Getting into a top 10 graduate school for a Master's in Finance with lots of W's.

I’ve been going to college for 10 years. Working, relationship difficulties and a learning disability has made it harder for me to graduate college. My major is economics and I have a 3.5 GPA and will likely have a 3.7 by the time I graduate. I’ve had to retake classes several times, especially math due to my learning disability and the fact I am a high school drop out.

I’ve discovered I’m a whiz at investments. I made a 300% total return earlier this year and I want to go into portfolio management or hedge fund management. I’ve decided on a Masters of Science in Finance. MsF for short.

My GPA is solid and I have no doubt I could rock the GRE or GMAT (depending which one the schools prefer), my recommendation letters will likely come up short in quality as I haven’t really been able to find an academic mentor in my professors since my freshman year in a different major. Most are fairly aloof and don’t really seem interested in bonding with me via a friendship.

So what I need to know is this. Will having 10-15 W’s over a 10 year college career negatively impact me in applying to grad school? If so, will it be a minor negative impact or significant? I’ve been going to college full time or 3/4 time for a decade after all. (I also had a previous major I almost graduated in, but changed at the last minute due to being misled about job prospects. That major is now a completed minor in sociology.)

I’ve got at least 10-20 W’s. But almost every important class I’ve withdrawn from I’ve repeated and gotten an A or B in.

I’m smart, just have had a rough life and not much guidance while in school. Product of a single parent home and all that.

What does everyone think?

GPA is good. The amount of time you’ve been in college and number of W’s will be an issue. Poor recommendations will hurt you as well.

What kind of work experience do you have? If it is strong, it could offset all the W’s. If it is broke experience it will compound your transcripts.

Recommendation - Kill it on the GMAT. Get a rec from a boss and one professor who would do something decent. Maybe a guidance counselor. Maybe find a good PT program and work some post graduation. You need to build a professional resume.