Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
May 1209:00 AM PDT
-10:00 AM PDT
Join us live on GMAT Club's YouTube Channel tomorrow and learn 10 Critical To Dos
May 1212:00 PM EDT
-12:30 PM EDT
Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great and how you can present a strong MBA application. Explore the difference between our One-Year MBA and Two-Year MBA programs, talk to our admissions team, and meet students.
May 1308:00 AM EDT
-09:00 AM EDT
Meet Tuck at an informal student or staff-hosted coffee chat in a city near you!
May 1310:00 AM EDT
-11:00 AM EDT
Applying to business school this year? Don’t miss Personal MBA Coach’s Top MBA Application Tips guide- May 14
10:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
MBA recommendation letters are one of the most misunderstood parts of the application process. Many applicants focus on choosing the most senior recommender — when what actually matters is specificity, credibility, and examples of impact. 
May 1505:00 PM PDT
-06:00 PM PDT
Inquire for a free profile evaluation and guarantee statement for possible admits and scholarships!
11 Jun 2011, 15:22
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello gmatclub posters!
Without getting too detailed about my profile, here's some context for my questions:
Undergrad GPA: 2.6 (3.1 after transfer from biology to business)
Degrees: BS in Business and Masters in Policy from a top-20 school (notorious for grade deflation.. not sure if that matters with grades this poor)
Graduate GPA: 3.1 (3.6 in concentration)
GMAT: 720 (47/42 Q/V)
Other: Early 30s African-American Male, work experience in consulting and finance, military experience (National Guard).
Here are the questions...
1. Candidates with Low GPAs are often encouraged to take continuing education courses in the hopes that it will demonstrate solid aptitude and work ethic to admissions counselors. Does this advice still apply to candidates that graduated 8+ years ago? Can (relatively) extensive work experience serve as a reasonable facsimile?
2. All else equal, how much can a solid GMAT score counterbalance a low GPA? In this context, do admissions counselors value a GMAT taken within the last year more highly than a GMAT taken four years ago?
2a. For low-GPA candidates with top-tier b-school aspirations, is a 70-80 percentile quant score cause for concern? If there is a feasible chance to improve the quant raw score into the 85 percentile range, is it worth the effort to take the exam again?
3. I've noticed a few vague references to the issue on these message boards, but how much can certain demographic factors (in my case, an African American male candidate) truly impact this set of mixed variables?
I don't expect anyone to take the time to answer all of these nuanced questions; feedback on any of these questions is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your responses!
Without getting too detailed about my profile, here's some context for my questions:
Undergrad GPA: 2.6 (3.1 after transfer from biology to business)
Degrees: BS in Business and Masters in Policy from a top-20 school (notorious for grade deflation.. not sure if that matters with grades this poor)
Graduate GPA: 3.1 (3.6 in concentration)
GMAT: 720 (47/42 Q/V)
Other: Early 30s African-American Male, work experience in consulting and finance, military experience (National Guard).
Here are the questions...
1. Candidates with Low GPAs are often encouraged to take continuing education courses in the hopes that it will demonstrate solid aptitude and work ethic to admissions counselors. Does this advice still apply to candidates that graduated 8+ years ago? Can (relatively) extensive work experience serve as a reasonable facsimile?
2. All else equal, how much can a solid GMAT score counterbalance a low GPA? In this context, do admissions counselors value a GMAT taken within the last year more highly than a GMAT taken four years ago?
2a. For low-GPA candidates with top-tier b-school aspirations, is a 70-80 percentile quant score cause for concern? If there is a feasible chance to improve the quant raw score into the 85 percentile range, is it worth the effort to take the exam again?
3. I've noticed a few vague references to the issue on these message boards, but how much can certain demographic factors (in my case, an African American male candidate) truly impact this set of mixed variables?
I don't expect anyone to take the time to answer all of these nuanced questions; feedback on any of these questions is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your responses!
11 Jun 2011, 16:29
Kudos
Bookmarks
hopeful456,
To answer your questions:
1. You are right that an alternative transcript is less important for an older applicant, especially someone like you who has a strong GMAT score. However, if you have low grades in any quant or core pre-MBA coursework like calculus, statistics, etc. you might want to retake those courses and get A's. Other paths would be enrolling in coursework at MBAmath.com or MBAIQ.com. Doing this would send very strong signals to the schools.
2. A low GPA raises questions about academic/intellectual preparedness for B-school. A GMAT score of ~720+ largely answers those questions, especially if you have concrete, "external" reasons for the low GPA (need to work, family issues, etc.). The higher the GMAT score relative to the average GMAT score at your target school, the more it will compensate for the GPA. The schools don't really care when you took the GMAT as long as it's still a valid score.
2a. As a general rule, a quant score below the 80th percentile hurts you at the top tier schools, where 85th percentile or higher quant scores are becoming a sort new threshold score. So if you do have some evidence or indication that you could raise the score, you should try to.
3. Being a member of an underrepresented minority group without question offsets GPA/GMAT considerations, up to a point. Assuming that the rest of your profile is strong (leadership, extracurriculars, good career progress), you could aim high with your current numbers, especially if there were 'external' factors affecting your GPA. Your age will be a factor at some schools.
I would be glad to explore this further with you offline. Feel free to send me your resume ([email protected]).
To answer your questions:
1. You are right that an alternative transcript is less important for an older applicant, especially someone like you who has a strong GMAT score. However, if you have low grades in any quant or core pre-MBA coursework like calculus, statistics, etc. you might want to retake those courses and get A's. Other paths would be enrolling in coursework at MBAmath.com or MBAIQ.com. Doing this would send very strong signals to the schools.
2. A low GPA raises questions about academic/intellectual preparedness for B-school. A GMAT score of ~720+ largely answers those questions, especially if you have concrete, "external" reasons for the low GPA (need to work, family issues, etc.). The higher the GMAT score relative to the average GMAT score at your target school, the more it will compensate for the GPA. The schools don't really care when you took the GMAT as long as it's still a valid score.
2a. As a general rule, a quant score below the 80th percentile hurts you at the top tier schools, where 85th percentile or higher quant scores are becoming a sort new threshold score. So if you do have some evidence or indication that you could raise the score, you should try to.
3. Being a member of an underrepresented minority group without question offsets GPA/GMAT considerations, up to a point. Assuming that the rest of your profile is strong (leadership, extracurriculars, good career progress), you could aim high with your current numbers, especially if there were 'external' factors affecting your GPA. Your age will be a factor at some schools.
I would be glad to explore this further with you offline. Feel free to send me your resume ([email protected]).
