Any B School advice for a really low GPA?

Question

hi there,

I am considering to attend B-School for a month. But I dont know in which schools (especially in Europe) I will have a chance. 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Here is my profile:

I have a terrible GPA (as low as 2.44/4.00) in mechanical engineering from the best engineering university in my country. THe reason behind my low GPA is mainly that I was very active in university clubs such as scouts, photography, solar vehicle races and clean energy technologies club.

I have 6 years work experience including 2 year in an multinational automotive company. I was responsible from 9 person team.
During my 5 month mandatory millitary service, I was selected as team sargeant and I commanded over 100 rookie soldiers and won 5 appreciation award from army general.

Now; after military service, I have been working in an multinational automotive part supplier company.

I have taken a mock GMAT and scored 630 without any preparation. But in order to fix my GPA, I hope to reach 700+ after two month of study.

Now I would like to know whether or not any B-School will accept me this GPA. I just want to know where I am in MBA Schools scale. Especially in Europe, which schools should I apply for?

Kind regards,

bizwiz84 · Answer

Hi,

No expert here, but just thought I'd give my two cents.
In Europe, there's a clear division between those considered elite schools (LBS and INSEAD, perhaps IMD, which are comparable in reputation and career prospects with top US schools) and other schools (Judge, Said, IE, Esade, HEC, etc). I've been accepted to INSEAD with a very low GPA in Engineering myself (also from a top school in my country). My GMAT was 700+, so that definitely helped, but my impression is that in Europe they put a little less weight on GPA. Maybe because the average age and number of years of WE are a little bit higher on these schools, I think they tend to put a lot of weight into these aspects and use the GMAT as a validation of your intellectual capacity (at least more so than your GPA).
I've applied to a number of US top schools and was rejected by a bunch of them, and the only feedback I got from a school mentioned concerns about my academic records. So I guess that even though my GPA is not on a 4.0 scale (thus not affecting the school average on reports), they do look into your transcripts more thoroughly.

Again, this is just my impression, based on my own experience. I think the main message here is that you definitely can get into a top European school with a low GPA (I did!). You just have to make sure that the other aspects of your application are good enough, like a 700+ gmat (just to be on the safer side), great essays, clear, logic and attainable goals, good rec letters, work experience highlighting leadership, impact and personal and professional growth.

Don't be discouraged by the past! Dream big, put your best foot forward, and go for it! You won't get in unless you try! Good luck!

Best,
bizwiz

sskabim · Answer

Dear Bizwiz84,
Sorry for my late response, internet was out of my reach for a couple days.

Thank you for your detailed answer. Insead is just like a dream for me, but I will try.

But I guess my main focus will be on HEC, RBS and Spanish B schools.

Any B School advice for a really low GPA?

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