Help!

[obrienjb]

Greetings!

It's been an interesting week and I'd like some feedback. I was set on applying to Darden R1 this past Weds and had everything locked in. I'm confident in my essays and my rec letters etc. Early this week though I retook the GMAT for the second time (640 first time) and scored a 650 (41st (!) percentile quant and 97th percentile verbal). I decided to delay my application to R2, work on my quant with a tutor and/or class, and retake the GMAT again in hopes of a 680. Any thoughts? Poor decision? I'll post some of my info below.

Undergrad
- 3.4 GPA
- Finance major
- Captain of athletic team
- Lots of community service but no leadership in such activities

Post-grad
- 6 years of finance experience
- Currently building project finance models for private equity infrastructure deals
- Coached a youth lacrosse team for two years but sporadic community service due to job hours

I'm looking to apply to Duke, Cornell and Indiana as well but really had my heart set on Darden after a great visit. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Brett N]

Hi,

I think that delaying your application was the right idea. It's much more important to get your best application the second round than rushing your app to get it done for the first round.

Plus, if you take the GMAT again - for the third time - you will certainly display your desire for getting an MBA.

How have you been demonstrating to Darden that they are your top choice?