Hello,

With the exception of Chicago, I'd consider the remaining schools on your list as reasonable reaches - IF your upward-trending GPA included some decent grades in a quant course or two and IF your work experience is strong and IF your goals are appropriate and compelling. The adcoms will view your application holistically, and they will see that the low GMAT does not accurately reflect your academic ability. They will note the upward GPA trend in a rigorous major (though I still suggest mentioning these two points in a brief optional essay). Being an underrepresented minority will help, as there are still far too few African-Americans in MBA programs, and women as well.

Basically, if the other items in your application make the adcoms want to admit you - and it looks like that might be the case - the one thing they'll want to see is some evidence that you can handle the quantitative portion of the program. So if your undergrad record contains this evidence, you'll have a shot. If it doesn't, if your GMAT quant score is 70-75% or higher, that might suffice. If neither if these is the case, you could address the issue by signing up for a statistics, calculus, or other quant course and earning at least a B+.

Best regards,
Cindy Tokumitsu
Senior Editor, www.Accepted.com