Hi Linda,

I am considering applying to a MBA school. I cannot afford any MBA program, so I would need a loan if admitted. Since I live in Poland, the only option for me is a loan program applicable for international students. As you know such programs (i.e. CitiAssist) are only available for top MBA schools students.

My GPA is really bad –2.90. What can I say… I was a different person back then.

In Poland the school system is little bit different than in USA. After hi-school there is no collage. You go straight to a five year school and gain a MS degree. When you finish it you are 23-24 (by the way I am 28 now). In my country nobody cares about your GPA .If you attend a b-school the most important for you is to get a professional experience during your studies. If you did not managed to find a job when you ware a third or fourth year student in would be hard for you to find one as an absolvent.

The school I’ve finished is considered by far the best b-school in Poland. I took two majors simultaneously and got two MS degrees (in Finance & Banking as well as in Management & Marketing). It looks like I was a very ambitious student, but my GPA argues with that. I knew that I could impress my future employee with two diplomas from the best b-school in the country and nobody was going to ask about my grades. Before I recently considered applying to a MBA school in USA I had never cared about my GPA.

My professional experience:

1. AT-Kearney: V-2000 – V-2001 –I was a kind of Junior Business Analyst. “Kind ofâ€

[quote="DMJ"]Hi Linda,

I am considering applying to a MBA school. I cannot afford any MBA program, so I would need a loan if admitted. Since I live in Poland, the only option for me is a loan program applicable for international students. As you know such programs (i.e. CitiAssist) are only available for top MBA schools students.

My GPA is really bad –2.90. What can I say… I was a different person back then.

In Poland the school system is little bit different than in USA. After hi-school there is no collage. You go straight to a five year school and gain a MS degree. When you finish it you are 23-24 (by the way I am 28 now). In my country nobody cares about your GPA .If you attend a b-school the most important for you is to get a professional experience during your studies. If you did not managed to find a job when you ware a third or fourth year student in would be hard for you to find one as an absolvent.

The school I’ve finished is considered by far the best b-school in Poland. I took two majors simultaneously and got two MS degrees (in Finance & Banking as well as in Management & Marketing). It looks like I was a very ambitious student, but my GPA argues with that. I knew that I could impress my future employee with two diplomas from the best b-school in the country and nobody was going to ask about my grades. Before I recently considered applying to a MBA school in USA I had never cared about my GPA.

My professional experience:

1. AT-Kearney: V-2000 – V-2001 –I was a kind of Junior Business Analyst. “Kind ofâ€
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Thank you for a quick answer.

One additional question.
After hi-school, I decided to go to a recently opened, but looking very interesting school. It was International Faculty of Engineering (IFE). My major was Business & Technology. The biggest advantage of the school was that all the classes ware in English. Unfortunately the school did not meet my expectations. The program was changing all the time (i.e. in stead of micro economy there was optical physics) and there was a serious threat of closing the school before I finish it. I was not the only one, who decided to change IFE to a different school. Before the end of the first year of my IFE studies I was admitted to the best b-school in Poland and I knew it would guarantee my future. I did not participate in most of IFE exams, because I was already a admitted to another school, so I am afraid my transcript from IFE looks awful. Do I need to send it, and how could I explain all exams i did not pass in a shorter form than above elaboration.

Regards
DMJ

Most, if not all, schools require that you submit transcripts from all post-secondary academic work. That means you need to show your transcript form IFE. You will also need to provide the same basic explanation you provided above. Unfortunately, a poor academic record at both schools is not going to help your cause.

With a high GMAT (which is certainly better than a low GMAT) you will look like the classic academic underachiever. If you can take some classes now and earn A's in them, it will help you. If such courses are not offered in Poland, consider taking online classes through university extension programs like UCLA, NYU, or University of Maryland. You want to provide a least some evidence that you know how to appply yourself in an academic environment. Hopefully the GMAT will show that you have the raw ability.

Good luck!
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I have just finished a postgraduate one year weekend studies. I got A (Finance for Management), A (Finance for Accounting), and C+ (Tax Law).

The two A's will definitely help you. The C+ won't. If you can earn more A's that will be even better. But you have the right idea.

Good luck!
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