Research MBA Programs

Hey All,

First off I want to say that I love this community. I never posted on it while studying for my GMAT but I definitely used it as a resource. I am 3 years out of college. I have pretty decent career advancement since graduation and feel good about what I have done.

I took the GMAT a month ago and received a 730. And I have my sights set on Carnegie Melon.

However, when I was in college I really did not try very hard. I mostly screwed around and though I never failed a class I ended up with only a 2.57 GPA. I did get a ton of great business experience through internships and even ran my own company when I was a freshman that did close to $100k in about 9 months (was a painting franchise for college students). I was just really not focused in the classroom.

Horrible, I know.

So here is my question. What the heck should I do? My Alma mater offers an MBA I know I could get in to and while well respected regionally is not ranked and I know the rank of the school you go to matters more then anything.

I could try to go back and retake the classes I did horrible in and try and get my GPA up higher but that seems like a huge waste of time to me.

What things can I do to improve my chances of getting in to a more prestigious school?

Help me! Thanks!

Hi Mntwiddler,
Congrats on obtaining a great GMAT score. That's impressive. But you surface an important issue RE: UGPA. In my opinion, your best strategy is two-fold: (1) Select a range of schools to apply to. make sure you have real breadth in your selection, so that you can assure yourself a spot in at least one program. you low GPA and high GMAT present a bit of a wildcard situation, so you never know if there's an adcom out there that will sympathize with your story. (2) be honest and frank about your GPA weakness. a GPA that low needs to be addressed head-on, so make sure you cite the right reasons for why it's low. don't dwell on it in your essays, but at least recognize it and discuss how you've overcome it.

Like you, i don't think taking more classes are going to help. you would need to take MANY MANY classes in order to offset that GPA, and I don't think it'd be worth the time and money to get that done.

As it relates to CM specifically, like i mentioned above, you're a bit of a wild card, so i'd apply. you should focus on your career progress, focus, and get crisp on your "story."

While the UGPA is a critical part of the MBA admissions process, it's not the ONLY thing. I wrote this article awhile back that might be helpful: https://www.thefirstread.com/the-admissi ... plication/

hope that's helpful,
-james young

Thanks youngjames,

I am not sure as to whether or not I should take your wild card comment as a good thing or a bad. Either way I think you are right. It is a bit unique. A few people have even questioned why I want to go back to school if I had such a bad experience in undergrad.

I was just completely unconvinced, and to some extent still am, that there is a large correlation between being ultra rich and getting good grades in college. However, what I have come to realize is that while getting good grades from a good school doesn't determine success, it does get your foot in the door.

I have always been torn between buying in to the corporate life or trying to do my own entrepreneurial ventures and I am not entirely sure that having an MBA will help me solve that dilemma but bottom line is I want faster advancement and could potentially see myself becoming an executive so I feel like getting an MBA can't hurt me.

I actually think you could benefit by taking a class or two. Taking classes won't raise your GPA, but building an alternative transcript will show adcoms that you are willing and able to put in the effort to succeed in classes.

I was in the same boat as you when I pursued my MBA. My one suggestion that could boost your profile would be to look into some sort of business executive education. Whether it's a certification or not, this may help your resume stand out. Be sure to get a good recommendation and stress your work experience when applying!