Seeking Evaluation (Low GPA / Hi GMAT)

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Seeking Evaluation (Low GPA / Hi GMAT)

by zmaster85 » Fri Sep 17, 2010 1:28 am
Hello everyone,

I am applying for fall of 2011 entry into business school. My statistics are below:

Age: 25 at matriculation
Demographic: Chinese American
Undergrad: Wharton/Penn - Marketing / Management Major, Psychology Minor
Overall GPA: 3.1 - Major: 3.6
GMAT: 760

Work Experience To Date: 3 years at Deloitte Strategy Consulting, top of my analyst class and promoted from analyst to consultant within 1.5 years of starting

Most of my activities stem from my two fraternities. The bulk of that experience comes from college, in the form of being a president and pledge educator. Today, the only thing I do outside of my 100 hour work weeks is serving as an alumni advisor for one of the fraternities. Also, I provide training on Excel modeling to many junior analysts in the firm. I also provide tutoring for the US citizenship exam to Chinese immigrants in my neighborhood.

Post-MBA I'd like to head into the world of venture capital, particularly around the online distribution and wireless spaces. I think it's clear that with telecom speeds about to break through, we're going to see a huge number of new and creative services I think that MBA will not only help me form the networks I need, but also to cultivate finance skills that will be crucial to evaluating such ventures in a quantitative sense.

Schools in mind are the top 10 pretty much... although I prefer NYU and Columbia as I love the city.

I'm not sure if this will be considered at all, but my low GPA during college was primarily due to the fact that not only was I financially independent, but I also worked at the family restaurant on weekends through college and also managed the household duties as my parents do not speak English.

Thanks for your time!
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by Lisa Anderson » Sat Sep 18, 2010 2:11 pm
Dear zmaster85,

I think you are a competitive candidate for any school you determine to be a good match for you. While I understand your concern on your GPA, it is not significantly lower than the average and within range. Additionally, you will have the optional essay to note your mitigating circumstances as well as provide evidence of how your approach to managing your coursework will be different in business school. I do encourage you to be thoughtful in putting together your school list as you want to have the right mix of programs (reach, reasonable, safety) that match your career goals.

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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