MBA concern for Immaturity 16-22 years ago?

[bminnow]

Hello Stacy,

My BIG concern about getting into a program like Michigan is my low GPA I had when I graduated 15 years ago (I'm 40 now). Coming out of High School I was pretty immature and it rolled over into college, when this occurs, going into Engineering is probably not the best choice. This crushed me from the get go, by not attending classes or putting 1/4 effort at best in. Needless to say, this put my GPA in the tank. After I got suspended for a quarter becuase of a sub 2.0 GPA, I was able to tranfer to business and somewhat got my act together and took it up to a 2.4 (from a low of 1.34).

I graduated with a BA in Information Systems and I have various levels of experience learning new operating system, programming languages, Supply Chain operations, and currently I hold the position of Global EDI administrator/analyst.

My first thought about getting into UM would be that I need to score into the 700+ on the GMAT, inwhich I'm currently studying. I figure with that score and work experience, should be considered more valueable than a GPA from long time ago.

Am I aiming too high thinking about UM? I'm not worried about getting into my local Universities, I can do that with a 550 GMAT score, but I don't want to waste 4-7 months preparing for a test to score 700+ when I can study 1-2 months and get into a local school.

My MBA plan, no matter where it is, will be with a program that offers it at night, since I can't attend full-time because of my work.

Thanks,

Brian

[Stacy Blackman]

A 2.4 GPA is cause for concern, however, it does not need to be a deal breaker. You now have the burden of proof resting on you. What do you need to prove?
1) You have matured, and are a different person (to some extent) now
2) You value academics and will take the program seriously
3) You have the abilitiy to perform well academically in their program
4) You will be able to successfully muti-task, given that you will be juggling the program with a full time job

The GMAT will help you address #3. There are other things that you can do to address #3 as well. For example, you can take a couple of classes, such as Calculus or Accounting, to demonstrate that you have identified this hole in your application and are doing what you can to address it. Of course, it will also highlight your ability to excel in quant classes.

Your essays, interview and recs will help you to address the other points. You will need to convey maturity and a sense of responsibility as well as genuine interest in learning.

Applying to an executive program will be a better strategy for you given your age and the GPA. They will be more focused on your career progress and what you can bring to the program through your professional experiences. I do not have enough information on your career to assess whether you have a strong professional resume.

While it would be nice to approach this process with a 4.0, the 2.4 will not rule out admittance to a top executive program.