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I completed my undergrad from an English university, not so famous. During those days I was not at all into studies and so my gpa suffered. Even 750 on gmat would not help me get into any top 20 school. 

After coming to US, I completed a computer science degree(Bsc) from another university and received 4.0 gpa. A lot of credits were transferred from my previous university. This university probably ranks #150 or 200 (very poor), but accredited.

After working for past 3-4 years in middle management, I have realized the importance of education and want to do MBA from a top 10 school. I know from previous education, it is impossible to get admission even if I score 780 on gmat.

So, I am thinking of going back to school for another undergrad in another college (much better ranking) and hopefully graduate with a better gpa. I should be able to transfer about half of my credits and hopefully complete my the course in couple of years.

Do you think this will better my chances to get into one of the top schools or will they look at my previous academic reports and dismiss everything?

rhyme · Answer

I think you are jumping the gun here. Call the schools, explain your situation, and ask to speak to an admissions director. Better yet, go to a Chicago or Kellogg event and ask the admissions director then and there. Polish your statement before you approach. Remember - you dont want to focus on the weak. 

I know an indian IT guy who got his masters from IIT (Idiots In Training) and just finished at Kellogg.

abgo · Answer

Thanks for the response, Rhyme. I will talk to the counselors and see what they have to say.

abgo · Answer

So, I spoke with couple of admission reps today. One of them told me that since my recent gpa is good, I should explain the reason about the other undergrad gpa in one of the essay. She also said that she would have suggested to take some more classes if my recent undergrad gpa was low too. Also, they weigh more on how you performed in the school then what school you went too!

I am thinking I should still go ahead and take some advanced statistics/finance classes and work hard and score good. This might show my sincerety and I can make up for the lost scores.

What do you think?? I dont mind waiting and not afraid of hardwork.

rhyme · Answer

Sounds you answered your own question here. An advanced stats class couldnt hurt, no. I know someone taking an accounting class precisely because his GPA is low and his GMAT score is below 700. 

The way I look at it is this. If you apply and dont get in, you'll at least get feedback for next year. right? If you don't apply, you definetly won't get in. Better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.

pelihu · Answer

I was just thinking about this. There's almost no mention of undergrad institution when people talk about MBA admissions. Thinking back, there was a huge difference between, in my case for example, a "UC" school like UCLA and a "Cal State" school like Fullerton. I would say that there is literally no crossover between admitted student profiles, and there certainly can be no comparison with regard to the quality of the teaching, or the competition for grades. I guess it just doesn't matter now, which is kind of counterintuitive.

fluffydot · Answer

I just called the Chicago GSB admissions office. Spoke to a couple of the office ladies but none of them could really help me.

I was asking about what to do... I went to University of Waterloo (Canada) where they give grades out of 100. How do I know if my grades are competitive? etc.

they basically just quote stuff from the standard admissions website blah blah blah.

How do u find some real info?

abgo · Answer

Thanks Rhyme and Pelihu for your response. 

Flufydot, I believe every school has their way of calculating GPA. If you scored good then you need not to worry. 

Try calling couple of more schools and hopefully someone may help you with the grading system. Admission reps at Wharton are very helpful, maybe they can help you with your query. 

Good Luck!

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