Low GPA

[godfather85]

Hello everyone,
I recently graduated from a tier 1 undergraduate school with a double major in Business Administration ( emphasis Information systems) and Economics. At the time I thought to myself taking Economics as my second major would be a good idea but that obviously that wasn't the case. My undergrad GPA ended around a 2.56. I feel embarrassed even stating that however I was hoping I could get a fair assessment on what my shots would be at any MBA program. Combined with atleast 3-5 years of solid work experience, furthermore, Im not trying to go to any of the top 20, however, I was hoping with my grades what kind of GMAT score would I need for a school such as the University of San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, Chapman, Cal State Fullerton or St. Johns. These are all schools that I have researched and I think would be a great fit for me. Also, how does an alternative transcript work and do schools take that into account as well when deciding whether to admit one or not? I was also thinking about doing a local Business Analyst certification program which would possibly help build my transcript. What should I do? Am I doomed? Please help.

Sincerely,
Godfather85

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Godfather85,

You are not doomed and I think you will have a good chance at all of those schools with a GMAT over 600, maybe even over 570 . The GMAT and GPA are important, but so are your work experience, essays, recommendations, and interview. Alternative transcripts can be helpful, especially in quantitative courses like college algebra and calculus, if that is where your grades suffered. While the grades won't be factored into your GPA, these courses are considered as evidence of your abilities and evaluated with your application. I think you are on the right path here--you just need to take your GMAT and decide whether or not to take some courses.

Best of luck,
Lisa