bakfed, I agree GPAs from ivy leagues are inflated. Where I went to school (University of Toronto) we had C/C- as class averages in the vast majority of courses in my program. There are also a couple of D's as average grades for the class on my transcript.

http://tv.nationalreview.com/uncommonkn ... OTk0NzU%3D

30-50? I think you still have a very good chance. Write from the heart and don't let a single score define you.
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Thanks 'Method'.
Yes...around 30-50.
I was aiming at:
1) UC Irvine( Merage): rank 36
2) UC Davis: rank 42
3) ASU(WP Carey): rank 27
4) UC San Deigo (unranked? )
5) USC Marshall( don't think I'll apply now).

However, mean scores of all the above schools are between 670-690. So, I was a bit apprehensive in applying.
Further I belong to Indian/Female/IT category which is quite overrepresented.
What do you suggest? Shall I still go ahead and apply?

Not to get too deep into the grade inflation, but being that most people at Harvard has a 4.5 GPA in high school would it make sense that average GPA at harvard being higher than say a school like wayne state where the average income GPA is 2.9..

I find this interesting since that's what people say about Masters programs with average of a 3.0+, people say that's inflated, yet most people have like 3.5 or above in UG that go.
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630( Q46, V 31, AWA 6 )

Clearly i was struggling with verbal, although my Q isn't that great too.
I am having second thoughts about retake , but I'm afraid that my score might not improve. Frankly when I was giving GMAT, i was pretty confident of making 680+, as I was getting that much in all my mock tests. I don't know where I went wrong. I had gone through Manhattan SC guide multiple times and also atleast 25% of 1000 SC and I was quite okay with it. The irony is, in the actual GMAT, I knew I had stumbled down in Q, but verbal, I thought was going pretty well, until I saw my score!
So, the whole point is I don't know where and how to improve. I had not taken MGMAT tests, may be that's one place I can do some work.

Second point is If I retake GMAT, I should take within a month(including TOEFL) in order to make to the second round deadlines, which are as early as Dec 1st.

Do you think I have good chances if I retake and score 680+ ( My profile in brief: 2 yrs WE, 7.13/10 GPA, Indian Female IT). What are the chances of funding in such case?

Please advise. I'm totally stuck in the midst of nowhere.

Thanks a lot.

I read a lot of the threads dedicated to certain schools and get so depressed looking at the profiles of others. But this thread really gives you some hope.

Thanks guys

Howdy just finished my first test and found this string interesting.

GMAT: 710 (Q:46, V:41, AWA:??)
University attended: Large State university (Top 50ish)
Major(s): History
GPA / Honours: 2.92
Nationality: White American
Age: (at matriculation): 28
Gender: Male
Work Experience: No. of Years / Industry / Role : 4.5/ Energy/Oil & Gas / Consultant & Project Management
Extra-curricular Activities: Fraternity President in college and volunteered for a few local charities
Community Services:

Basically right now have the mentality that the 2.92 precludes applying to top 10 and I don't want to waste time with "saftey schools" so the plan as of now is to apply January round to:

UVA
Duke
UNC
UT-Austin
Georgetown

4 questions:

1. Thoughts on schools above UVA that are somewhat low gpa friendly?
2. Does energy qualify as unusual work experience?
3. Is the GMAT worth another testing, meaning can i make up for the 2.92 with a higher GMAT ?
4.$cholariships: I've read there are GMAT thresholds, but will the 2.92 keep me from getting scholarships?

What a thread guys! Very informative and gives me hope too....

I got a 690 (Q49/ V34). It is unbalanced but I do not want to give GMAT again as this was already my third attempt.

My profile :

Nationality : Indian
WE : 4.5 years in top IT firm (India + international experience)....permanent employee in US for about 1.5+ years now
UnderGrad : B.tech in information technology
GPA : 8.6/10 ...dont know how to convert this..(2nd ranker in my class)
Extra Curricular : Very active in sports. Was head of Sports Committee in college for all 4 years of the program. Also won Gold/ Bronze medals at Inter-College sports meet. Also very active on all cultural events at school.
Community Service : Active member of a foundation in India to help orphanages. Helping students with homeworks and mentoring in US.


I want to apply to :

MIT
Kellogg
Booth
ISB
Darden
Duke
Ross
Cornell

Do you think I have a chance in these schools? Should I also add some "save" schools on my list. I was actually more interested in 1 year programs and thought about INSEAD but then I do not have a balanced GMAT score and I am not sure if I should give it a shot. Guess for 1 year programs my only options are ISB and Cornell.

Any suggestions/ comments will be highly helpful. You can be blunt to me...I wouldn't mind! I just want to get into my dream school this year

Hi all ,

Low GPA and GMAT here and looking to apply to CBS early decision. I have a 2.18 and a 530 GMAT score and will be submitting my application this week.

A little bit about myself:

French major from a second tier university. Poor grades due to family illness. I have taken graduate and community college courses and scored A's and B's to prove I am able to achieve excellence academically. I've taken the GMAT five times and gone from a 420 to a 530, raising my score every exam. However, $250 a pop gets expensive so I stopped at a 530.

I am Latino and a member of the LGBT community. I am 29, worked in nonprofits for 6 years and have extensive community service and leadership backgrounds. I am also an entrepreneur on the side and I am cofounder of a small technology start-up that has been in development since 9/2010. I hope to use this as a strength in my application.

I applied to MIT Sloan in 2009 and got interviewed but was eventually dinged. I was dinged because the application did not make it past the final review committee. But I had admission officers on my side helping me. They said my essays were compelling! I also have an admissions consultant who ins WONDERFUL and has helped me craft my essays even further.

Anyways, 2 years later, I'm back in the game and CBS is where I want to go. There aren't many low GPA and GMAT folks on here so I hope to represent. I'm not exactly proud of my scores but hey, I'm trying to do the best I can.

I will keep everyone posted! Wish me luck!

Once again I decided to post a short note here to help people who are looking into top 20 schools with low GMAT/GPA.
I have read and heard so many so called "consultants" about how important GMAT is and if you don't have 700 you shouldn't even consider applying.
I had a 560 GMAT and still got into 2 top 20 school, now I'm about to start my 2nd year. This are a few thoughts as I look back into my application process and I wish I had known this when I was looking into schools I wanted to attend.
1) GMAT IS NOT EVERYTHING (I'm an example), basically Bschools want to know that you will be able to handle the heavy work load and stress that is the 1st semester. They don't want students dropping out or even worse failing classes. Sadly given that there is no standard way to measure your academic skills bschools use your GMAT scores as a gauge. I know 750 people who got dinged and I'm a 560 who got in!!
2) Your story counts, schools want to know why you want to go to bschool, how that specific school fits in your long term plans and HOW can they benefit from you going there.
3) You need to be UNIQUE to them, schools want a diverse pool of students. Make sure you don't follow a template from a consultant.
4) RESEARCH THE SCHOOL, you have to make your application "custom fit" to every school. Admissions is very good at catching BS, if you don't understand the culture of each school and what "they" think is unique about them admissions won't believe your application that says you can add to that uniqueness.

Finally, show your essays and your entire application to as many friends as you can, get as much feed back as possible then look at your application yourself and if you don't buy your own arguments, bschools won't either. Be realistic about your application and about what you want to do in life, if you went to an below average school and got a below average GPA, got a below average job and scored a below average GMAT... your chances of getting into consulting at the top 3 schools or investment banking might not happen for you AND admissions will see that, your entire story has to make sense.

Consultants don't have the answers to everything and they cannot get you into the school you want, UNLESS you can do that on your own. They just help you focus!

I hope this helps, good luck to everyone who is looking into applying for next year!!