CMU MSCF CMU MSCF GRE Result Dilemma

[enima]

Hi everyone,

I’m applying to Carnegie Mellon’s MSCF program and would appreciate some advice.

A bit about my background: I have a strong quantitative and technical foundation, with a master degree in a math-heavy field and around five years of professional experience in finance and technology. While I feel confident about the rest of my application (essays, recommendations, etc.), I’m concerned about how much weight a potentially lower-than-ideal GRE score could carry.

I’ve been working full-time, and due to recent work projects, I only started preparing for the GRE a week ago. I’m scheduled to take the GRE for the first time on November 30, just a day before the Round 1 deadline (December 1), and I’m not very confident that I’ll achieve the MSCF average scores on my first attempt.

Dillema:

• Should I submit my Round 1 application with a blind and likely not-competitive GRE score?
• Submit for Round 1 but send my GRE results manually only if they meet MSCF expectations, even if it risks missing the two-week grace period post deadline for Round 1?
• Wait for Round 2 with more preparation time and likely a better score?

I realize this might be something to ask admissions directly, but I’m hesitant as I know many applicants are also full-time professionals balancing similar challenges. I thought I’d ask here first to see if anyone has faced a similar situation or has advice.

Thank you!