apollo168 wrote:
Hi Paul,
The following is my profile:
1. GPA - 2.84
2. GMAT - 710
3. Location - Philippines
4. Professional Experience - Senior US Equity Trader (for the past 6 years) for a mid-sized firm. I manage 5 people
5. Entrepreneurial Experience - I also started a food service company last 2002. I cater to educational institutions. I now have 5 outlets. I have 18 employees
6. Community/Charity work - I am very involved in charity work. After I graduated from college, I started a personal scholarship foundation. To date, I have sponsored the college education of 10 individuals. I also tutor them during the weekends.
I think the biggest problem that I have is my low GPA.
I have applied to the following schools:
1. Cornell - finished interview, will know the results tom
2. Columbia - finished interview, denied
3. Chicago - will interview next week
4. Darden
5. Duke - applicant-initiated interview next week
What other schools can I apply to for the 2nd round? I am very interested in applying to NYU, UCLA, and Yale. Do you think that I have a shot with these schools?
In the event that I don't get into an MBA program this year, do you think that a Masters in Finance from Boston college will help compensate for my low GPA when I reapply next year? What other things do you think I should improve on so that I have a better chance of getting into elite schools?
Thanks
Apollo168,
I agree that you are a strong candidate, even with your GPA. Columbia is a tough school with one of the smallest acceptance rates around so don't get down on your qualifications. I think you have a decent to good chance at Duke, Darden, Chicago, and Cornell. You have a good chance at Yale, and a decent chance at UCLA and NYU. Go for it.
Earning a master's in finance just to convince schools to ignore your undergrad GPA seems misguided to me. First, they may wonder why you need both an master's in finance and an MBA, and second, a much simpler solution would be to bump up your GMAT score or ace a few pre-MBA classes like statistics. Even better might be improving your impressive leadership and community profile; make it hard for them to deny you. Take a look at
Accepted.com's advice for
applicants with low GPAs. Also look at our
database of interview responsesas you prepare for your interviews.
I think the schools you named will come through for you, however, so probably no need to worry about strengthening your profile.
Good luck,