Ask Clear Admit

Clear Admit,

How do you feel regarding people who earned excellent ugrad grades in a curriculum/courses that are very easy? I have an excellent GPA, from a large state school, but if you take one look at my transcript you will notice all of the easy b.s. courses I took. Back then I was all about numbers and keeping my GPA looking nice, regardless.

What should one do in my case, I have heard of alternative transcript, but some have told me that it is a waste of time, because GMAT is all they will look at....however my GMAT will very likely be at the bottom of the range, if not lower. If my GMAT isn't on the top end, should I take some part time classes in quant. courses?
[Others have told me that they will be more lenient with me because my GPA will still help raise the "average" gpa for the entering class, which will play into national rankings.]

thanks.

Dear IAmApplying,

Thanks for your post!

The short answer to your question is as follows:

1) To some extent, it depends on which state school we are talking about.

2) I'd really need to see the transcript in question, since there is a difference between merely taking lots of intro courses vs. truly easy stuff.

3) In many cases, the schools will look at the GMAT result as a way to 'benchmark' a GPA. Someone with a 3.6 GPA and a 650 on the GMAT may call their ugrad education into question a bit (just as someone with a 780 and a 3.0 may give the impression that they didn't give their all in ugrad). As such, if you are worried that your transcripts will reveal an inflated GPA, you should redouble your efforts to ace the GMAT exam.

4) Depending on what you've taken as an undergrad, an alternative transcript could serve as a nice hedge to demonstrate your ability to excel in the classroom today (and to reinforce the fact that your ugrad GPA is accurate). In order to advise you in this area (in terms of course selection), I'd need to see your ugrad transcript.

One additional point I should make is that it is hard to assess this aspect of your background in the abstract. In other words, in order to get a sense as to the extent as to which the ugrad course selection might be an issue, I'd really need to know more about the rest of your profile. The MBA admissions process is like a multivariable equation - making it hard to solve for a single variable without a full view of the rest of the equation. Feel free to send your resume (and ugrad transcripts) to Clear Admit if you would like to speak with one of our counselors ([email protected]).

Best of luck,

Graham