Undergraduate Transcript: Withdrawals Galore and Low GPA

[chris558]

My undergraduate transcript is absolutely HORRIBLE. I graduated in 5 years- 1 semester in which I withdrew out of all my classes, with 5 additional withdrawals, 1 D, and 2 Fs (which were replaced when I took the classes again) sprinkled on top. My term GPAs are basically on opposite sides of the spectrum- From 2.0 (lowest) to 3.4. My overall GPA is a 2.891. I went to a state school and my major was in Economics. I was a Spring 2011 graduate.

I did do a lot during college tho- worked through college starting the summer of my Freshman Year (sometimes holding 2 jobs), there were a lot of things I had to deal with (personal & family), and I was actively involved (leadership, comm serve, etc).

Despite this, I still feel like I have a LOTA explaining to do. The only thing I can think about doing is
1) Alternative transcript- I am actually enrolling in the Fall UCLA Extension.
2) Up my GMAT score- Scored a 660, taking it again in October (trying to break 700!)
3) Explain to the best of my ability in the optional Essays.

I dream of getting into the a certain top-5 school tier in NY. Is there anything else I can do to help me overcome my transcript from hell? I plan on taking 2 UCLA courses... should I aim for more (assuming I get A's in all of them)? I plan on applying for Fall 2013.. should I wait (I would have 33 months of WE by the time I start school b/c I started full-time during my last semester of school as a full time student).

I would appreciate all and any feedback.

[CollegeGrl81]

Chris,

That's too bad that you are lacking sufficient scores and a GPA. I believe once you retake a class that you got a bad grade in, those old grades will be wiped out with the new better grade so they should no longer appear on your transcript. If they still appear, I would talk to the college about that. I'm not sure if that policy applies to all states, but in mine it does. If there are any classes in the past that you got a D in, I would go back and re-take all of those. That would help you immensely by retaking those courses and rising up your GPA. I would also try to do some more Volunteer work for an organization. It could be a benefit to your acceptance into a program and give you bonus points as a candidate. Along with having great recommendation letters from colleagues, and those places you have volunteered for that would recommend you. Getting a high score on the GMAT, is crucial, if they see that you can ace that then you could have a chance like any other applicant.

[youngjames]

hi chris...whether your original grades are expunged when the classes are retaken (as suggested above) is determined by the policy of your school so it's smthg you should inquire about. there are many colleges, for example, who will never remove an F or W, so retaking the classes will not help.

there are things you can do to improve your chances. you are already doing many of them - alternative transcript being the most material. but as you think about where to apply, your best move is to be strategic about where you apply and how you position yourself. you can put some window dressing on your bad grades, but ultimately they are what they are, and you need to find a way to be competitive with your other strengths rather than focusing too much time on mitigating weaknesses. i've written a couple of articles that deal with low GPA that might be relevant for you and hopefully helpful in terms of framing how adcoms view the UGPA: https://www.thefirstread.com/category/mb ... pa-series/


hope that's helpful,
-james

[chris558]

Thank you for the responses! James- I actually read that article before I saw it in this reply! I know that I'll really have work hard in my GMAT and up my strengths in other areas such as leadership.

My plan was originally to apply for Fall 2013. But because I'd be 25 by matriculation, and won't receive a promotion till the end of this year... I feel that waiting another year might actually do me some good. Or can a year really make that much of a difference?

And someone had suggested that I make lateral moves career-wise so I gain more work experience. If I did that now, I would only spend a year at my new job before going off to an MBA program... does that make any sense? I don't even know if I would be able to obtain a good letter of recommendation from my new job if I've only worked there fore a short amount of time. And what about recommendations from my current job? I'm doing so incredibly well there right now (got high rating during my first annual review)- I feel like I would lose that if I left.

I'm a bit torn on this.

[youngjames]

hey there...first of all, as it relates to career advice, my standard advice is to always pursue what you enjoy doing. finding happiness and fulfillment in your career should always be your primary objective.

with that as the basline, to address your questions, here are my thoughts:
1) yes. 1 year can make a difference in applying. esp for you (someone with a low GPA), the more distance you put between yourself and your UGPA, the better. you want those marks far in the rear view mirror and you want to get the adcom focused on all the amazing things you've accomplished since graduation. from the sounds of it, it sounds like you're really hitting your stride at work.
2) i would NOT suggest a lateral move, if a promo is on the way. a promo will showcase career PROGRESS which is a big deal. to get promoted at as young an age as you is impressive and the adcom will notice. but perhaps more importantly, a lateral move could be interpreted as wishy-washy and a lack of focus. unless it's a position that would really satisfy something more personal (as I state in the beginning), my advice is to land that promo vs. moving laterally. doing this more clearly demonstrats to the adcom that you're on a trajectory rather than a flat line

hope that's helpful and glad you got some use from the artcles!
-james