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I would like to go to Columbia Business School, but my problem here is my undergraduate GPA is around 2.75. Here is the unique part about my situation though. I am a M.S. student at Columbia (I worked very hard to get in) and I am doing well on my grad studies with around a 3.7 GPA. Will my grad GPA offset my undergrad? Both undergrad and grad work are in an engineering discipline.

By the time I apply, I should have about 8 or 9 years of work experience. I heard that when applying to the executive MBA program, they may not take grades into consideration as much. Would it be easier for me to get into the regular MBA program or the executive MBA program? Personally, I'd prefer the executive MBA program, but I'm willing to quit my job to go to CBS if I have to.

Aside from acing the GMAT, is there anything else I can do to help the situation? I have time before I plan on applying, so any suggestions are welcome.

If the chances at my dream of CBS are low, what about NYU Stern? I heard that they're more likely to accept applicants that come from a technical background. These are the only two schools I'd consider applying to.

Thanks

Hi computeruser,

Thanks for your post.

The acceptance rates for executive MBA programs are much higher than for full-time MBA programs. With EMBA programs, you are generally only 'competing' with applicants in your same geographic area whereas for full-time MBA programs you are 'competing' with applicants from all over the world. For Columba's Fri/Sat EMBA Class of 2012, 77% live in the Tri-State area.

Columba's Fri/Sat EMBA average years of work experience is 9 so it looks like you will be a great fit on that dimension.

I do think your low GPA can be overcome through your Masters GPA and strong work experience for their program. You can frame this around improved maturity and appreciation of academics (or explain if there were extenuating circumstances).

There are a few steps that you can take to strengthen your candidacy:
-Begin researching the Fri/Sat vs Sat EMBA option at Columbia. Determine whether to ask for a letter of support from your company and if so, begin laying the groundwork to secure the letter.
-Maintain your high GPA in your MS program
-Study for the GMAT
-Begin reviewing essay and letter of recommendation requirements for the application

We also have a Part-time/EMBA section of our blog, so that can be a resource in your research: https://blog.clearadmit.com/category/par ... utive-mba/.

Hope that helps and good luck!

Heidi

Thank you for that information.