I had previously voiced my displeasure about not hearing any feedback from Cornell about how I can improve my candidacy. Although I have yet to hear anything from them, I have made a few decisions that should shape the next few months for me. I was faced with the question of evaluating my candidacy and what my relative weaknesses were, but being a self-loathing person I just think my entire application could be better. So like a general preparing for battle, I have devised a plan for the next few months. So what does the plan entail, you say…
Step 1: Get another supervisor to write a letter of recommendation
I have already reached out to someone who was my boss up until 2 months ago. I have told him all about Cornell, why I want to go there, and what I want to do. He graciously agreed to write a letter, so I hope that should be arriving any day now.
Step 2: Take a math course
I am pretty sure (at least I hope!) that my 48 in quant on the GMAT has quelled any thoughts of quant deficiency, but maybe my undergrad record is hurting my candidacy (2.9 GPA)? So I have decided to enrol in an online course offered by UCLA, called “Math for Managers.” It is pretty much some light calculus that would help out managers in reporting P/L, break-even, and other reporting metrics. The course starts on 3/31 and runs until the beginning of June. I hope to have my mid-term grades available for Cornell by the time my wedding happens, which is April 24th. An A in this course is the only acceptable grade, so I am going to work really hard to make that happen.
Step 3: I am prepared to wait until next year
I have thought about this over and over, but I think if I do not get in, I am going to re-apply. If this scenario plays out, then I am going to re-take the GMAT, in hopes of raising my verbal score. I am happy with a 48 in quant, but the low 30s is not where I should be in verbal. I should be at least at a 40, which would have put me around 730…not much higher, but a 7 handle certainly looks better than a 6.
What are other waitlisted people doing??? Anything you think I should be doing that I missed?
Read the full article: The best laid plans of mice and men