Hi:

I am applying to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, and Duke. I come from a non-traditional background as an apparel designer, and graduated from Cornell University with a 3.58 GPA with a degree in textiles, and quite a bit of coursework in marketing, finance, and economics. Outside of work, I train and raise money for charity triathlons, volunteer tutor low-income students for the SAT, and plan fundraising events in the city for another charity organization.

I just took the GMAT for a second time and overall, did not do significantly better. However, my math improved. My scores were:

Quantitative (47/83%)
Verbal (38/85%)
Total: 690 Overall (91%)

Will my 690 score greatly reduce my chances of getting into these schools? How will they view this in conjunction with my background in design- positively or negatively (i.e. does this prove that I am capable of completing the coursework)?

Please let me know what I should focus on!