High Undergrad GPA, Low Masters GPA - will this hurt chances

Question

Hi guys,

I got my Bachelors from Moscow State University (one of the best Russian schools) with a GPA of about 4.9/5. In my Masters program in Canada (top 7 school in engineering research), I banked a C in one of my courses and my GPA dropped significantly to 3.51. Without the C, it sits @ 3.7 - still not stellar.

My question: will this low grad school GPA affect my chances of admission?

I have two years experience after completing the masters working on a $5 billion project in a special task force assigned by the Alberta Government to design a Mega Oil Plant. This position is with a #1 Fortune 200 company in its category of operation.

More so, all my life has been an excellent academic ride until I got to the MSc program which suddenly derailed me. I was awarded two solid international scholarships in graduate school, was an executive on the Alberta Graduate Student Council board. Also, co-founded a wireless startup in grad school which I left to work for this major project in oil and gas and now the wireless startup has been acquired for over half a milla in less than 8 months.

Will this help matters?

I am asking as this is the first time I get to worry about my grades becoming an obstacle. Any suggestions on how to make my application stand out?

I hope to write GMAT in October of this year. I am an aspiring class of 2016 @ either of HBS, Stanford, Sloan, Columbia or Wharton.

Career objective: investment banking in the energy sector/or telecommunications or strategic management in oil and gas.

Thanks and let me know your thoughts.

CobraKai · Answer

I wouldn't sweat it. Adcoms tend to care more about undergraduate GPAs because:

1) All Applicants have a bachelor's degree
2) Undergrad GPAs are reported on class profiles and can be used in rankings - graduate GPAs don't factor into this.

I'm in the opposite situation as you, a higher masters GPA and a low-ish undergrad. I was hoping having a quant-heavy masters would have carried some weight, but judging by my results, it didn't help much.

Good luck - crush the GMAT and that Master's GPA won't matter much - if at all.

UGAtoUNC · Answer

Cobra - can you elaborate a little more about your undergraduate and graduate school experience? Also, what are you majoring in for your MBA?

For me, I graduated from a top regional university with a degree in banking and finance. Currently, I am in my Master's of Accountancy from a state university.

CobraKai · Answer

Sure. I graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from an undergrad engineering program consistently in the top 20 according to US News. My GPA was a pedestrian 3.09. After about six years, the military sent me to get my masters in Civil Engineering at a Top 50 graduate program according to US News (despite the fact that I was admitted to a top 10 program, but that's another can of worms). My hope was that getting a 3.7 in my masters (finishing it in 1-year no less) would score me some points with the adcom, but I doubt it did. I'm interested in marketing, and grad school incurred a 3-year military obligation which delayed my application to last fall (I decided during my masters that I wanted to leave the military to get an MBA). This probably looks strange to the adcom that I would get a masters in civil engineering and then apply for an MBA. In hindsight, I wish I used the optional essay (even though I mentioned it in the interview) that I went to Grad school on orders and incurred a 3-year obligation.

dumplingsoup · Answer

I am also curious about this. I recently graduated a masters in finance program (top school) with a 3.4 GPA, my undergrad GPA was 3.8

Anyone else have experience/input on this situation?

I'm also hoping to attending a top bschool for MBA.

ramazannabiyev · Answer

Hi guys,
I want to ask about reverse situation, I have only 2.22 GPA from undergraduate education ,however I will complete my MBA education probably with a GPA of above 3.7 
Do I have a chance to be accepted to Phd programs in top 30 business schools ?
What is the significance of 2,22 GPA before completing MBA successfuly with 3,7 GPA in terms of admission?

ankitnoida2018 · Answer

I am aiming to apply in R1. My GPA is a real challenge. How can I ensure that it has less impact and what can I do in these remaining months to balance it. I am confident of my work ex and getting a decent score in GMAT.

Kindly Suggest!

Kindly Suggest!

MBADecoder · Answer

Ankit,

You have not mentioned your GPA here or the rest of your profile, so I will give you some common advice and some options, which may apply to your situation:

1. Explain why your GPA was low. If there are specific and genuine reasons (not carelessness), then you can explain them in the best light, without offering excuses. 
2. You can pin-point that the GPA score plummeted because of certain subjects that were more qualitative than quantitative (hence less relevant to an MBA).
3. If you need to prove your quant skills, you can enrol for quantitative courses in math and statistics at MBA Math.
4. Aim for a really high GMAT score (atleast 30 points above your target program's average GMAT score).
5. Project that you have an otherwise great profile that characterizes you better than a low GPA.

ankitnoida2018 · Answer

Hi Namita, Thanks a lot for your inputs

Much appreciated.

MBADecoder · Answer

You are welcome :-D

99Colleges · Answer

The best way to overcome a low GPA is to score high on GMAT. Get a balanced score. Go past the median.

99Colleges · Answer

I don’t think you should fret over one grade gone wrong in your grad program, especially when you’ve an otherwise stellar academic record. Schools look at GPA, GMAT, and other academic indicators to assess your prowess in handling the MBA curriculum, and just a GPA (unless it’s abysmally low) isn’t decisive. As far as MBA rankings are concerned, impact of GPA is almost insignificant. In U.S. News ranking, GMAT score gets twice the weight of GPA. And if you look at the weight of GMAT in the overall ranking, it pales in comparison to career outcomes (post-MBA placement, median salaries etc.). So, if you score well on GMAT, you can overcome an average GPA. And if you’ve a solid professional experience and if you convey that well, schools will be assured of the most important factor in MBA rankings – career outcome. FT ranking doesn’t take into account either GMAT or GPA. So does Bloomberg. And if you’re an applicant who went to a university which awards GPA on a scale other than 4.0, your GPA is likely not included in calculating the average GPA displayed on the class profile page. (Some schools disclose this - HBS being an example. Some are silent.)

In nutshell, score high on GMAT. Present a solid application. (This makes sense even from the perspective of rankings.)

High Undergrad GPA, Low Masters GPA - will this hurt chances

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