Low GPA-High GMAT-Need Advice

Question

Hi everyone!

I graduated with high 2:2(3.0-3.1 gpa) from non target UK university, I have been working on the best investment bank in Turkey for 4 years. I am wondering If I could still have a chance in top b-schools, despite of my low undergrad gpa.

Low reason for gpa is because I was playing basketball and I wanted to be professional basketball player than I got injured and stopped playing, I was pretty demotivated to study my whole uni life.

Ethnicity: Turkish
Age: 27 
Undergraduate background: Business studies from non target UK university 2:2(3.0-3.1 according to Fullbright)
GMAT: 720

I am planning to apply Cornell, Tuck,LBS,Insead,HEC,Bocconi,Imperial

I would be glad if you guys could give me some tips to strengthen my profile

ARLeeConsulting · Answer

Hi cozuysal , thank you very much for your post. European schools don't put as much emphasis on GPA alone as most US schools do. So, you will have no issues on that regard with INSEAD, LBS, HEC Paris... However, given your high GMAT and the reason for your low GPA in college, I don't think you will have any issues with Tuck and Cornell either. In any case, in all applications, make sure to use the Optional Essay to explain the circumstances for your GPA. But do so, without making it sound simply as an "excuse". I hope this helps. For a more detailed discussion, feel free to PM me or email me directly at alex@arleeconsulting.com. Good luck! Alex

ABatExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello cozuysal , Thanks for writing in

Considering your GMAT score, the GPA should not be an issue with most MBA programs. Your GMAT score is a representation of your ability to cope up with the demands of a rigorous MBA curriculum. However, the low GPA needs to be addressed in the Optional Essay for each school and rather than justifying the reason for low GPA, you must speak about your learning from the episode and how you have grown ever since

For now, keep performing in your current role. In order to have a more detailed evaluation, you will need to provide us with greater details about your profile, including career progression and extra-curricular activities post college. All the best!

cozuysal · Answer

thanks a lot guys, I feel more relieved

MBADecoder · Answer

I agree with the advice of other consultants- just be matured about your low undergrad score- explain it in the optional essay while offering no excuse but saying how your sports involvement helped you learn/grow.
You have a great GMAT score, you are working in an industry that requires high quant and communication capability. These should speak to your low GPA. We have helped someone with a 760 GMAT score, low GPA and a similar sports story like yours get into Tuck. However this is just to give you an idea, I am sure the similarities end here as he belongs to another industry.

If you are applying in Round 1, there is not much time for profile improvement. But its more important to present your existing profile in the best possible way. Emphasize on your professional and community leadership, the impact you created on the people around you and explain your career plan with clarity.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

cozuysal I don't think that you'll have any problem given that you are coming from an underrepresented group and your GMAT is so high. Of course provided that your Quant score is also High.

GMAT indicates your aptitude for doing the work and in some ways your GPA indicates your motivation to do the work.

So in the optional essay I would outline the circumstances of why you were unmotivated before, and make sure to clarify how that is entirely different now.

If you have like a CFA or something like that where you have had to study and apply yourself over a long period of time I would call that out.

https://mbaprepcoach.com

calcmaster · Answer

Your GPA score is significantly less important than what most people think, in term of graduate school admissions. Every single graduate school program will accept students based on two factors: 1. Is the student intellectually capable of achieving success once graduating out of the program? 2. Will the student help the program go up in ranking?

1. Your undergraduate GPA does not directly reflect whether you will succeed once you graduate out of your MBA. There are so many other factors in your application that can better reflect how you will be after your MBA. The other factors are much easier for you to work on than to improve your GPA.

2. For example: For the US NEWS business ranking methodology, the coefficient used for GMAT is MORE THAN TWICE as big as the coefficient for undergrad GPA. This means that having a good average GMAT will influence the school's ranking significantly more than GPA.

Therefore, you should not worry much about the GPA, and you should focus more on showing the admissions that you will succeed after you get out of their program.

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