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aa5786
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Hello. I hope this gives others with low GMAT scores some hope. My first time I took the GMAT, I had a devastating score of 520. Keep the faith!

GMAT: 630 (Q:44, V:33, AWA:4.5)
University attended: Large state-school
Major(s): Business
GPA / Honours: 3.4
Nationality: American (Hispanic)
Age: (at matriculation): 30
Gender: M
Work Experience: No. of Years / Industry / Role: ~6 years; HR Recruiting, Overseas work in tourism.
Extra-curricular Activities: Lots of international/domestic volunteer work
Community Services: Board member of major minority organization

Business Schools (Admitted):
CGSM: Emory
CGSM: Wash U
Vanderbilt

Pending:
CGSM: Virginia

Business Schools (Applied but Dinged):
CGSM: Texas
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I'd like to echo the words of a wise friend

"Don't worry about the past, focus on what you CAN change."
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not sure if my GMAT counts as "Low" and not sure if Darden counts as "Top B-School" but...

GMAT: 660 on application, 40/40. i've retaken it for round 2 to 730, but as far as darden was concerned, i was at 660.
School: Darden, R1.
BG: MNC employee then Entrepreneur.
Age at Matric: 29.
Nationality: Filipino.

i should note that last year, with my 660, I got dinged for my 3 schools: HBS (no interview), Wharton (no interview) and Kellogg (w/interview)...
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aa5786
Had a chat with a staff member at Wharton recently and discussed my 50 percentile quant score. Before I could jump into my standard explanation, she looked at my resume and said......"your work experience and undergrad econ major are all the examples I need of your quant ability, don't worry about it."

Guys - Don't let these +700'ers psych you out if you have other components of your background which can speak to ability.


thanks for the information. I had/have a similar issue. I have an undergrad in finance and econ, worked as an i-banking analyst for 2 years and i am currently a financial model anlayst for a big 4 transaction advisory practice. Despite my background, I have struggled with the quant section of the GMAt.

I got a 640 the first time i took the test: 49 percentile quant. Retook the test a week after submitting my last app on jan 15th. My new score was much better: 700, altho the quant was still fairly poor= 67 percentile. I was sure that Booth would ding me considering its analytical bent and because I sent the new score to the school as an update to my app, 3 weeks after the round 2 deadline. Miraculously, I received an interview invite a couple of weeks back and just had my interview this past saturday (which I think went fairly well).

So I am curious how you setup this appointment to discuss ur app. So you met with an adcom member in person and discussed different parts of ur app at length? was he/she willing to discuss the other strenghts and weaknesses? do you know if other schools (e.g. Booth and Kellogg) are receptive to this kind of discussion?

Altho I havent made an appointment with the add office, most of the questions that I've asked have gotten fairly standard responses and got the impression that they would/could not comment on the specifics of my application.
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WoW! Congrats man. I am also in a same boat you were before but my transcript is all messed up. once I got 2.51 and then it's been low :(. Your post did boost me and I am trying to take some courses like Calculus,Statistics and Accounting. Problem is we don't have community colleges but Linda from Accepted.com suggested online course so will try that and also have to ace GMAT. I am aiming Haas, Ross, and UCLA or Cornell so do pray for me guys. And best of luck with your future ahead.
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Just an update after finding out about schools - Got into Chicago Booth and NYU Stern with a low GPA (2.85 unweighted, 3.01 weighted), an average GMAT (730), and average work experiences (less than 4 years). So, there is hope!

I feel like adcoms know there is very little you can do about your undergrad record - you just have to focus on things you CAN have an impact on, like your GMAT score and your work experience, and demonstrate that you have plans for the future. I didn't fill in the optional essay in the application to explain my poor grades, but during my interviews, I openly acknowledged my sub-par undergrad performance and didn't try to excuse my lack of focus. Instead, I just noted that in retrospect, I should have studied more in school, but I've learned from my mistakes and can only move forward.
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I'm applying this fall to a number of schools and am in the process of choosing which ones to pursue. I've included my information below:

GMAT: 670 (lower quant than I expected)
University attended: Large state school
Major(s): Econ w/ Business Minor (took extra Accounting courses as electives)
GPA / Honors: 3.79 (graduated with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa)
Age: 26
Demographic / Gender: American Male
Work Experience: 3.5 years currently (4.5 years when I matriculate) in commercial real estate group of top 3 financial institution in US (analyst for 2.5 years > 6 month training program for associates > associate / relationship manager)
Extra-curricular Activities: Many including playing guitar in a band I started, skiing, other outdoor activities, etc.
Community Services: board of directors for city chapter of a well-known national charity organization (also on finance committee), young leader committee member for commercial real estate organization (also on membership committee)

Last year I applied to MIT Sloan as a reach and was dinged. This year, I'm contemplating the following schools:

Darden
UT-McCombs
HBS (reach)
Wharton (reach)
MIT (reach)
UNC
Tuck (reach)

Does anyone have suggestions for me in selecting which schools to pursue given my profile? Feel free to suggest ones that aren't on my list.

I realize I need to pick schools that are a "fit" for me, but that's a given. I'm thinking about adding Kellogg to the list and possibly Stanford, which would both be reaches.

Thanks in advance for your help.
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bseeker
Last year I applied to MIT Sloan as a reach and was dinged. This year, I'm contemplating the following schools:

Darden
UT-McCombs
HBS (reach)
Wharton (reach)
MIT (reach)
UNC
Tuck (reach)

Does anyone have suggestions for me in selecting which schools to pursue given my profile? Feel free to suggest ones that aren't on my list.

I realize I need to pick schools that are a "fit" for me, but that's a given. I'm thinking about adding Kellogg to the list and possibly Stanford, which would both be reaches.

I think you really need to consider middle ground schools, currently you have 4 reach school followed by 3 fairly non-competitive schools (2 of which aren't really top 16 schools), and you're considering another two reach schools?

I would look for some sort of balance. Although tuck is relatively lower on the rankings, the small class size make it fairly difficult to get in. I would aim 2-3 reach schools, and maybe another 2 "safer" schools followed by your darden/unc/UT schools.

Kellogg might be good depending on your fit, other schools which you should consider are ross/duke/cornell/yale/ucla

Personally if I have the time and you think you have a good shot at these schools I would go

H/S (Pick one)
W/M/Tuck (pick one - Although I believe MIT is not a reapp friendly school, but more friendly than most in that tier)
Kellogg/Booth/Columbia (pick one)
Ross/duke/cornell/yale/UCLA (pick two)
Darden/UNC/McComb (pick two)

That would still be 7 schools which is close to the upper bound of applications.
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Via
Hey Guys/Gals,

I have a low undergrad GPA (2.99) and a low GMAT (650/44Q/35V/5.5AWA).

All in all, I applied to 8 schools (Kellogg, Tuck, Yale, Darden, McDonough, Kelley, Owen, Olin) and I was accepted to all of them. I also received significant scholarships (half tuition or full tuition) from 4 of them (Yale, Darden, Owen, McDonough).

My success, I believe, was a product of my research efforts and application strategy. Using my research on the GMAT Club and several other sources, I realized that I had several attributes that were appealing to admissions committees and I worked hard to highlight every one of them.

My approach:

Two and a half years ago, I realized that I wanted to attend graduate school. Specifically, I wanted to attend a competitive b-school program but I realized that my undergrad GPA was low. Therefore, I took graduate level classes within an MA in leadership and management program. I only took four classes within a year and a half period but I received a 3.75 GPA. I was able to highlight this GPA on my application to counter my undergrad GPA. Although I only took four classes, I argued that I earned good grades despite working full time as a general manager, dealing with several life changing events, and volunteering/etc...

About a year ago this month, I started researching b-schools in depth. I was addicted to the GMAT CLUB, BW Forums, the GMAC website to see GMAT statistics, books ("How to get into top B-school", and 15 b-school websites. I also attended MBA Fairs and discovered groups like The Consortium. Basically, I was a research-a-holic last year.

Using me research, I decided to apply to the 8 schools I listed above. Given my low GPA and GMAT, I didn't know where I'd lie on the competitive ladder among b-school applicants. Therefore, I decided to apply to 1 top-5 school, 1 top-10, 2 top-15, and a couple of other programs that lied in the 15-35 range according to US News and BW rankings.

I then developed a very specific essay strategy that highlighted any and every attribute that I thought gave me a competitive advantage. My goal was to show that I was a success story, that I could succeed in any rigorous academic program, and that I would contribute to any b-school as a student and alum.

In my opinion, my positive attributes include: I'm a first generation hispanic/ I'm the first member of my family to pursue a graduate degree/ I'm in the Army and have deployed twice/ While I was at my undergrad institution- I was heavily involved in my student government as an elected officer/ I served as a tutor, Div 1 athlete, and as an elected and appointed club leader throughout my time in college / I continue to serve as a Class Officer for my undergrad alumni organization/ I earned a 3.75 GPA in graduate level courses despite losing two family members and working full time as a general manager. As a general manager, I received formal ratings that eventually placed me in the top 2% of my peer group. There were a couple of other small data points I added to my essays but you get the point.

When I was writing my essays, I tried to answer the unique questions of each b-school while inserting these attributes to develop a unique story of enduring success. After endless revisions to my b-school essays, I submitted all of my applications by Round 2 for each school. I applied to 5 schools through the Consortium and 3 schools independently.

Some other things that I believe helped me:

I visited every school to which I applied and I highlighted that fact during my interviews. I searched for "key" terms each admissions committee was likely looking for. In my opinion, some of these include: Olin: Research driven thinking/Kelley: family, community, involvement / Kellogg: collaboration, Look at their 4 pillars ie. Intellectual Depth, Diversity of thought.../ Tuck: loyalty, community, friendship, advantage of a b-school education in a rural setting (ie. less distractions, community, focus, etc.)/ Darden: Case Method, working on a team to solve cases, interactive classroom environment.

Every school has a unique community and academic experience that they want to sustain. Figure out what that is and show how you could contribute to it.

Many of you have pointed out that, unless you are an underrepresented minority, female, or have unique work experience, you may not be able to overcome a low GPA or GMAT. Overall, that may be true. However, there are no absolutes in this world. I think everyone has positive attributes that can make them look very competitive despite poor stats. I could have easily applied to less prestigious schools and have saved a lot of time & money in dropping my Kellogg, Tuck, Darden, and Yale applications. Also, had I failed to highlight my strengths to the admissions committee, I could have experienced multiple rejections that some applicants with very high GPAs and GMATs have experienced. In the end, it never hurts to fight for your candidacy and apply to the b-school programs you love.

Furthermore, I believe that, even as a minority, I still overcame major weaknesses in my application. I am certain that over 80% of the minority applicant pool at Kellogg had better stats than I did. It is rare to have both a low GPA AND low GMAT and get into a top 5 program.

Now that my application journey is over, I hope that this post will help some of you. I feel indebted to all of you who have contributed to GMAT Club and have educated me for the last couple of years.

Good luck on your applications!

-Via

FANTASTIC MAN!!! Guess I have one more hero from GC
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3.2 Ivy (econ). Worked 15-20 hrs/ week to pay for education
730 GMAT (50 Q, 38 V), 6.0 AWA
Applied to CBS ED August 23rd, Admitted September 21st.

Good luck guys. It can happen
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nhype
Howdy just finished my first test and found this string interesting.

GMAT: 710 (Q:46, V:41, AWA:??)
University attended: Large State university (Top 50ish)
Major(s): History
GPA / Honours: 2.92
Nationality: White American
Age: (at matriculation): 28
Gender: Male
Work Experience: No. of Years / Industry / Role : 4.5/ Energy/Oil & Gas / Consultant & Project Management
Extra-curricular Activities: Fraternity President in college and volunteered for a few local charities
Community Services:

Basically right now have the mentality that the 2.92 precludes applying to top 10 and I don't want to waste time with "saftey schools" so the plan as of now is to apply January round to:

UVA
Duke
UNC
UT-Austin
Georgetown

4 questions:

1. Thoughts on schools above UVA that are somewhat low gpa friendly?
2. Does energy qualify as unusual work experience?
3. Is the GMAT worth another testing, meaning can i make up for the 2.92 with a higher GMAT ?
4.$cholariships: I've read there are GMAT thresholds, but will the 2.92 keep me from getting scholarships?

Hi, I can only help with information about DUKE and UNC (schools that I applied and got into)
2.- Energy in both school does not qualify as unusual work experience I think, quite a few people of the 2012 class actually have that same background.
3.- I feel that the higher your GMAT the better you will look to admissions but with that said, when they say they look at the whole package they really mean that. I got into both school with a very low GMAT and I know of people with 750 that got dings. Applications goes beyond GPA and GMAT, your story has to make sense, your essays have to convey a coherent and pretty good story, your interview has to be darn good.
4.- Most likely it will, with the way the economy still is hurting, way too many qualified candidates are applying (and getting accepted) to good schools. For scholarships they look at the whole package, one thing doesn't make up for another. With that said, if they want you bad enough, they might offer some money but it is not going to be just because your GMAT.

I hope that helps, and good luck with the application
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Sorry for reviving a old thread but I would just like to give a follow up on the Low GPA when it comes to recruiting.


So all and all, most companies care very little to 0 on GPA. I have been asked twice, both this year, both consulting, one during the first round which resulted in an offer, the other during a second round which is pending. Outside of consulting, no one has asked me about GPA during an interview.

But here's the results
Interviewed with 2 of the M/B/B,
[*]closed listed (Moved to 2nd round)
[*]got a call which the recruiter asked to bid (dinged after first round),
[*]Screening call (no interview)


As for the other consulting firms, I was closelisted my first and/or second year from most top-20 consulting firms that recruited at Ross. I currently two offers from vault's top 10, one is a returning offer from my summer internship.

If you have questions outside of Consulting, I can do a debrief of those also, but in general your prior experience matters most, I received most interviews that I either fit my background or I tried to networked. Alternatively, I went 1 for 4 in tech.


I hope this helps all you low GPA people!
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So reading through the thread, so bascially the low GPA friendly schools are: Kellogg, Ross, INSEAD and maybe Cornell? Any other schools in mind?
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shatrujit
My gmat score was extremely low (590). However, do I stand a chance with work experience of 5 years and i to pay full fees?

Colleges of interest:
Dartmouth, Duke, HEC, NUS, esade and Nanyang.

Education - 15 years

28, Male, Indian.

Just an insight would be helpful.

Thanks a ton.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi shatrujit,

You should have better luck with a profile evaluation if you post this under Admission Consultants. This thread is supposed to be for success stories :) good luck with your process!

Posted from my mobile device
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Hi,

I have friend having a GMAT score of 670, average ECs but good profile...he got call from ISB this year and also got selected...
So apart from GMAT score, profile matters a lot..
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Any stories from Desautels?
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panama, it's easy to see why you were accepted at Kellogg and interviewed at Wharton with writing skills like that. Kudos again!
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