Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

27 (at matriculation) / female / white

GMAT:
740 (with verbal much higher than math, AWA 6)

GPA:
3.00 / 4.00

Education:
Top 30 US school, Bachelor of Arts in History with Minor in Marketing

Work Experience:
Jan 2008 to present - Public affairs/marketing consulting on U.S. policy and regulatory issues for Fortune 100 companies involved in corporate transactions (M&A, antitrust etc.)

Undergrad Extra-curriculars:
Sorority president
Founded an inter-Greek organization for fraternity/sorority members

Misc:
Biked across America after graduating college for an advocacy/fundraising organization focused on affordable housing.

Specific Questions:
1. How competitive am I for the schools below (in order of personal preference)?

1) Kellogg
2) Stanford
2) Columbia
3) Wharton
4) HBS
5) Berkeley
5) Darden
6) UNC

2. Will the other components of my profile overcome my not-so-hot GPA? My GPA started low and trended upwards over the four years. I did well in my major/minor courses. I've heard some people advocate for enrolling in an class - does that seem necessary in my case?

3. How many schools do you recommend applying to in Round 1 vs. Round 2?

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!

So you have every right with a 740 to apply to the very top schools. Yes your GPA is a liability, but the uptick you mention will help your candidacy. Taking a quant course at a reputable school for a grade will certainly help show further academic firepower---perhaps a statistics class. Though you may not be able to stomach another look at the GMAT, if you feel you can move the needle materially on the quant section, I would say take it again. This is not a must, but you may want to counteract your low GPA with a stand out GMAT that leaves no questions.

Your bike across America is a strong hook. I would ask the follow up question if you have done anything else since that ride? If not, perhaps it's time to look for an organizational volunteer role at that same organization to deepen your footprint with a more general management type role--like organizing biker alumni to keep active.

Clearly your essays and interviews are where you will win acceptance, but I would say that you should expand your school list to perhaps a middle tier. Darden and UNC are considerably easier to get into versus the other very competitive schools you list. Consider a school like NYU that sits between those tiers.

The bottom line is, and I tell my clients this evey year, that many top school accepted candidates have red flags. The key is not to have more than one, and I don't think you do (though I would like to know what school you went to). 3.0 is a bit lower than a slight red flag, but you can proactively deal with it in the essays and by taking measures as described above.

The top schools are also still trying to increase their female acceptances, so this is also in your favor.

Focus on the positive and move forward with confidence that you have a lot to offer an MBA class.

Please let me know if I can be of additional service.

Regards,

Thank you for your response! I will definitely be thinking about a middle tier of schools.

I graduated from William and Mary (mid-sized public school in VA). Any thoughts on that?

Solid school. I have a good friend who got into HBS from William and Mary.

Alex

Hello


Since you are aiming for top schools then a score above 700 is desirable. However GMAT alone won't determine your chances of admission; activities beyond the academics will help you in determining your candidature and your work experience plays a vital role as well.

Generally most of the applicants have a good 4-5 years of work experience. Although it is not just the work experience that counts but also what you did there like-what were your achievements, what initiative you took, what changes you drove in your workplace etc. So if you can show that in 3.5 years you have demonstrated the skills business schools are looking for you could put in a strong set of essays.

Hence the quality of your work, your academics and beyond academics will play an important role in determining your candidature

Start thinking what makes you unique and what's that 'hook' that will be key to your application
Although you might need to prove to the admission committee that your GPA won't be an issue. If you can tell in your application about the skills that you gained at work and beyond in the areas you had scored low would put you in better position. You need to indicate a positive learning from your bad experience. If you took any extra classes or courses in the subjects that you din't do well and highlight your zeal to learn and improve it could also improve your low GPA situation.

Make sure you follow the 'show rather than tell' principle so that the admissions committee could really understand your strengths and differentiating factors."

It is advisable to apply in round 1. Assuming that your application will be equally competitive and to the mark like in round 1 then you may apply in round 2.