Low Undergrad GPA/High MS GPA

[careybeard]

Hi,

I am applying to schools for next fall and I think that I am somewhat atypical candidate. I have my BA degree in Applied Science with a 3.0 GPA and a masters degree in Systems Engineering with a 3.9 GPA. I know that a lot of schools base their admissions strongly on undergraduate GPA and I could have done much better, but I think I proved that by doing very well in graduate school. I'm taking the GMAT later this week so I don't have my score yet but I've been testing around 720.

I want to apply to top tier schools. What do you think my chances are with this academic history?

Thanks,

Carey

[Jon@Admissionado]

Carey,
Well, undergrad grades are still more important, but definitely with a high GMAT and a high Graduate GPA you will have done the best possible things to show that you are really academically capable. With a GPA of 3.0 though, I wouldn't leave them to guess this, but address it explicitly in an Optional Essay (along with any reasons as to why you may have not done so great), showing them your capabilities.

[careybeard]

Jon,

Thanks for responding. I took the GMAT on Friday and actually got a 770. I plan on writing the optional essays for all of the schools that I'm applying to in order to explain my low undergraduate GPA. I do have a couple valid reasons:

1) I changed majors during my sophomore year and ended up getting an F in a class that I dropped because it wasn't required for my new major

2) I did very poorly during my Freshman year, mainly due to the fact that I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. I went to an inner city public high school where I (literally) never had to study, and didn't quite understand what was needed to maintain decent grades. I eventually figured this out and raised my marks up to a 3.5 senior year and a 3.9 in grad school.

The schools I am very interested in are Columbia, Wharton, IESE, Kellogg, and Haas. Do you buy my story (it is true) and do you think I have a shot?

Thanks,

Carey

[Marc@AcceptU]

It's not unusual to see the lowest marks in freshman year - it's typically a year of transition for many students. Hopefully, your grades were on an upper trajectory from there.

Your GMAT score will compensate for your lower GPA. You'll want to be careful with the optional essay. Don't make excuses. Provide a clear explanation and what you did to correct action.