Retired Moderator
Joined: 28 Jul 2009
Status:Darden Class of 2013
Posts: 1768
Schools:University of Virginia
Re: bad two year college grades
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11 Feb 2011, 23:59
Hi race64, if I were you I wouldn't worry too much about your GPA. There's really nothing you can do to it to change the past directly (you can however take classes to supplement for the lack of GPA that's already there).
A few things that you should really consider:
People on here are generally speaking very helpful. With that said, you didn't get a chance to share your GPA with us. That's fine because it's a personal information. However, it's actually quite hard for people to answer your question. For example, I knew of a really beautiful lady who cried because she received an A- instead of an A (she even petitioned for it afterwards [but failed to change her professor's mind]). Needless to say, she graduated with a GPA that will put her in the running for Harvard Medical School, but her transcript was marred with that "minus" sign. My point is that everyone thinks a bit different. Your "bad" GPA may be bad for you, but good enough for most. I know of a person who got in Wharton with a 2.5. I mean, GPA is a very skewed number - depending on the school you went to and your major, that number could mean very different thing to the AdComs.
Also keep in mind that unlike medical schools or law schools, business schools select a much more well-rounded applicant (not knocking on any law/med admits here...), one who has the grade, the GMAT score, the appropriate work experience, and the leadership ability (whereas med or law schools admit students pretty much solely on their grade and standardized scores). Harvard Business School admitted then-President Bush's personal assistant and he didn't even have a college diploma (of course, this is a special case that doesn't happen to everyone). I bring up this because a lot of people get so caught up in their GPA or GMAT that they forget there are probably 20 other factors that AdComs look for. You have your essays to discuss your potentials, achievements, and post-MBA goals. You have your two (or three, depending on the school) letters of recommendations that can distinguish you from the thousands of other applicants. You also have places where you can discuss your leadership and extracurricular activities both in and out of college/professional setting. When you combine all the factors, your GPA and GMAT really just become two data points. I'm not saying that these numbers are not important, but know that you can compensate a low GPA with a high GMAT (and vice versa), or you can also bring some very interesting and dinstinguishable material to the table to compensate for a lower GPA and an average GMAT.
Lastly, your GPA is something that's set for life (there's absolutely nothing that you can do at this point to change your college grade). However, your GMAT is still a variable you can alter. Study as hard as you can and aim for that 800. Once you're satisfied with your GMAT score, then you can really sit down and discuss about the type of schools that will fit your goals post-MBA.