Where do I start?

Question

I just graduated from the 2nd smallest NCAA Division 1 school in the country. I had a 2.7 GPA, though I attirbute it to being a Scholarship 2 sport athlete, a triple major(Accounting, Finance, and Management) with 150 credits, and being president of my fraternity(which won fraternity of the year).

I know that many schools give you an opportunity through essay to explain a low GPA, would my courseload and extracurricular activities help to mitigate my GPA?

I do not plan on attending Business School for another probably 5 years, but with my low GPA I know I will be shunned away from a lot of institutions... I took the GMAT kind of on a whim 2 years ago now and got a 620 during football camp after a 22 credit summer.

I currently work as a Financial Analyst/Consultant for a Public Finance company which specializes in advising Municipalities, School Districts, etc. I am also slated to take Level 1 of the CFA in June and assuming I pass Level 2 in December. And because I fulfill the credit requirement I'm contemplating the CPA.

I would ultimately LOVE attending eitherthe London Business School or Berkeley. So what can you recommend for me to get there from where I am at? I would much rather have a goal and know how to get there from here than be asking 3 months before I apply what I should have done differently or seeing if I still have a chance.

bizschoolprep · Answer

While you have some great stuff to talk about, your GPA is still going to hurt you. The best way forward would be to build an alternative transcript with some straight As.

StacyBlackman · Answer

Hi calikid3820,

I recommend you read this case study of a candidate with a sub 3.0 GPA who was accepted into Columbia and Chicago Booth. It will give you some insight into how you can address your 2.7 GPA:

https://www.stacyblackman.com/comprehens ... ies/case5/

Best,

Conrad and the Stacy Blackman Team

FutureWorks · Answer

Hi,

The Application has a section that allows students to elaborate on anything that may be important for an admissions committee to consider concerning their academic or personal history. For example You might need to prove to the admission committee that your GPA won’t be an issue. If you can tell in your application about any extra classes or courses you undertook in the subjects that you did not do well. This would highlight your zeal to learn and improve and in turn improve your low GPA situation.
Adding a reason like course load etc is generally advisable. You would want to show your zeal to learn and improve. So make sure you highlight this aspect in your application well.
Given the time you have in hand it would be great to brush up on the areas you feel are weak and present a stellar application when the time comes

Where do I start?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards