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17 Jan 2008, 21:51
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi everyone,
I have a question that I hope everyone can help answer or input.
I've been thinking about applying for MBA school but I don't think I have a strong enough GPA. My GPA is 2.6 at respected school in America. I was an undergrad studying biology hoping to get into Medical School and working at the same time. Some of those classes were hard as hell.
Due to my low GPA, I think I need to either score at least above a 700 on my GMAT and have at least 2-3 years of working experience to get into a decent school. I don't think those stats can get me into the top 10 business school.
What are my options?
Keep taking the GMAT till I hit 800?
Apply for Master Programs in related to business and 4.0 the classes to make up for undergraduate GPA? then apply for MBA?
Take some classes at community colleges?
Forget about top schools and apply for second tier schools? (hard decision because MBA degree is all about branding) need to be top schools or else it's kind of useless.
Any ideas anyone? Anyone in similar situations and have been successful by getting out of a low GPA situation and into one of those top schools?
I have a question that I hope everyone can help answer or input.
I've been thinking about applying for MBA school but I don't think I have a strong enough GPA. My GPA is 2.6 at respected school in America. I was an undergrad studying biology hoping to get into Medical School and working at the same time. Some of those classes were hard as hell.
Due to my low GPA, I think I need to either score at least above a 700 on my GMAT and have at least 2-3 years of working experience to get into a decent school. I don't think those stats can get me into the top 10 business school.
What are my options?
Keep taking the GMAT till I hit 800?
Apply for Master Programs in related to business and 4.0 the classes to make up for undergraduate GPA? then apply for MBA?
Take some classes at community colleges?
Forget about top schools and apply for second tier schools? (hard decision because MBA degree is all about branding) need to be top schools or else it's kind of useless.
Any ideas anyone? Anyone in similar situations and have been successful by getting out of a low GPA situation and into one of those top schools?
kryzak
Major Poster
Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Last visit: 10 Aug 2013
Posts: 5,452
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Location: SF, CA, USA
Concentration: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Digital Media & Entertainment
Schools:UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010
GPA: 3.9 - undergrad 3.6 - grad-EE
WE 1: Social Gaming
17 Jan 2008, 23:40
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Hi madcow,
You have a few options if you have a couple years to spare. You pretty much listed them, but I'll pick out the ones that are more useful:
1. You DEFINITELY want to get a 740+ GMAT Score. I picked 740 out of my pocket for no apparent reason, but you need something ABOVE the mean and median of the top 10 schools. You want both your scores to be above the 80% so you can write your optional essay saying, "See? I am smart enough in math and verbal to handle the rigors of B-school. You can ignore my grades."
Hitting 800 is actually a curse sometimes (we had some discussion about this somewhere) because some top 10 schools (Stanford) loves to reject all the 800 applicants.
2. Take classes in which you had your bad grades in, and ace the class. So if you got all your bad grades in math, take some math classes at extensions or community colleges and get an A or A+ in them. Same with other subjects. A masters program might work, as long as it's rigorous in coursework (engineering, science, technical, finance, etc...) if you get a 3.5+ GPA in that degree.
3. Definitely apply to some 2nd tier schools as "safety", because you NEVER know what the top schools will do. It's a random process, even for the 800 GMAT and 4.0 person. If you have any weaknesses in your app, it becomes even more random. I would apply to at least 1 2nd tier school... But keep it in the Elite/Trans-Elite/Near Elite arena.
In the end, you want to address specifically what your weak in and what caused your GPA. If it's math and sciences, then take those classes and get good grades to compensate. If it's english, do the same for english. People with low GPAs have gotten in, but with some hard work and compensating with classes or GMAT. Pelihu had a 2.x GPA, but had a 780 GMAT and some great experiences he can talk about. I believe Nervous showed that she can do quant with extra classes. The stories go on and on.
The application is a process that looks at all your qualities, so make sure that your GPA is the ONLY weakness, and also try to compensate for it by the methods above.
Good luck and hope that helped!
You have a few options if you have a couple years to spare. You pretty much listed them, but I'll pick out the ones that are more useful:
1. You DEFINITELY want to get a 740+ GMAT Score. I picked 740 out of my pocket for no apparent reason, but you need something ABOVE the mean and median of the top 10 schools. You want both your scores to be above the 80% so you can write your optional essay saying, "See? I am smart enough in math and verbal to handle the rigors of B-school. You can ignore my grades."
Hitting 800 is actually a curse sometimes (we had some discussion about this somewhere) because some top 10 schools (Stanford) loves to reject all the 800 applicants. 2. Take classes in which you had your bad grades in, and ace the class. So if you got all your bad grades in math, take some math classes at extensions or community colleges and get an A or A+ in them. Same with other subjects. A masters program might work, as long as it's rigorous in coursework (engineering, science, technical, finance, etc...) if you get a 3.5+ GPA in that degree.
3. Definitely apply to some 2nd tier schools as "safety", because you NEVER know what the top schools will do. It's a random process, even for the 800 GMAT and 4.0 person. If you have any weaknesses in your app, it becomes even more random. I would apply to at least 1 2nd tier school... But keep it in the Elite/Trans-Elite/Near Elite arena.
In the end, you want to address specifically what your weak in and what caused your GPA. If it's math and sciences, then take those classes and get good grades to compensate. If it's english, do the same for english. People with low GPAs have gotten in, but with some hard work and compensating with classes or GMAT. Pelihu had a 2.x GPA, but had a 780 GMAT and some great experiences he can talk about. I believe Nervous showed that she can do quant with extra classes. The stories go on and on.
The application is a process that looks at all your qualities, so make sure that your GPA is the ONLY weakness, and also try to compensate for it by the methods above.
Good luck and hope that helped!
18 Jan 2008, 00:36
Kudos
Bookmarks
Yes, that's right. My GPA was comfortably below 3.0 and I was admitted to Darden, Duke and UCLA. Kryzak made some great suggestions, and the reality is that you can get admitted with a low GPA, but you must be strong in other areas. Here are some typical things you'll need to be strong in:
1. A really high GMAT is probably the best way to offset a low GPA. Kryzak's suggestion of getting well above the average GMAT for whatever school you are looking at is a good starting point.
2. The quality & rigor of your undergrad school will make a difference. I went to UCLA, graduated in 3 years and worked full-time while I was in school. UCLA isn't exactly an ivy league school, but it is a 'public elite' and known to be highly competitive with no grade inflation. I think it would be virtually impossible to overcome a low GPA if your degree is from a more average school.
3. You say you want to have 2-3 years of work experience? Does that mean you have none right now? Average work experience at most of the top schools runs about 5 years. The quality and uniqueness of your work experience will be a huge factor. The best 'feeder' type jobs are those that are most competitive. So, it will help if you are an IB bank analyst or a consultant with a big 3 firm. These days, having Google on your resume might be even better. The other alternative is to have some unique stuff on your resume. For example, I was a lawyer and I also started a own business manufacturing products in China. So, to get into a top school with a low GPA, you'll need to have eye-catching work experience.
4. Don't waste your time on a masters program. Business schools pay little to no attention to graduate grades because there is so much grade inflation.
5. Do try to take some classes that address your weaknesses, and make sure you get A's in those classes. I took 4 classes last summer prior to applying in business-related subjects. At the very least, it shows that you are committed to the task at hand.
The bottom line is that you must make the rest of your application so irresistible that schools are willing to overlook your low GPA. It's not an easy task, and will require a lot of effort. If you succeed, it's definitely worth it.
1. A really high GMAT is probably the best way to offset a low GPA. Kryzak's suggestion of getting well above the average GMAT for whatever school you are looking at is a good starting point.
2. The quality & rigor of your undergrad school will make a difference. I went to UCLA, graduated in 3 years and worked full-time while I was in school. UCLA isn't exactly an ivy league school, but it is a 'public elite' and known to be highly competitive with no grade inflation. I think it would be virtually impossible to overcome a low GPA if your degree is from a more average school.
3. You say you want to have 2-3 years of work experience? Does that mean you have none right now? Average work experience at most of the top schools runs about 5 years. The quality and uniqueness of your work experience will be a huge factor. The best 'feeder' type jobs are those that are most competitive. So, it will help if you are an IB bank analyst or a consultant with a big 3 firm. These days, having Google on your resume might be even better. The other alternative is to have some unique stuff on your resume. For example, I was a lawyer and I also started a own business manufacturing products in China. So, to get into a top school with a low GPA, you'll need to have eye-catching work experience.
4. Don't waste your time on a masters program. Business schools pay little to no attention to graduate grades because there is so much grade inflation.
5. Do try to take some classes that address your weaknesses, and make sure you get A's in those classes. I took 4 classes last summer prior to applying in business-related subjects. At the very least, it shows that you are committed to the task at hand.
The bottom line is that you must make the rest of your application so irresistible that schools are willing to overlook your low GPA. It's not an easy task, and will require a lot of effort. If you succeed, it's definitely worth it.
), so that you can positions yourself against the competition. Please do not understand here that you must be agressive, or soft, you must be yourself, but showing things that usually your competition wouldn't. If you are an American Physician, you're not competing against IT Indians. Although schools usually say that you are, believe me you're not.
