The Application Process

Hi all, I read through the web pages of lots of 1st tier b-schools and found that the basic requirement is "at least 2.1 degree" with "(GPA >3.6)".

I meet the requirement of 2.1 degree. But my GPA does not meet 3.6.
I wonder whether this GPA requirement is really universal and strict as indeed the scoring standards of GPA in different colleges all over the world are different. e.g. in my college, even the students who receive 1st honor do not have GPA>3.6.

I am working hard on GMAT and aim at scoring >700 as my targets are the top tier b-schools. So I am worried whether the strict scoring standard of my college would be an obstacle to my applications.

Thank you all!

starr wrote:Hi all, I read through the web pages of lots of 1st tier b-schools and found that the basic requirement is "at least 2.1 degree" with "(GPA >3.6)".

I meet the requirement of 2.1 degree. But my GPA does not meet 3.6.
I wonder whether this GPA requirement is really universal and strict as indeed the scoring standards of GPA in different colleges all over the world are different. e.g. in my college, even the students who receive 1st honor do not have GPA>3.6.

I am working hard on GMAT and aim at scoring >700 as my targets are the top tier b-schools. So I am worried whether the strict scoring standard of my college would be an obstacle to my applications.

Thank you all!

What was your percentage and ranking in your class?

Schools are cognizant of different grading scales at well known schools around the world and they use that knowledge in evaluating applications.

Don't take the 3.6 as a line in the sand and don't translate your percentage or degree class unless asked to do so by your target school. You're almost always better off letting them use their knowledge and experience. If your ranking in your class was high, you can always include it somewhere in your application or resume to give further context to your academic performance.

Best,
Linda

Thank you for your advice. It is very inspiring and useful.

It is not the practice of my college to explicitly inform us our exact rank. Based on my estimation, ~5% of the top students were awarded 1st honor. So I guess I was somewhere below them. Anyway it is just my estimation.

Regarding to your advice, it seems that I should not include my GPA on my CV, but just 2.1 degree? I wonder whether it is common not to put GPA on CV while GPA is one of the basic requirements of application.

Thank you very much for your help!!

starr wrote:Thank you for your advice. It is very inspiring and useful.

It is not the practice of my college to explicitly inform us our exact rank. Based on my estimation, ~5% of the top students were awarded 1st honor. So I guess I was somewhere below them. Anyway it is just my estimation.

Regarding to your advice, it seems that I should not include my GPA on my CV, but just 2.1 degree? I wonder whether it is common not to put GPA on CV while GPA is one of the basic requirements of application.

Thank you very much for your help!!

If you are going to include any reference to grades on your CV, include the 2.1 degree. Here it is not uncommon to leave off GPA from a resume. In term of your application, the reader will have your entire transcript along with your degree class.

Regards,
Linda

I discovered that the relative weighting of your GPA depends on a number of factors. If your 3 years out of school and applying then it's going to be looked at much harder than someone who has been out of school for 15 years and has tonnes of work experience.

My undergraduate GPA was nothing to cheer about, but my work experience the in interveining 8 years was very good. I had also taken several university business courses prior to my application and got straight A's. Remember that the admissions committee are looking at the whole package to see if you are a logical fit for the program. GPA's, GMAT's , work experience, essays are all part of the equation.

It worked for me, I'm 2.5 months into my program (Cornell-Queen's) and having a blast

Thank you Linda and Kelly.

@Linda, your advice is very informative and relieves loads of my worries.

@Kelly, your case is very encouraging. I have more confident in applying for the programmes and know what to highlight about myself.

Thanks the forum 2!