2.60 GPA w/770 GMAT URM. First Gen Grad,

Question

Applying to top programs Kellogg, Wharton, Stanford, & HBS (Ding) . Do you think there's a chance of admission? - Round 1

Back Ground - African American

Former Double Sport Athlete (Track & Football)
Worked on small consultant/contracts (5 firms: Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Mizuho, Rabobank roles within Financial Services NYC)
Currently at Asset Management First 1y 7months (1 Promotion) (NYC)
Worked in total 4 going on 5 years

Fun Fact: Trained for Olympic Trials

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  Akeels92 . I definitely think you have a shot at top-tier programs. A 770 is a fantastic GMAT™ score (congratulations), you belong to a desirable demographic, and you stand out, in terms of your background. That GPA is about the only thing I can see that would be held against you. With the sort of ability you have demonstrated on the GMAT™, the question is going to be,  Why couldn't you apply yourself more in college?  You may want to address the issue in an essay or supplement.

That is interesting about HBS. I am a little surprised, to be honest. One of my clients—someone who has competed in the Olympics—is interested in the same school, and was told by an admissions officer that a 720 total score would put the application in the running, even without an undergraduate degree to fall back on. Now I am curious about the rest of your application (essays, letters of recommendation, and so on).

I think Stanford will be your hardest admissions challenge. Not to get too personal, but I have helped African American clients with test scores much lower than yours gain admission to M7s. One of them entered Wharton in the final round of the cycle last year.

You may benefit from speaking to  admissions consultants  on this site, who should be able to provide more insight into your application pros and cons. (You will probably have to answer more questions about your background.)

Good luck.

- Andrew

AnirudhaS · Answer

Stellar profile. How well you write your application would determine which school you would go! All the best.

Forty40 · Answer

More content: After being ding i done some research calling admission offices. One said some school may fear that I can lose the interest/drive to finish the program. I started taking online courses and finished MBA Math and was going to start taking couresea courses to show that I'm committed and to prove a track record of academics success. I addressed the low GPA stating that I'm youngest of five from, a single parent household. With a mother hasn't made it to the 10th grade. That's the reason why I focused on athletics. Theme of my essay "If I knew better, I Would have done better. " Now that I know better Im taking the steps to do better and I hope scoring in the 99th percentile proves that my GPA doesn't prove what I'm capable of.

I took the GMAT once as well.

I took the GMAT once as well.

AndrewN · Answer

Perhaps your work experience,  Forty40 , could show just how much commitment you can put into something other than sports, that you take your work-life (and MBA pursuits) seriously. That could be an angle to explore in your essays. If you have jumped from job to job, though, then one year, seven months at a particular job may be seen as an aberration rather than the norm.

In any case, I would again advise you to get feedback from admissions consultants by posting a similar query in their forum. (I linked to it in my previous post.) They should be able to provide pertinent feedback and would be eager to do so (since you could turn into a future client). If you have not had someone professionally proofread your essays, that could make all the difference.

Again, I wish you good luck with your applications.

- Andrew

2.60 GPA w/770 GMAT URM. First Gen Grad,

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