Hello all!

Long time lurker, first time poster. I have finally decided to start my MBA journey and will start studying for the GMAT this weekend. A little bit about me, I graduated undergrad in December 2015 with a very low GPA (about in the 2.4-2.8 range but with a strong upward trend in my last 60 hours). I plan to address this in my essays by explaining I was the first person in my family to go to college along with some other extenuating circumstances. I also plan to have very strong essays and letters of rec from direct supervisors.

As far as my resume goes, I am in project management for a very large commercial construction company. I am currently working on a $100M high rise apartment building where I am ultimately responsible for managing all of the various subcontractors and their employees onsite (about 350 people at the moment). A lot of my work includes creating/maintaining schedules, budgeting, gain/loss accounting, maintaining relationships with consultants/architects/engineers/owners on a daily basis, pay application processing, problem solving pretty much every hour of the day, and so much more. I am at the point where I am just burnt out on construction after being around it my entire life and would like to make a career change.

I am also involved in volunteering a few hours a week in the pediatric wing of a local cancer hospital where we play board games and such with sick children.

I would like to stay in Texas so my top schools would be McCombs, Jones (Rice) and Mays. That being said, I know at the very least I will have to absolutely crush the GMAT to have even the slightest chance. Am I crazy for trying to do this or is it possible? Realistically, what kind of GMAT score am I needing to make to be able to make this happen?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hi,
Good luck on your journey!
Just work hard and will reach your goal wish you the best.









Dafont 192.168.l.l FileHippo

Just to give you an idea, it is quite a bit of work to improve 200 points on the GMAT. It is a monumental amount of work to improve 300 points. I can name a handful of people here on GMAT Club who have gone up 300 points (I went up only 210 points since my serious diag test).

It is possible but you have set your expectations properly and fix the sins of your youth when you breezed through math and english composition classes.
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Something to keep in mind. Do you have time to take a class before applying? Something like stats, business math, or economics. That could really help you given low GPA— GMAT alone may not be sufficient given low GPA

Posted from my mobile device

Dear Texag15:

While difficult, it is not impossible to gain entry to an MBA program with a low GPA. Every year MBA programs admit a select number of applicants with a low GMAT score or a low GPA. AdComs look at many different parts of your profile - the goal is to stand out in every single other aspect. Some advice:

1) Since your GPA will be in the bottom 10% (median GPA for Texas is 3.0 - 3.9) strive for a GMAT in the top 10% - 20%. If financially feasible, take a GMAT class or hire a GMAT tutor.

2) Dissect your transcript. In addition to an upward trend your last 60 hours (congratulations!) are there any other patterns? For example - did you perform poorly in your quant classes or your language classes? The classes themselves matter. A school won't be as concerned with a low grade in French as a low grade in Economics

3) As someone else mentioned take a class! You need to show that while you may not have been prepared when you started college you are now an A student. I generally recommend UC Berkeley Extension (well respected and you can take online) - but if not feasible financially look for classes at your local community college. Be sure to take a quantitative course.

4) Think about the entire story surrounding your GPA. It is incredibly admirable that you were the first person in your family to go to college. Did you struggle to get in? Wer you surrounded by the right mentors? Did you attend a high school that adequately prepared you? Did you work hours during school that prevented you from studying? How did you manage to increase your GPA? The school wants to understand not only why the GPA is low but how you managed to overcome your struggles and improve. Past performance is an indicator of future performance.

5) Beef up your extracurricular activities. It sounds like you have a lot of leadership experience in your job - but minimal volunteer work. While it is admirable that you volunteer you want to show the school that you are amazing in every area of your life. Try to add on some hours or see if you can take on a new initiative

Let me know if you have any questions.

Pamela Jaffe
MBA Admissions Consultant
The Jaffe Advantage
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