Admission with a low undergrad GPA, decent experience &

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MichaelPM: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2012 8:57 am

by MichaelPM » Sun Nov 04, 2012 9:08 am

Hi all,

I was wondering what my chances are of getting into Business School.

I graduated 4 years ago with a 2.2 GPA. I know it is absolutely terrible. I was young and immature, and I have come to peace with the notion that I have shot myself in the foot, several times over. However my low GPA, upon hitting me like a brick wall when graduating, had changed my ambition as a person. Since then, I have managed to claw my way up from accounting clerk positions to a financial analyst position at a major financial institution. Along the way I earned my Certified Management Accountant professional designation. I also have volunteered for the last 2 years in the finance department of my city's United Way at about 15hrs/ week (on top of my 60hr work weeks). Also, I have recently taken the GMAT and scored a 725.

Do I have any chances of being accepted? What tier schools should I realistically aim for?

Thanks for you input.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Research MBA Programs | Sun Nov 04, 2012 9:08 am

machichi: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 174; Joined: Wed May 02, 2012 7:57 pmFollowed by: 17 members; Location: San Francisco; Thanked: 35 times; GMAT Score:730

by machichi » Sun Nov 04, 2012 10:24 am

A 725 is not a possible GMAT score.

You will be greatly hindered by your undergraduate GPA, for sure. I'm wondering if since college you've taken any classes to start to develop an alternative transcript? It will be helpful to demonstrate your newfound maturity.

You have a couple of promotions, which is good because it usually means you will have great recs and that you have more opportunities to demonstrate leadership. You definitely have a chance of being accepted. Where do you live now and where are you thinking of wanting to live? Given your low GPA you are a more likely admit at a business school with regional cred.

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Marc@AcceptU: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 332; Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 3:13 pmFollowed by: 41 members; Location: Boston; Thanked: 43 times

by Marc@AcceptU » Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:49 am

Applications at business schools are reviewed in a holistic way - what this means is that admissions officers look at your entire package. Deficiencies in certain parts of your application can be made up for by strengths in others.

Your GPA will raise a red flag but it sounds like you have demonstrated your analytical and academic competencies in other areas. Make sure you play this up.

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money9111: Legendary Member; Posts: 2109; Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:25 pmFollowed by: 79 members; Location: New Jersey; Thanked: 109 times; GMAT Score:640

by money9111 » Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:38 am

To add to what has been said before and to not make it seem all fine and dandy. A 2.2 is something that you would need to address upfront. The red flag that this would raise it huge. Are there ways to call this out in a relevant way? I think so, but it's something that definitely needs to be done. Other than being immature, were there any other extenuating circumstances in play? Also, what were your grades in the quant focused class? I had to overcome a low GPA during admissions, so I definitely know how to talk about it.

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