Dear Sad and Desperate,
That GPA is a bit of a challenge, but you can try to work around it by showing that it was a maturity issue and that you have grown out of it. The best way to show that is by taking some challenging courses now, particularly those that will be relevant to the MBA, and scoring well in them. You will of course want to write an optional essay about it, and hope that your campaign bears fruit. Fortunately that GMAT is strong enough that top business schools won't be worried about your ability to handle the academics, but you do need to convince them that you have the discipline to do so.

Your work experience and university involvements look good; if you have ongoing community leadership, that will also be an important asset.

Now, which schools? Your list is long and varied. I recommend no more than four or five schools per round, and that you narrow your list to schools that you are really passionate about and have researched in depth. If you can get away to visit the campus of a school you're applying to, that's always best, but it's not always possible. However, you can certainly do a lot of outreach to current students whose goals or background is similar to yours, and start to learn more about each program from the inside.

One last comment about school choices: given your GPA, all of the schools on your list end up being "stretch" schools, so you may want to diversify: pick two stretch schools, the two you love most from this list, and then pick a couple of great programs that have a lower average GMAT, so that your 750 will be even more of an asset. That way you can be sure that you'll be going somewhere in the fall of 2016, and you won't be leaving so much of your future to chance.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother

At this point, you're best moving from a public board to a private consultation with a professional admissions consultant -- many companies, including ours, offer a free preliminary conversation so that you can determine whether you're a good fit with the working style of that company. I try to use this forum as a place to discuss issues that will be relevant to many readers; you might be at the stage where you need to get into your personal details on a one-on-one basis.

Your GPA will be a challenge, but your job will be to immerse yourself in a select few top MBA programs and really "show your love" in your application, so that despite your low academic performance in the past, the admissions committee of that school will see you as an overall asset to their community.

Thanks,
Margaret Strother