Ask Clear Admit

Hello,

I've planned to apply for the PhD program of any of the top 30 business schools of the US in marketing. I'd really appreciate it if you evaluate my chances.

I'm a 27 year old female from Iran. I studied mathematics in a well known university in Iran. Mathematics has always been my area of interest and strength. Because of some severe family problems, I totally stopped studying and if I managed to get passing grades it was all due to my strong background in mathematics from high school days. I graduated with a low 2.64 out of 4 gpa. I'm now in my last year of MBA in Tehran university of economic sciences and my gpa is currently 3.8 on a scale of 4. Three months ago, I decided to apply for PhD programs of the US. I studied two months for GMAT and I scored 710 (Q:51 - 98%, V:34 - 69%, IR:5 - 52%, AWA: 5.5 - 77%). I took TOEFL last week and my score is 110.

I was the sales manager of a small company for two years and this is the only professional job experience I have. I've had several voluntary duties (managing mathematics workshops for 5 years in various high schools), I was the teaching assistant of the logic course during my bachelor's and I was also the head of the Student Scientific Association of mathematics department for two years but I doubt these would help my resume.

How do you evaluate my profile and do you think I have any shot at business schools ranked 15-30? Is my low gpa going to haunt me in my way to get an admission?

Many many thanks in advance.

Hi,

Thanks for your post. I can certainly understand your concern around your low GPA. While your GPA is low, the good news is that you have a solid GMAT score and seem to be doing well in your MBA program. Your solid grades from your MBA program will indeed help mitigate concerns that adcom has about your ability to perform in the classroom. However, I encourage you to write an optional essay explaining the circumstances around your low undergrad GPA. The essay should be brief and directly to the point - keep in mind it is an explanation of the low grades and not an excuse for them.

Best of luck,

Stacey

Thanks a lot for your feedback Stacey, I really really appreciate it.