Should I apply now?

[tennis07]

I graduated a top 5 school with a terrible gpa due to several deaths that I did not handle to well in addition to a lack of maturity and an assault that happened to me. I ended up with like a 2.6 in a social science major. I have semester where I had a 3.7 down to a 2.1. I have been out of college 2 years and I have fantastic work experience managing a multimillion dollar project which was completed ahead of schedule. Now, I want to apply to business school.My GMAT is in the high 600s. I feel like I am ready but given my undergrad experience I am sure the adcoms will understandably question me. Is it worth my time to even apply? I am aiming for schools like USC and UCLA. Once upon a time, I had higher aspirations but life happens.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear tennis07,

You should absolutely apply if the school makes sense for your career goals and is a good cultural fit for you. You will need to address the low GPA in the optional essay, but spend the bulk of the essay demonstrating how you will perform at a higher level now than you did then. The GMAT will mitigate the GPA to some degree, but you might also consider taking a few courses (like calculus, statistics) to show your ability to do well in coursework now. Lastly, I always think folks should have a back up plan with schools, so maybe look at some other options that are not as competitive in admissions.

Good luck,
Lisa

[Kelly McDonald]

I'll share my experience as I had a similar issue to overcome. Two years prior to applying for my program I took several undergrad business courses (Accounting, Marketing etc) I did them primarily through correspondence, but worked hard and earned straight A's. When I applied I was able to provide concrete evidence that I was not the same person I was when I completed my first degree and that I was able to deliver the academic performance required for my MBA. I'm now 3 months into my program and enjoying every minute of it

Kelly