Chances of Booth/Kellogg Admission with Weak Undergrad

Question

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

achmetj , you would be aware that GPA matters quite a lot for admissions. However, the hurdle rate is usually much lower for the part-time programs.

For reasons mentioned  here , we don't speculate on school selection chances. That being said, you should definitely try to overcome the   GPA hurdle  .

The professional profile and how you pitch your goals/career plans matters a lot for such programs. So, put in a strong application and you should have a decent shot, generally speaking. Of course, aided with a strong GMAT score.

Also, make sure to use that Optional Essay very well to explain the situation as closely as you can - I know it might be pretty tough, but honesty and transparency goes miles.

Hope this helps some.

Cheers,

achmetj · Answer

Thanks for your response  MG4MBACrystalBall

I learned about the HBx Core program offered by Harvard Business School Online. This course has three classes - financial accounting, business analytics and economics - and is tested at the end. In your opinion, would you recommend this course for offsetting weak undergrad performance as in my case?

Thanks,
Jameel Ahmed

achmetj · Answer

I would also like to hear from other experts on the original post. I am tagging the ones that I know of.  mbaMission   StacyBlackman

MG4MBACrystalBall · Answer

achmetj , HBx does have some credibility in the system. So, even though expensive, could be worth it.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

I agree with the advice that you've received. If I were reading your application, my main concern would be that the situation would repeat itself where your grades will be going up and down.

So I feel your main task is to help me understand why that will not happen again.

I don't really think it's such a big deal from the perspective of your statistics, yes GPA matters but if you have a good GMAT that will satisfy any concerns about your ability to get the work done. On that note your primary focus should be on getting an outstanding GMAT that is above the average for those part-time programs. I'd say a 700 would be what you'll be shooting for.

So, as mentioned, the only other concern would be stability. So I would use the optional essay to elaborate why the conditions that led to your academic ups and downs no longer apply and how you might handle them differently.

I think what concerns me is not so much the freshmen year but the senior year. So it would be important to know more about why that happened. I'm kind of confused because you said things were going great and then you became hopeless or something.

I wrote a Blog on this topic,

https://mbaessaycoaching.com/2019/06/22 ... ow-grades/

Posted from my mobile device

achmetj · Answer

Thanks for your reply  MBAPrepCoach .

To answer your question, the senior year debacle occurred due to worsening of the same circumstances that had continued up until a couple years ago. Needless to say, there are experiences in life that one never knows how to deal with until they hit him/her. It's only when you have lived through such experiences that you develop the skills to cope with that nagging stress, and it takes time. Honestly, I don't want to tell the admissions teams at these schools about this situation and attribute the weak academics to it, only because I feel it's so personal. And that's where I need professional help and advice to successfully present my case to the admissions at these schools.

Moving on, looking into the MBA Math course, I think I am going to do that instead of the HBx Core, because it's letter graded than simple pass/fail, and it comes more highly recommended from many people. That combined with my engineering work experience and a strong GMAT score (hopefully) should help me secure admission to Chicago Booth. Your thoughts?

Chances of Booth/Kellogg Admission with Weak Undergrad

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