Low undergrad GPA from Ivy, limited work experience:

[DeltaFarz]

Went to at an Ivy League school and graduated in 5 years, after receiving an academic suspension, with a 2.4 GPA (but had strong extracurricular activity with funded research/work experience abroad and leadership positions on campus). Went on to work for an online start-up for < 2 years (company eventually shut down). Since then I've been trying to work as a self-employed stock trader.

Do I have a chance at getting into a decent MBA program if I do relatively well on my GMATs? Should I bother trying? I'm looking at all options at the moment to further my studies/skills in order to better my chances at finding a career.

Appreciate your help!

[MBAPrepAdvantage]

There are many variables at play. What do you consider "a decent MBA program? What do you consider "doing relatively well on your GMAT? From which Ivy did you graduate? What were the circumstances around the academic suspension will be important in evaluating your candidacy? Do you have success and achievements to point to? You want to have positives to mitigate the negatives. So you do not want to have too many negatives in your profile ... academic suspension ... then failed online startup ... then failed stock trader.

But if your sights are set at the appropriate level there is an MBA program for everybody. ere are some of the high-level MBA Admissions Evaluation Criteria.

Good luck,

[DeltaFarz]

Thanks for your response. I don't feel I have a shot at a top MBA program, but wanted to know my chances at mid-tier schools or overseas schools (maybe anything ranked out of top 25..is that still out of my league?)

Graduated from Dartmouth and received an academic suspension in my final year due to receiving a D and C in the same term after being on academic probation. In my time off, I worked for an overseas bank which was good experience, but was never able to get myself out of a downward spiral of bad grades (and lack of motivation for econ major) as I lost confidence. My extracurriculars were very strong and I earned a grant award for socioeconomic research in my freshman year. Though I worked for a failed startup, I was their top employee.

Stock trading is my current job and I'm not a failed trader but not a successful one yet. But I've always wanted real business experience for an established company and my current resume is not getting me far, hence I'm curious at my chances at an MBA that can put me in position for a legitimate job.

As far as GMAT scores, I'll be shooting for the stars and hoping for something above 660, with 700 as a goal.

[MBAPrepAdvantage]

Have you taken a practice GMAT yet? Why don't you go to the official GMAC site and take a practice exam so at least we know hypothetically where you are? Here is the link - https://www.mba.com/us/the-gmat-exam/pre ... tware.aspx. The higher your GMAT, the more the MBA Admissions Committees will look to your Dartmouth undergraduate education.

Also, feel free to email me at [email protected] to setup a free assessment as there is some granularity to your profile.

Enjoy your weekend,

[DeltaFarz]

Thanks for your patience and time in providing guidance as I embark on this process. The phone chat for my free assessment really helped. I've already gained a lot of confidence in the hour we spent chatting and you've helped me set the bar higher for my goals.

To anyone who needs help with their MBA application, Michael is an inspiring and highly experienced adviser. He was incredibly patient and insightful in assessing my strengths and weaknesses. I highly recommend using MBAPrepAdvantage!