Alternate Transcript useful?

Question

Hi Gmatclub,

I'm thinking about taking one or two community college courses to provide an alternate transcript. Why? I was a history major for undergrad and so I never took a quant./math course. I was thinking about taking Calculus and Stats to show the adcom team that I have the mind to take on complex mathematics. Any thoughts?

What if I took precalculus? Do you think the level of math particularly matters? 
Thanks everyone.

aalba005 · Answer

Yes it will be very useful if you have not taken a statistics or calculus course before. Pre-calculus will not add much value in my opinion.

Also a Financial Accounting or Micro Economics course helps.

MIT Sloan in their app specifically asks for your grades in Calculus and Micro Economics if you have completed them.

If you do not end up taking these classes, a lot of top programs will conditionally accept you with a requirement that you complete courses like calculus, statistics or micro economics before starting the program.

IntergalacticSpace · Answer

That seems like an awful lot of work for something that may only help at the margins in the admissions process. I would focus your time and energy on getting a high Q score if you haven't taken the GMAT yet.

Admissionado · Answer

A few quant courses would definitely help. Not only for application purposes but also for your knowledge. Cause a lot of folks will have been working with this math. Good idea!

brandon432 · Answer

GMAT Q score is probably more important, but I think you're plan is a solid one.

aalba005 · Answer

In my opinion if your UGrad GPA is low or if you have not taken many quant classes it will make up more than a marginal difference. GMAT quant score is no substitute for having taken calculus (of coarse getting a strong GMAT score is overall much more important but will not serve as a proxy for your knowledge in calculus). It also gives you something to write about in optional essays to show you are serious about attending bschool.

Admissions to a top program is very competitive and help in the margins might just make the difference, if you have the time why not? You are about to spend 2 years and with significant opportunity cost on this journey might as well do all you can to improve your odds to attend one of your dream schools.

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey pchun008,

I won't rehash what everyone else said - taking those courses is a good idea. However, I'll answer your second question. The type of classes you take will make a difference for two reasons. For one, calc is harder than precalc and if you're trying to demonstrate your quant chops, you need to take classes that'll put you through the ringer. Other applicants will have taken calc and calc 2 and differential equations, etc. Most will have taken pre-calc in high school. So yes, you'll need to take harder courses.

As for the types of classes, you have 2 great ones there. Stats is used in almost every single MBA class and you'll need to know the basics before you take MBA level stats / regression. Also, calc is used across numerous fields including econ and finance. Knowing how to calculate differentials and what they mean will be a huge help!

Bhavik

pchun008 · Answer

Great, thanks to you all for giving your input. I'll most likely look into finding a calc. and stats course to help bolster my application.

JatinBhandari1 · Answer

A decent idea though, I will encourage you to get in touch with your target schools as well. Ask what universities/colleges you can do those courses from. I mean, think about it: The legitimacy of that course will also depend on the institution offering those.

Moreover, it is your time to get a 51 in Quant on the GMAT Exam. I have worked with many Non-engineers who had a 50-51 in maths, and we always liked creating stories that projected that as a strength. That also assures a school of your ability to perform in crazy quant driven curriculum. Scoring a 46 on quant, and throwing an alternate transcript may not be the best idea. And remember: Getting a 51 on Quant isn't as difficult as it may sound.

Once again, do get in touch with the admissions committee members. Not everyone will respond to you, but even if you start with the colleges that are not on your priority list, they are very likely to give the same responses as your preferred ones.

Good luck to you !

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