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e4g
Joined: 19 Feb 2015
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Location: Russian Federation
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V42
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PaulBodine
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e4g
Joined: 19 Feb 2015
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Location: Russian Federation
GMAT 1: 740 Q48 V42
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PaulBodine
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A lower GPA doesn't help you in the sense that the top schools will have multiple other candidates with higher GPAs they could choose over you. But if you explain that you had to work during university and make a case (e.g., your GMAT) that the GPA is not representative, they will at least conclude that your GPA is not a gauge of your ability to handle their programs academically. It will then just be a question of whether they find enough other positives in your profile to offset the lower GPA.
--Paul Bodine, Great Applications for Business School, www.paulsbodine.com/outcomes


e4g
Thank you for your reply Paul,
I just forgot to ask one more thing, my GPA at 4.0 scale is just 2.9 (I started working when I was in school and was working during the whole period of my University education), though it was Physics Department of Lomonosov MSU, how critical is the GPA for the final decision, is it a primary or secondary parameter?

pbodine
e4g,
Given your age and your apparent strengths (740, entrepreneur) and distinctiveness as an applicant (Russian entrepreneur), you probably should consider a Round 3 application. Strong and distinctive applicants are usually the ones that schools are most likely to admit late in the admission process. You can't use a B1/B2 visa to study in the US -- you need to convert it to F status first after you are admitted (the school sends you the form to apply for F visa). You can enroll only after USCIS approves your change of visa status. Feel free to send me your CV and I can give you more concrete feedback on your admissions chances.


e4g
Hi all,
Thx in advance for your responses.
I have recently had my gmat with 740 result (official score is not yet available).
I'm thinking of signing up to few of top-schools in US for this Fall. (Stanford, Wharton, Duke and probably Yale and Darden)
Wanted to know if it is really a problem to get in because of the Round3? (I'm not planning to wait a year and apply in 2016, so it's more a yes/no question)
I'm 30y.o a entrepreneur with 6years of experience in IT and Finance from Russia.
Another question is if obtaining the visa itself is a real problem if I have a regular B1/B2 visa available?
Thank you.
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ceekster
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e4g
Hi all,
Thx in advance for your responses.
I have recently had my gmat with 740 result (official score is not yet available).
I'm thinking of signing up to few of top-schools in US for this Fall. (Stanford, Wharton, Duke and probably Yale and Darden)
Wanted to know if it is really a problem to get in because of the Round3? (I'm not planning to wait a year and apply in 2016, so it's more a yes/no question)
I'm 30y.o a entrepreneur with 6years of experience in IT and Finance from Russia.
Another question is if obtaining the visa itself is a real problem if I have a regular B1/B2 visa available?
Thank you.

If you're really not willing to wait a year, I think your best bet is schools that staty in January. Think INSEAD, HEC and IE.


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e4g
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HI ceekster, thx for reply.
My concern for now are US schools only, so neither Insead, nor HEC or IE are in my wishlist unfortunately.

ceekster
e4g
Hi all,
Thx in advance for your responses.
I have recently had my gmat with 740 result (official score is not yet available).
I'm thinking of signing up to few of top-schools in US for this Fall. (Stanford, Wharton, Duke and probably Yale and Darden)
Wanted to know if it is really a problem to get in because of the Round3? (I'm not planning to wait a year and apply in 2016, so it's more a yes/no question)
I'm 30y.o a entrepreneur with 6years of experience in IT and Finance from Russia.
Another question is if obtaining the visa itself is a real problem if I have a regular B1/B2 visa available?
Thank you.

If you're really not willing to wait a year, I think your best bet is schools that staty in January. Think INSEAD, HEC and IE.


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GeneralEducation
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Hi e4g,

You have a decent profile with a good GMAT Score and work experience. Having entrepreneurship experience with 6 years of work experience, Russian male and 740 GMAT Score really makes your application strong. B-Schools encourage such distinctiveness in MBA class. I would suggest you to work hard on your essays, you have fair chances of getting an admission in top US B-Schools you have mentioned above. You haven't mentioned about your extracurricular. Don't forget to mention about the reason for your low GPA and highlight your extracurricular, entrepreneurship experience in your essays and you are good to go.

You may also gauge your chances of getting admission to top business school by trying this amazing tool https://bit.ly/1C9o2Md

You can also get your free profile evaluation done by the top Ivy league B-School grads during the webinar conducted by General Education. For registration and more details visit our website https://www.genedmba.com/webinars-seminars/

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
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Hi there,

Congrats on the solid GMAT! Hmm, certainly I would have to say that schools generally encourage international applicants to apply early in the season for many reasons... and also that admission across the board can be tough in the final rounds simply because they've already given out so many seats by then. Of course if you do manage to stand out and grab their attention and they feel you'd be a great addition to the class, it can still happen.

There are a lot of things we don't know here, which could come into play... your academics; more info about being an entrepreneur (since you also mention other work? Not sure if the entrepreneurial experience is recent, or extensive, or what you've accomplished etc); your outside-of-work activities; overall accomplishments and leadership; goals/rationale....

Regarding the visa questions, you could reach out to the schools and ask about your concerns and the details at any point.

To discuss your situation further with one of our consultants, feel free to sign up for a free 30 minute consultation at any point if you are interested, at www.mbamission.com/consult.

Good luck!