as an undergrad, again many of which required significant quant ability, and after graduation I enrolled in a few classes at Wharton's Evening Program (Corp Finance and Financial Accounting, 'A' in both) while working for Penn doing small business consulting (a job I interned for from soph to senior year) and then moved on to a job in cash management at one of the largest asset managers in the world. I will have had 3 years of post-grad WE and 3 years of working in the banking job before college.

If I score in the mid-to-upper 600s do I have a shot at USC, UCLA, Texas, or MIT? These are the four schools I'm looking at most closely due to geographic reasons. Any tips on what I should highlight? Should I write an addendum explaining my family situation?

Thanks!
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