Specific Factors to Help Override a Less-than-Ideal GPA
There are some broad factors that the admissions committee will take into account as reasons that can justify a lower-than-ideal GPA (and hence the admissions committee might not be looking at your lower-than-ideal GPA as a problem at all). These factors can vary from what we at MBA Admit.com call “extreme extenuating circumstances” to “reasonably acceptable explanations.” When trying to override a less-than-ideal GPA in order to gain admission to a top MBA program, it is often helpful if you have one of these extenuating circumstances or reasonably acceptable explanations as to why your GPA was lower. Let’s consider some examples…
Major event that explains the lower-than-ideal GPA: Did you lose a very close relative and your grades suffered for a while? Did your parent lose their job, causing stress on the family and anxiety for you, causing your grades to drop? Major events like these can help explain a lower-than-ideal GPA to the satisfaction of the admissions committee.
Challenging circumstances to overcome: Were you the first in your family to attend college and it took a little adjustment in your first 18 months before your grades reflected your abilities? The committee will often take circumstances like these into consideration.
Working your way through school financially: In many cases such as this, the committee will realize you were juggling work with your academics and may be more understanding if your GPA is slightly lower.
Medical or physical challenge: If you had to overcome some major medical or physical challenge, the admissions committee will sometimes give you leeway on the GPA.
There are, of course, other variations. See a link below for a list and explanation of eight additional “extreme extenuating circumstances” and “reasonably acceptable explanations.”
The take away: a less-than-ideal GPA is not always a deal-killer in MBA admissions. If any of these circumstances above apply to you, or if you had comparably difficult circumstances, then the admissions committee may still consider your GPA – while lower than the matriculating average – to still be acceptable.
For a more comprehensive list of “extreme extenuating circumstances” and “reasonably acceptable explanations,” click https://mbaadmit.com/category/overriding-a-low-gpa/.
Feel free to reach out to us if you would like a free profile evaluation or assistance with the MBA admissions process. We can be reached at info@mbaadmit.com. Our website is https://mbaadmit.com/.
Best wishes,
Dr. Shel and the Team at MBA Admit.com
info@mbaadmit.com
