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beachlifetime
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1.667 GPA. Can I still get into a top business school for the MBA? 21 Mar 2018, 18:12
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I was wondering with such a low GPA (I have a valid reason / story) would I still be able to get into a good business school to do my MBA?

I am willing to do an Post grad in finance to prove that I can get a good school. Basically my first two years were trash final two years were really good.

Any tips advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank you.
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1.667 GPA. Can I still get into a top business school for the MBA? 21 Mar 2018, 18:34
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Tough but with some explaining and proof you may be able to get over it. You may need some professional help with an admissions consultant to get their input.

Traditionally, anything under 3.0 is “low” GPA

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beachlifetime
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1.667 GPA. Can I still get into a top business school for the MBA? 21 Mar 2018, 22:49
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Tough but with some explaining and proof you may be able to get over it. You may need some professional help with an admissions consultant to get their input.

Traditionally, anything under 3.0 is “low” GPA

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Thank you! yeah I have been speaking to some consultants and they say the same thing. Turns out my GPA is actually that low. Just converting it from AUS to USA is a bit difficult. Looking forward to the challenger.

Just wanted to establish if I was wasting my time or not.
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1.667 GPA. Can I still get into a top business school for the MBA? 22 Mar 2018, 00:42
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Hi ,
I think I found one of the right threads , this is what was going on my mind. I already have a post graduate degree , my gpa in post grad is : 3.6 , however my undergrad gpa is : 2.4 .
Do I hold a chance to convince the ad-comm ? Can I cover it up with my last education degree that is my post graduation ?


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1.667 GPA. Can I still get into a top business school for the MBA? 22 Mar 2018, 12:48
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Hey beachlifetime

Thanks for posting. This is a difficult number. It sounds like it's an Australian GPA? So one thing you could do is email one or two MBA programs and tell them what the Australian number is and ask them how they would convert it. Some schools may say you don't need to.

In the meantime, I highly recommend you complete HBX Core and do well in it. You are the type of person who will need an alternative transcript. HBX Core is not cheap, but it's the best signal to the AdCom that whatever happened in undergrad will not happen again in b-school

You are also in optional essay territory! You'll have to write an optional essay for each program where you explain what happened and why.

Lastly, you will need to nail the GMAT to help compensate for this. You have to show the AdComs that you are an intelligent individual and the GMAT is one proxy for that.

I hope that helps a bit! All the best for your journey.

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1.667 GPA. Can I still get into a top business school for the MBA? 23 Mar 2018, 03:49
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beachlifetime
I was wondering with such a low GPA (I have a valid reason / story) would I still be able to get into a good business school to do my MBA?

I am willing to do an Post grad in finance to prove that I can get a good school. Basically my first two years were trash final two years were really good.

Any tips advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank you.
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I am pretty sure we have been emailing separately about this! However with the extra context that it is Australian, I would like to learn more. Often the conversions are not quite as favorable. It still doesn't make it good but seeing a transcript would help a bit.

I think the post grad is the way to go here!

Best,
Scott
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1.667 GPA. Can I still get into a top business school for the MBA? 24 Mar 2018, 06:18
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Not a consultant just a fellow applicant and unfortunately GPA is something that schools submit into rankings no matter how removed from them you are. So you have to accept for a fact you are at a significant grade disadvantage in your application no matter what. That said while the GPA number doesn't change if you can explain that story (weaving it into your overall narrative) and develop an alternative transcript via grad work or some local quant courses (if you had some C or worse grades you can take these classes specifically), it will go a looonngg way.

No matter what admin consultants may say to you your odds of a "top" school are pretty atrocious. BUT that doesn't mean it's impossible. Every year a few people get into each of these elite programs with a terrible cumulative GPA because they have incredible stories (and a good GMAT score always helps). I don't know if I"ve actually added any information haha but in summary:

- Yes you're in a hole, that's just something you can't escape
- No it doesn't mean it's not worth even trying to get into a top school

Depending on your goals/background is a grad degree in finance really worth the time/investment just for grades? You can do that with just a few local Uni courses or online ones with a HBS/Wharton.