Ask mbaMission

10th: 94%
12th: 85%
undergraduation: B.Tech(computer Science)7.25(from top 10 college in india)
gmat: 700
ielts: 8.5

educational achievements:
1. consistent grades during school
2. several academic merit certificates and endowments
3. worked on a mobile application project for the college website
4. computer knowledge: c++, java, asp.net ,html, oracle, sql
5. working on a project/research funded by the college in artificial inteliigence


extra curricular achievements:
1. have played volleyball, cricket, football for school at regional/national level
2. actively participated in sports during college
3. have won several debates, essay writing and extempore competitions at school/ college level
4. been awarded individual championships in cultural activites
5. been part of the student council in school since 8th grade
6. member of sponsorship and publicity committees for 2 college fests
7. core organizing committee memeber of 2 college events

social work:
1. taken part in various campaigns for peta, tfi and helpage india
2. successfully helped my college collaborate with peta and aiesec

internships:
4 different internships spread over 6 months from 1 month to 2 months each in different companies working in different sectors and positions , hence, obtaining a wide variety of practical knowledge.

career goals :
a human resources type of job profile will suit me best but i'd settle for anything that pays best and, in the process learn and understand the job . i do not know how to put this in a very amicable manner, if there is any. but my dream is to be an entrepreneur/philanthropist. i would like to know how to explain my low gpa during my under grad. an honest answer to that would be my disappointment with the course. it wasn't challenging and i let complacency get the better of me!
i am planning to apply for the Masters in Management 2012. i have short listed the following universities: hec, lbs, duke, lse, warwick, imperial, hult, city university, em lyon

Hello abhinandan90, thanks for your question.

Your 700 would not move the needle as much as it would otherwise, given that you come from an overrepresented demographic in the MBA applicant pool. Did you score at least 80% on both the quantitative and verbal exams?

In terms of extracurricular activities, what you've done more recently has more weight than what you did in university/school. I think your social work is a good source of content to write about in your essays.

In terms of post-MBA goals, I think you should hone them a bit more. What specifically do you want to do in the long term? How does your short term goal lead to that? Paint a picture that cohesively ties together your past, present, and future. Demonstrate to the admissions committees that your desired career path necessitates an MBA.

To your question: Was there an extraordinary circumstance that caused your low marks? Did your GPA rise as you progressed through undergrad? If so, you might try to explain these factors in the optional essay. Better yet, do you have any other analogue that is a better representation of your academic ability and potential? Programs will want to know that you can handle the material.

Best of luck,
Brian