Low GPA and desire for an MBA

Question

The Achilles’ Heal thread got me thinking. Is there correlation and causation between low GPA and desire for an MBA? Take the fact that across most Top 15 schools that the middle GPA range is usually 2.9-3.6. Compare this to Law School where you need at least a 3.5 to be competitive. 

Here's a good reason why I think there might be a causation between low GPA and desire for an MBA; when a person with a low GPA < 3.4 graduated from undergrad, they were most likely shut out from the better/more competitive jobs like banking and consulting. These people then view B-school as a second go around where they will have a chance to break into these fields. An MBA will provide them with opportunity previously unavailable.

lepium · Answer

I happen to have a low-ish GPA, but that did not keep me away from opportunities out of undergrad, as I graduated from one of the top 2 engineering schools in my country. I was never interested in banking and did not seek any consulting gigs at the time. I wanted to get involved into a manufacturing business and that's what I did. 

The reason for the MBA, in my case, is probably related to a re-focusing away from manufacturing and closer to business development, and to the opportunity to work across the globe and have the chance to choose my own 2nd career.

L.

bsd_lover · Answer

Interesting theory, although my GMAT wasnt too bad and after my undergrad , worked for both big 5 consulting and an IB (however all on the IT side, although still pretty tough to get into). My desire comes from genuinely wanting to change my career path. Of course I dont know why you would be wanting to move out of the fashion industry

johnnyx9 · Answer

Baer - I think your theory is interesting and it may explain why some people w/ low GPA's go to b-school. I had a low GPA, and in my case when I graduated school I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do, and I wasn't particulary concerned about a career either, so for me career focus and ambition didn't come until later and now that I know what I want, an MBA will be a key element in getting there.

So I imagine a lot of people w/ low GPA's were people like me who spent their college years and immediate years afterward not too worried about their careers.

baer · Answer

I might not want to do that: If I get an MBA from my target schools, I'd definitely be on the track for an executive management position; I'm already on that track, but an MBA would take about 10 years off the process. 

 I have great hours, work on interesting projects, and deal with interesting people. I'm not even going to go into the amount of free clothes and unbelievably hot girls. Job security is outstanding as well; people at my company were joking the other day that they can't remember anyone ever getting laid off. 

 However, the drawbacks are low money for first 10-12 years in the industry and promotion is done at a snails pace. Most people resort to switching companies every two years for small promotions. This is the part I can't stand and the reason why I'm so antsy for an MBA. 

 However my #1 problem with the industry is the lack of a "culture of money".  https://www.informationarbitrage.com/2007/05/building_a_cult.html 

 I'm way too competitive, entreprenurial, and incentive focused to not work in such an enviorment. Getting an MBA would push me to the upper echelons of a company where my personal goals would be more inline with the focus there.

kwam · Answer

Interesting, but I somewhat do not agree.

All the top 5% of my shool, which is a top 3 engineering school on my country, already attended b-school, all of them with excelente GPA. Although it may be true in US perhaps in other countries the path is way much different. Also in some industries/companies is necessary to have a degree: consulting and IB are some examples.

paddyboy · Answer

Tend to agree with this, even if the low GPA bit is discounted. When I started out with my undergrad course, and even when I landed a job, I was not clear about what I wanted to do. Was just drifting along knowing that I had to do *something*, but without an inkling of what that *something* was. Till now, of course...

squali83 · Answer

I do not want to agree with this theory, but it seems to make sense. However, there are plenty of people that do not see themselves as doctors or lawyers. I love business and I would have dreaded Med/Law school. There is an interesting thread about the # of lawyers pursuing MBAs to change fields. You do not see many MBAs going to law school. I think people that get MBAs actually know what they want, and Law/Med school just seems like a logical choice at the time that many people end up dreading.

Low GPA and desire for an MBA

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