How to deal with a low GPA

Lisa Anderson · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 5:31 am Post subject:

Dear HCH,

The first thing you need to do is determine if the 3.0 GPA is a requirement or their preferred cut off. Meaning, will your application be rejected regardless of the rest of your profile because you do not have a 3.0? If the 3.0 is not a hard requirement, then you should aim for a GMAT score at 650 or higher. If you score in the 600s, you will be in a favorable position but if you can score above 650, it will put you in a much better position.

Good luck,
Lisa

pproby · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 10:51 am Post subject:

Hello,

I graduated with a low GPA (~2.7) from GATech. I majored in computer engineering. I would want to obtain my MBA from the same school. Their average GPA for the MBA program is 3.43. I understand that I need to score in the 700s for my GMAT. However, I am wondering if it would also be wise for me to take the GRE test instead of additional classes?

Comments and any other suggestions are more than appreciated.

Thanks!

Lisa Anderson · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 5:51 am Post subject:

Dear pproby,

I'm not sure the GRE will help you. I would suggest talking to one of the admissions professionals about what they would like to see from you to balance your GPA--additional coursework, high GMAT, etc. Since you had a tough major at a good engineering school, a strong GMAT score might be all you need to demonstrate your academic aptitude.

Good luck,
Lisa

abhinay1987 · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:02 am Post subject:

hi,
I am an fresh electronic engineering graduate from Mumbai university,INDIA and I am planning to give GMAT after 5-6yrs.The problem is my academic performance is average with an aggregate of only 58% in engineering.what can I do in the next 5-6yrs to compensate for the low marks so that my application gets accepted by any of the top 20 B-schools in U.S.Do you recommend any courses.Pls help me out.

P_mashru · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:23 am Post subject:

Hi Lisa!

I am Mechanical engineer by education and having 7 years work experience primerely in Enterprise Sales & Key account management.

I am preparing for GMAT right now and planning to write GMAT in 1st Week of Aug, expecting 620+ & looking forward to get admission in EMBA in good Bschool of Asia / Europe.

Would request your personalised advice to prepare other aspects of my application,

Praddy

Lisa Anderson · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:15 am Post subject:

Dear Praddy,

If you are interested in services from Stacy Blackman Consulting, I would encourage you to visit our website at www.stacyblackman.com. You will find detailed information regarding our services and prices. Thanks for your inquiry.

Regards,
Lisa

Toughmover1016 · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:12 pm Post subject: Low GPA

I like many of you also have a low GPA 2.54 to be exact. However I am shooting for decent top 50 schools for my MBA. I have been running a company for the past 3.5 years basically building it from the groundup. I was active in volunteer work and other extra-cirriculars while at a top 75 National University. MY major was History, so that cannot really help me getting to School. I recently took the GMAT and recieved a 630 first time out. My ideal schools to go to are Wisconsin, Boston College and Minnesota all tough to get in with my current credentials. Any idea where I should be with the GMAT to feel comfortable? Do I have to take graduate level courses to create my secondary transcript or would undergrad be okay? I am willing to do anything to get into these schools. any feed back would be helpful.

Lisa Anderson · Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:59 am Post subject:

Dear Paul,

I think if you can get your score up about 40 points, then it would put you in a much better position. It could also help to build a secondary transcript (undergraduate courses are fine) depending on how long you have been out of school. You will probably want to address the reason(s) for your GPA being on the low side and convey why you are better prepared for school now. I think your work experience will be interesting to the schools, so focus on pulling the other pieces together to make a strong, compelling, overall application package.

Good luck,
Lisa

BS2009 · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:19 pm Post subject:

Hi Lisa,

I would appreciate your input on my situation. I attended UC Berkeley and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science with a GPA of 3.0. I apologize for my frankness, but it is necessary for you to get the full picture. Basically, I had moderate to severe depression throughout the duration of my undergraduate career which obviously made it difficult for me to perform at my best. I received help after my junior year and definitely brought my grades up in my last year, but obviously the damage had been done.

A year after working in the legal field I decided to get into the retail industry. I attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, CA and enrolled an accelerated program where I received an associate's degree in Merchandise Marketing and graduated with a GPA of 3.8. Most of the classes I took (i.e. Management Concepts, Marketing Essentials, Org Behavior, etc) focused on business concepts.

Currently I am working at a Fortune 500 retailer as an allocation analyst.
At the time of enrollment in an MBA program I will have 2 years at the company.

I am interested in part-time (evening) programs at Babson, Boston College and Bentley. I haven't taken the GMAT yet, but I plan on studying for at least 6 months and plan on scoring at least a 680. What do you think my chances are of getting into such programs? Also, do you think I should reveal my medical issues as an explanation for my low undergrad GPA?

Sorry for the length and thank you!

-Bindu

billthethrill · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:07 am Post subject:

I have just graduated from Law School but I am really interested in getting an MBA.

I was a non-traditional student who mis-spent my twenties and my overall undergrad GPA (around a 2.5 as calculated by LSAC) was very poor. When I finished my UG degree in my early thirties I had a very good trend in grades my last two years (3.7) as well as a decent LSAT score which helped me get into a tier two law school. I just graduated from law school with honors and a 3.46 gpa (Top 25% of my class). I am in my mid-thirties but do not really have much quality business experience.

I am really only interested in going to a top 25 MBA program. Will those schools look at law grades in lieu of UG? I know that most law schools do not look at graduate grades (the assumption, right or wrong, that graduate level programs tend to grade much higher). I was wondering if b-schools view law schools the same way, even though most law schools have pretty sharp curves.

I am taking the bar later this month and will probably go to work with a firm. How much work experience are most MBA programs really going to want? What kind of GMAT score do you think I may need to be competitive with my background (at a top 10 or Top 25 program)?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Lisa Anderson · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject:

Dear Bindu,

I think you will have a competitive profile for those part-time programs if you score over a 650. As long as you put the effort into a strong application, I think you will make a strong case for admission. With regards to your GPA, I think you should disclose that you had some medical issues during that time, but I don't know that you need to go into any more detail on what those issues were.

Best of luck,
Lisa

Dear billthethrill,

Your law school transcript will be scrutinized and used in your evaluation, but will not replace your undergraduate grades. The bright side: you have demonstrated your maturity and ability to succeed in the classroom. The main concern in the minds of the admissions committees will be why you want your MBA after going to law school, especially considering you are in your mid-thirties. The fear will be that you are a career student. Likewise, you must present a solid rationale for why a MBA makes sense for you and your career goals. If you cannot present a defined career plan incorporating your JD and MBA, then I think you will have a hard time gaining admission to a top 40 MBA program.

In terms of a GMAT score, the higher the better. For a top 25 program, you definitely need to be in the 700s. If you are willing to look at schools in the top 40, some of which are really strong, then you probably have a competitive profile if you score at or above 650.

Best of luck,
Lisa

RationalTeacher

Hey, I am just beginning this process and wanted to see my competitiveness to get into the top 20.

I graduated from a top 30 national university with a degree in psychology with distinction and biology and latin american studies minor-(3.23 cum GPA, 3.8 Major GPA) During the last two years of undergrad I achieved a 3.8 GPA (gradual improvement). I am currently getting my masters in education at night/weekends (4.0 GPA). I have taken the GRE (1270) which i know Stanford and MIT are accepting. I am also currently studying for my GMAT hoping to get at least a 650. I have two years of working experience in education, teaching middle school (with a well-known and respected non-profit affiliate organization). I am also working as a summer intern on a design project for the organization and also training/teaching other new incoming teachers. I want to get my MBA (non-profit management/ social enterprise) in order address once of the most pervasive social problems in the U.S.: Educational Inequalities. I eventually make systematic changes in the public school systems because I believe we are not servicing all of our children equally and we should be treating the education system as if it were a fortune 500 business. I was originally interested in public health, but now want to pursue a MBA too. I have already gained admission (deferred) to Columbia Public Health and I want to apply there for a dual degree MPH/MBA. I am also interested in many other top 20 schools business schools including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Northeastern, Chicago, and NYU to name a few. Finally, I am also a first generation Latin American/Hispanic, first in family with undergrad/grad education. What do you think my chances are?? What kind of GMAT score do I need?? Is there anything else I can do to improve my chances?? Help.

Lisa Anderson · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:26 pm Post subject:

Dear RationalTeacher,

The schools you are targeting are quite competitive, so you will need to get at least a 650, but a score in the 700s would be best. I think if you can get to a 690, you will be in a good position. It will be important for you to give a solid rationale for getting your MBA/MPH/MS and how they all relate to your ultimate career goals. Since you do have a defined goal in education, I would suggest identifying programs that would offer you some elective opportunities and/or resources that relate to this goal.

Best of luck,
Lisa

BS2009 · Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:35 am Post subject:

Lisa, thank you for your input. I greatly appreciate it as I have been seriously doubting myself and your words have put me at ease. Thank you!

ConfidenceIsKey · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 5:38 am Post subject: slow start...faster finish

Hi, Stacy -
How do adcoms generally view applicants with low overall GPAs, that were brought down significantly during their first two years in college. I dramatically improved my GPA during the second half of college due to better time management and clearer focus on the subjects that interested me most.
Thanks,
ConfidenceIsKey