My options - profile questions

[jewbagel]

Hello all,
I am a 24 year old mechanical engineer working in aerospace for the last 2 years. My undergrad gpa from UCSB was very low, 2.85. I scored a 730 v41 q48 on the gmat on saterday and am thinking of applying to schools next year. The reason for waiting is that i only have 2 years of work exp and with such a low gpa, i feel that i need another year to have a chance at admission into a top school.

My main question is if start working on my community service, what sort of shot do i have at a top school? Should i even apply to a top 5 school?, top 10?. Before my gmat score i was looking at usc and ucla as long shots. im not sure if i even have a chance getting in to those programs with such a low gpa. What are your thoughts?

Thanks

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

Be encouraged. b-schools simply want to know that you are smart and can handle the difficult curriculum. Your GMAT score essentially demonstrates that. I had a 2.9GPA and got into a top 5 school--b-schools are more forgiving of a difficult undergrad major like engineering. You are right that an extra year of work experience will help, but make no apologies for your abilities---you should be competitive at top schools if you package a good application. Good luck.