Profile Review - Any Feedback Helps!

Hey mke88

To answer some of your questions - schools will consider all years of your education in calculating a GPA, so those first three years won't be doing you any favors. They do look for your trend in grades, so that certainly helps. You'll need to explain how/why your grades changed so dramatically. This can actually be a great opportunity to discuss what got you fired up for Engineering.

Here's the harsh reality - while schools often (one might say, half the time!) admit people with a GMAT below the median, many of those applicants come from the humanities or are in non-quantitative industries. Which is to say - you'll be competing against engineers who often have big ole GMAT scores in their application. Many admits with a sub-average GMAT are superstars in their community or have shown tremendous leadership experience. Applying with a sub-average GPA can be offset by a solid GMAT, but a 690 doesn't do the trick for the schools you have mentioned - unless there is remarkable stuff in the rest of the application.

Based on your post, it looks like much of your experience has been as an individual contributor. Do you have substantive leadership experience whether in your career or in your community?

I believe all of the schools you have listed are a stretch. Foster is getting much more competitive, Marshall has a new dean from Wharton (known for loving high GPAs/GMATs), Haas and Sloan are super competitive anyway, and Duke and Tuck are pretty focused on leadership experiences. If your GMAT comes back around a 690 and you choose to apply, I might suggest schools like Indiana (Kelley) or Emory (Goizueta). Now if the GMAT comes back at 720+, that's a whole different story!

Please reach out if you have more questions, or if you'd like to talk about how we can help you execute an application that captures your value!