Importance of undergrad GPA 6-7 years after university

Question

Hi everyone,

I graduated from my undergrad in 2007, and unfortunately had a less than stellar GPA throughout my four years.

I've read a number of times that undergrad GPA becomes 'less important' to the admissions committee the farther away you are from undergrad. Since it's been 6 years since I graduated (7 years at matriculation for 2014 intake), will this be considered 'far enough away' from graduation that adcoms will be a bit more lenient on my GPA? Or at what point does it become less important to the adcom?

Cheers, thanks everyone.

kple12 · Answer

Honestly, I've never heard of undergrad GPA becoming less important the farther you are away from it... Here's my thought process... your undergraduate GPA is the last time you were in a educational setting most applicable to MBA and is probably the most important factor alongside your GMAT on how you will handle the rigor of an MBA program. The harsh reality of admissions is that your GPA in undergrad is set in stone and it's not something you can cover up so your best bet is to be honest about it. Even if you have extenuating circumstances for a low GPA, your GMAT will have to make up for that. Anything within the 3 range can be forgiven if you have a strong GMAT and can explain that you maybe switched majors or there were factors out of your control. Anything with a 2 on it and then you will really have to go above and beyond by taking courses now to show that you can handle the rigor and that the undergrad GPA is just a fluke.

Now while I'm being realistic, always keep in mind that the MBA admissions process is a holistic process. If you have a low undergraduate GPA, don't hide or avoid addressing it. Be honest about it and show ways how the rest of your profile indicates you are worthy of an admission to a great MBA school.

Good luck!

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey - cross posting this from another place - not sure which one you're checking!

Hmm, what does less than stellar mean?

There are two parts to my answer. From the perspective of utilizing the GPA to gauge your analytical capabilities, yes, the importance of the GPA wanes over time. However, schools still report this metric and it impacts rankings, so it doesn't disappear ever.

The reason I ask what your GPA was is because if you had a 3.1, then not that big a deal. But if it's a 2.3, different story!

Bhavik

Admissionado · Answer

Well, it's a little bit true, but just maybe not said in the right way. Basically, experience is probably more important than your GPA, and if in your experience you have succeeded, it can make a poor GPA matter much less. So if you say got a poor GPA but a fantastic job and have succeeded in moving up faster than your peers in a great company, it's much better than having a great GPA and poor work advancement.

And this is where time comes in. I mean, how much will you advance in two years? But if you have six years, you can make some real waves.

kdub09 · Answer

Thanks for the insights everyone, much appreciated and very helpful! (for the record, to answer CriticalSquareMBA, I had a 2.95 GPA).

CriticalSquare · Answer

Our pleasure - glad we could help! You'll definitely have to pay attention to how you address the 2.95, FYI!

Good luck,

Bhavik

Importance of undergrad GPA 6-7 years after university

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