The Application Process

Hello,

I am interested in applying for the part time (evening) MBA programs with Booth and Kellogg. My GMAT is 700.

My undergrad GPA was 2.83. My masters GPA was 3.31. Both my degrees were in Industrial & Systems Engineering. After researching these forums, it seems like a lot of emphasis is placed on undergrad GPA, which for me is not ideal.

I work in engineering consulting and have shown good career progression. I started as an engineer (2 years) and was promoted to Manager of engineering and analytics (2 years) and have since been promoted to the Product Manager (last 2 years) for my company's technology offering. My total work experience is almost 6.5 years. I report directly to the CTO and I am sure he can provide a good recommendation letter.

My major concern is the lack of good undergrad GPA. Family circumstances combined with my lack of interest in education at the time contributed to a disastrous few semesters! Is this something I should actively address in my application essay or would that not be a smart move since I did show improvement in masters?

I would appreciate some feedback on my chances for admission into either Booth or Kellogg.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers,
Sid

Hi sid4129,

By default one should explain anything that, otherwise, admission committee may interpret their own sweet way. A low undergrad GPA no doubt pops out, and, in my opinion, it should be explained, if there are reasons. The same explanation can go on to touch upon improvement you made since - master's program.
Evening programs tend to have slightly lower statistics than the weekend programs, which will make your case stand out somewhat less. Second, your GMAT score is decent, which can somewhat offset your GPA.

Anil,

Thank you for your response. I agree with your assessment about providing the adcom insight into the causes for low GPA during the first 2-3 quarters of my undergrad in US.

I think moving to a new country, adjusting to culture changes, lacking a cohort (since I transferred from India after 2 yrs of undergrad), financial pressures contributed towards that dip in grades. I cannot necessarily attribute my lack of success to those factors as, at the end of the day, I am the one who is responsible. I did learn a lot from my failures and worked harder to mitigate the circumstances that disrupted my focus on education, especially during that 1st year of transferring to US. To make up for the 'lost' year, I decided to pursue my masters to gain more indepth knowledge in my major and focus on courses that I thought were more applicable & relatable with my passion. I was also offered a research assistant and teaching associate position during that time. I taught in an instructor capacity and had ~450 students in my course over a span of 3 years.

Post completion of masters, I have got 3 promotions in workplace and have continued to acquire more skills & knowledge to grow as a professional. I have gained 2 certifications (6 exams with ~60% pass rate), with APICS, that have helped establish credibility with both internal and external peers at work.

With that being said, should I take the GMAT again to try and aim for 720+? I've gotten 720 on practice exams before. Maybe the nerves of exam day led to a slightly lower score than I was targeting. If I take it again would that be worth mentioning in the application as well? I presume it would emphasize my desire to improve and never quit?

Sorry about the long winded message. I am really excited about the prospect of learning at Booth or Kellogg and strongly believe it can bring tremendous value to my ambitions and want to make sure I project myself as the right candidate (I feel I am one). Any feedback in regards to what I should focus on would be much appreciated.

Thanks again!
Sid

700 is fine for part-time programs. You need to focus on rest of the application to stand out - leadership skills, disproportionate impact at work place, and other managerial skills. You can also reflect on how you can differentiate from others with similar profile and why you want to attend a particular school.

Margaret, Thank you for the response. You've given some very valuable pointers and feedback. I will be sure to incorporate these into my essays (I am currently in the process of writing them).

Regards,
Sid

Margaret Strother wrote:I agree with my colleagues here that a higher GMAT might not be the most important thing for you to work on at this stage. Your GMAT is competitive for the PT programs at these schools, and your relatively strong masters GPA makes that lower undergrad GPA less relevant.

You will want to use the optional essay to explain your undergraduate performance anyway, since you have such a strong story -- cultural adaptation after moving to a new country, and the way you managed to move from under-performing to teaching within just a few years. With its themes of diversity, persistence and personal evolution, your story showcases qualities that top business schools will love; overall, you are more than qualified for the PT MBA at Kellogg or Booth.

Missing for me in your story is Impactful Leadership: Leadership is the #1 driver of b-school admissions, and that's a topic you don't mention here, so be sure that in your application materials you are highlighting your team leadership roles in every situation they have come up: at work, in university (teaching counts), and in community service as well.

Good luck in your applications!
Margaret Strother