Admissions Success Stories

Hello: I have to admit have not done well in my undergraduate Studies. The University I attended was tough and difficult to graduate from.. even some students dropped and went to the US/CA/UK to finish their undergraduate studies. I couldn't, my parents couldn't afford to send me abroad and I have to admit given where I came from I was happy to be enrolled in a university. I studied Banking and Finance with a Major in Finance.. It was rough, a pass was at 70% and most students dropped with W or WF and never came back. It was like a battlefield, you fight to keep you GPA afloat above 2.5 or risk being thrown out and then will subsequently lose your place for EVER. I graduated with a GPA within that borderline, it killed me, but I couldn't do much except re comfort myself by saying that at least I graduated and the next step is to find a good job... A Good Job. I spent months (5 months) networking, writing CV`s, cover letters, attending seminars..., and finally it all paid off. I did land on an interview for a Graduate trainee position in a top Corporate Bank. The selection criteria was cut throat, only 2 out of 20 were chosen, and I was one of them. This was six years ago, today I am Senior Analyst in an investment bank handling various project in the MENA region with an emphasis on the North African market... for that you need to be fluent in three languages... you guessed right: Arabic, French and English.
My sheer tenacity, and my desire to do good albeit my low GPA has never failed me and I have to admit I still cannot get around the fact that some Business Schools still allow this "Great Point Accumulated" to be a decisive selection criteria in entering into an Business School. Once in, competition eases off and you learn fundamentals like : Networking, Innovation, Self-discovery, and Empowerment.
I am planning on starting my application process soon, I hope this will not play against me given my professional path, languages and networking abilities.
It would be good to hear from you guys.
Thank you.

The main MBA application killer is GMAT. Concentrate on your GMAT first but its not just only GMAT thats important. Your work experience and GPA also matters, but in my opinion when you have better leadership experiences in your work, GPA will not matter much. GMAT and work experience matters.

If I am wrong, please correct me.

Your work experience speaks for itself, and I`m also in a similar kind of situation except that I have a good GPA but struggling to find better jobs reflecting my potential and hoping to pursue my MBA goal in 2012 most probably.

Profile matters more than GPA. I feel you are having a good enough profile.. Give your best on the GMAT. Rest will follow..

I am also in the same boat as you are.. Preparing hard for GMAT..

ATB..