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Hi Stacy

I graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2006 with a BA in the Business Management Economics. While in school I was socially active. I was the vice president of the student body, founded a NABA chapter, and founded a chapter of a non profit org. Since college, I have work for Ernst & Young (Big 4 CPA firm) and a regional CPA firm. I have also recently been licensed as a CPA. I am on track to be place in a management position at my current firm within 1-2 years.

On the side, I currently sit on the board of a small non profit, and I have a small CPA practice.

Recently, the CPA world has become mundane and i have became very interested in pursuing an MBA. However my GPA undergraduate GPA is not very impressive. Cumulative, it is a 2.9. Not great at all. I took the GMAT during my senior year of college to test the waters and was able to get a 600 without much studying, so I hope I can pull off a 720+ if I take a GMAT course.

I would like to apply to an MBA program within 1-2 years.

What are my chances of getting admitted to a top MBA program? Should I take classes at a University extension program to create an alternative transcript?'

Also, if I were to take classes to create an alternative transcript, what classes would you recommend, and what type of schools/universities do you recommend?

Thanks so much

Hi,

Thanks for your post. You appear to be an ideal candidate for business school. Your career path/trajectory to date is right on par with many applicants. However, I agree, your academics could use a boost.

I think taking a course and retaking the GMAT with a goal of scoring 720+ is a great idea. I would also recommend taking a couple of courses. While the adcom will no doubt believe you are smart enough to do well in school, they may have concerns about your ability to commit to classes and succeed given your undergrad GPA. Taking classes that you didn't take (or didn't get a B or better in undergrad) is a smart idea. I usually suggest statistics or finance with a goal of completing the courses before submitting round one applications.

Lastly, one of the keys to a successful application will be differentiating yourself from the other accounting types in the applicant pool. Be sure you have solid leadership and team examples (using some from outside of the office is a great idea if possible).

Regards,

Stacey