Disappointing newss!

[maolivie]

Okay, so I know stacy is really busy and might not respond for a while, but I decided to post what I sent her, since I am completely lost with what to do incase anyone wanted to give their insights:

Basically, I had a conversation with one of my advisors at school, and she said that since my cumulative GPA is only a 3.0, my chances of getting into NYU or Columbia are fairly slim and I should start looking elsewhere.
I am disappointed because I don't want to look elsewhere, and I have been putting so much effort into other areas of my application, that it upsets me to believe that if you fall in the lower range of acceptable GPAs, they will put your application aside without evaluating the rest of what you have to offer.
To update on my current status so that you may be able to counter my disappointment with hope,
I am 21. I have one more year left of schooling at SUNY Stony Brook. I got a 2.7 this semester which lowered my cumulative GPA from a 3.4 to a 3.0. I have taken practice GMAT Cats and recieved a 660 on my latest score. I have my own non-profit website which is for investor education material that I wrote. I also wrote a book on investing methods that I sell through another link on my website. I have been working 2 part time jobs for the last 2 years that wind up equaling a full time job since I work 40 hours + a week, on top of school. One of my jobs is at UBS International where I work in the risk control group in the wealth management sector. My other job is at my uncles restaurant which I may own one day. I have been working both jobs the past 2 years. I got the job at UBS while attending NYU before transfereing to SUNY SBU. I have 2 recommendations from the executive director and regional director of UBS International headquarters in New York - they both know me well and can write great recs. I used to attend the US naval academy prep school prior to NYU where I was the platoon commander for my platoon (leadership). And after leaving USNAprep, I went to a community college for 2 semesters simply as a transitional phase from military to civilian life.
Would all of this mean nothing with such a low cumulative GPA compared to most other accepted applicants, on top of the fact that I am only 21, which may put me at another disadvantage?

Is there anything I can do at this point, besides working on my gmat score, that can give the admissions committee a more clear picture on what I am not - based upon my GPA?

I am so worried, been worried, and even more worried now after my teacher who is supposed to be supportive, basically told me to search elsewhere.

Please let me know what you think and what I can do.

Thanks very much everyone for taking your time to read this novel but I just needed to get this off of my chest so I know if I should stop wasting my time, and my parents money on tutors.

[aim-wsc]

It's a bad news but underneath it's some good news.
see you are just 21 yrs now go to your fav. b.schools' site and check the ave. age of applicants there. dont hurry.

work on your profile. work full time, for at least 2 years, know why exactly you want to get into management stream.

btw NYU & CBS are achievable, nothing is impossible but it's not the end of life

thats it for now.
i cannot write longer posts

[Stacy Blackman]

First of all, you need to figure out what your risk profile is. You say that you do not want to consider other schools. If this is true, then you shouldn't. No one is a "sure thing" at these top schools. But if these are the only schools you would be happy attending, it is pointless to apply elsewhere.

I am not surprised that an advisor at school would tell you it is a stretch based on your GPA, because an advisor is likely to be anti-risk.

If your GPA was a 3.4 prior to last semester, what happened? Is there a reson behind the dip? If it is explainable, this may help your case. They don't just take the GPA number, they also look at the classes and want to hear the story behind the good and bad grades. Also, you have a year left, so it seems that you have time to raise your grades. This is a fortunate situation that most applicants are not in.

It does not sound like your advisor said they will not even look at your app, and if she did that is not true. If you have other strengths (which you absolutely do!), you probably have a very good chance of being admitted!

[maolivie]

thanks for responding.

My problem this semester was that I increased my hours at UBS. On top of that, I had the other job at my uncles restaurant which I wasn't going to quit or limit hours since its a family thing and he needs help. So I was kind of stuck working 45 hours a week on top of a full time class schedule and I have finally began taking my final upper division credits. There simply wasn't enough time in the week for me to find sufficient time to study. I ended up with only a 2.65 this semester, so my cumulative GPA went from a 3.4 to a 3.025.
I understand that I can talk about this in my essays which I would. The good thing is that since I have began working full time on top of school, my GPA began to decline. So on the application when they see I have been working for 2.5 years at that point when I apply, and for the last 4 semesters my GPA was lower than the beginning of my college career, that should make sense.
I also plan on explaining in the essay that working during my MBA is a no, as I will devote my full time to studies.
Hopefully they will be able to notice these things and put everything together in my application to understand why my quantitative marks are far less superior than my qualitative marks.

[Stacy Blackman]

You got it - this is a very legitimate reason and will cushion your GPA.