Ask Stacy Blackman

Dear Devang,

There are no guarantees of admission no matter what your profile looks like. If you achieve all that you noted and gain some quality work experience after college, then you have a chance at a top program. As for your age when you enter, that is not a big concern as long as you are mature enough to handle the program and can convey a solid rationale for entering the program with only 2 years of experience.

Good luck,
Lisa

Dear Domnu,

I think you should do whichever you are more interested in as there is not a preference for one versus the other in terms of business school admissions. It is not so much what you do as the quality of what you do and your accomplishments in that role.

Good luck,
Lisa

Dear heymrdj,

Some schools post a GPA conversion guide in their applications or on their websites. You are expected to report a converted GPA, so you want to have the best approximation you can. There are schools that will do their own conversion based on your transcripts, but I think the best course of action if you are applying to multiple schools is to have a credential service do the calculation for you. While it does cost money, it might be worth it to have an accurate conversion accepted by most schools. The two most widely used and accepted are Global Credential Evaluators and World Evaluation Services.

Good luck,
Lisa

I have not heard of schools making "adjustments" in this way, but that is not to say that some don't. Schools evaluate GPAs in relative terms--this means that they know there is variance in grading from school to school. So, if your university is known to grade tougher than others, that will be taken into account in your evaluation (but not in the actual GPA number).

Regards,
Lisa

Dear shaselai,

Without knowing your GMAT score, it is impossible to give you a range of schools. Generally speaking, you are in a good competitive position if your GMAT and GPA are at or above the school's averages on those measures. If you are below the average on GPA, then a higher GMAT will mitigate that number. Since you pursued a tough major, then your GPA is not putting you at as much of a disadvantage as you might think. I would suggest you target schools where your GMAT is close to/above the average, but definitely within the mid-50% range.

As for activities outside the office, they certainly don't hurt you, and some schools will expect you to have something on your application. All application components are important as the application is evaluated holistically. Thus it might be a negative if you have nothing to mention, but not having any activities is probably not going to result in an automatic rejection. Since you are in IT, you might want to join some activities in a leadership role as a way to distinguish yourself from other similar applicants. IT work experience is over-represented in the MBA applicant pool, so be sure to focus your resume on your managerial skills and not your technical skills.

Good luck,
Lisa

Business schools prefer letters of recommendation from professional relationships (i.e., managers and supervisors). Letters from professors do not carry as much significance since business school is a professional program, not an academic track.

As for your GMAT score, there is no calculation using the two--both are evaluated separately relative to those measures. Since your GPA might be a little below the average for your target schools, then you want your GMAT to be as close to/above the average for those schools to put you in a competitive position on those measures. You will still have the other components like essays, recommendations, and interviews to strengthen your application. Your target schools are the schools you apply to that you feel are the best match for you and your goals.

Good luck,
Lisa