Help for Applicant With Weird Background...

Hi jsmallwood82 ,

Welcome to GMATClub

I believe your strengths are way more than your weaknesses. If you could get a high Gmat score, you can very well prove your academic capabilities. Also, you can provide proper justification about your weaknesses in optional essay and support your point with a good Gmat score.

All the best
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You’ve strong, not-so-common work experience, which is a big positive. Explain the reasons you’ve mentioned for low GPA in the optional essay, and get a strong GMAT score.

Thanks guys! abhimahna said that I would likely need a 700 bare minimum. Do you agree 99Colleges ?

I think you want the best score you can get; however, FEMBA/PT MBA are much less focused on the GMAT and more so on work experience - you can definitely make it shine with your profile. The overall score requirements are less. I hope it is not going to make you slack but I would not think that all is lost if you get a 650 or 670. However, the golden rule is that 700 is always shinier than 600.

P.S. You can also approach adcom for the programs you are looking at and get their input about your candidacy - they usually are pretty open about it and can give you some indication/tips. (It is less competitive and they are eager to help out a good candidate)

By the way, i think your profile is great!
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bb thanks for the encouragement! You're right about talking to the adcom. The cool thing is many of the California adcoms have been very accommodating and accepting. But I always assume that they have to haha.

You should be solid for almost any part time program if you score near or above a 700. Schools aren't super sensitive to gpa especially if you can demonstrate that is wasn't just from laziness. All of your activities during undergrad and your work experience should mitigate any concerns admins would have with your 2.6x

Hi jsmallwood82,

First things first, you have a differentiated profile, complete with leadership, entrepreneurial, and volunteering experience. Hence, a lot will depend on how well you utilize these experiences to create a strong application that highlights the competencies you have gained, and how you further wish to utilize the same in order to meet your career goals.

Yes, the GPA is a bit of a constraint. However, this may be addressed in an appropriate manner in the Optional Essay. Schools tend to understand and respect genuine reasons. Besides, a strong GMAT score (preferably above the 700 mark), coupled with a stellar application will reduce the influence of your GPA on the overall application

We strongly recommend that you now focus on building a strong case duly emphasizing the unique points in your profile. The rest will fall in place

All the best!
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Hello there, I have a bit of an update. I'm interested to see if anybody's viewpoints changed...

So even though my GPA was still bad, I learned last week that I actually had a cumulative GPA of a 2.75 in undergrad, not a 2.66.

When I looked at the supplementary classes I took at 3 different community colleges, including one this past summer, my average GPA was around a 3.3. The business statistics class I took over the summer, I earned an A in (97%).

I took the GMAT in November and got a 610. Not great, but an improvement from the 490 on my first baseline attempt. I am taking a second attempt this weekend.

I got really good recommendations. One from my mentor, a VC who was one of the the main investors in GoPro, Crocs, etc. And one from my manager without talking to my mentor or me, echoing many of his sentiments. My mentor explained how he had known me for 20 years and watched me develop into a strong leader and entrepreneur. My boss explained how she saw me as a partner, how I transformed my day job into a digital first business, and how I reduced costs by a factor of 10.

Finally, I wrote my essay from the heart. I mentioned how I knew I wanted to be in technology after meeting Bill Hewlett of HP at age 7, which caused me to focus on being a technology CEO. With the mentors I had growing up and going to private school, I had a great start. I also explained how in college, which took me from my privileged background to the "hood" of DC (true story), I was doing well in school until I got my first tech job with a company I had been involved with since I was 10, and IPO'ed with at 16. I mentioned how after getting that job and knowing that I would have a similar job out of college, I mentally checked out. Going to the hospital for 3 weeks and playing college football didn't help either.

To close the essay, I mentioned how my flippant attitude towards school may not have changed the dramatic uptick of my career, but being transported to an opposite environment from the one I grew up in and realizing that I was wasting privileges many would die for through my experiences and friendships with people who grew up in the slums, I was hoping to get an MBA to better refine my skills and hopefully share my experiences to help create a less divisive society. Additionally, I wrote that I hoped my story would help empower other African Americans like me to not be so scared of the elite business world.

Ultimately, the (honest) truth I tried to convey in my application is that I grew up privileged, took it for granted, and through many bumps and bruises, realized that success wasn't just for my benefit - it was to better society as a whole and hopefully inspire individuals to be who they are meant to be.

Any thoughts or feedback? I'm applying to Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC.