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Very Low GPA. Please help

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Very Low GPA. Please help

by Skippy13 » Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:38 pm
MY GPA is around a 2.0 and I need to know if I should just give up

. I attended University in the U.K and did a 3 year business degree. My first and second year results were average and my third year results were awful. I got sick...anxiety and depression as a result of a long stay in hospital. Third year counted for 75% of my degree...so performing poorly then really hurt me.

Apart from that year, my time at university was good. Lots of sports and EC's. along with a good internship internationally.

Since graduating, I founded my own business. We've been operating for one year and currently employ three people (with many more subcontractors). Focused on the oil and gas market, we offer people, consulting services, and investment capital.

I work internationally, currently living in Singapore. I have good EC's, very active in sports etc. Ive also done extensive charity work.

GMAT is 700. Schools I am looking at are ASU, Rice, Vanderbilt, Kelley, UNC, UT@Austin, Georgetown.

I plan to work for another two years before applying.

Do I have any chance? Or is my undergrad GPA going to hold me back completely.
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by Paxton Helms - Kaplan » Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:27 pm
Hello and thanks for your note. A quick general take and then a few thoughts on your situation.

It sounds like your GPA is, as you acknowledge, pretty bad. But, given what sounds like really good business experience and the rich XCs, I think you should have a chance in a few years. I'm not going to lie and tell you that it is an easy hurdle to clear; I'm just going to say that I think there are things you can do to improve your chances even if they don't bring you up to exactly the same level as others with better GPAs.

- Undergrad Career: I don't completely understand the correspondence between a U.S. bachelor's degree and a UK three-year degree but I'm assuming that you have done your homework and know that they match up. At any rate, I would think about it this way:

Yes, you botched it; now is the time to focus on compensating for this as much as you can. Ways to do this:

Have more than average work experience (five or six years, for example) when you apply and keep doing something entrepeneurial

Keep the killer GMAT score

Apply to schools that are very very good but not the hyper-elite (your list seems about right) along with some that are good but not great but still okay (say, Univ of So Calif), etc.

Take classes (on-line if you have to, as long as they are rigorous) in five or six areas in which you don't have experience and ace them; or, if you prefer, get a master's in somethint other than business (say, geology or something else related to oil and gas).


- Work Experience: You have great work experience. I'm really impressed with what you're doing and see that as a HUGE advantage. I like that it is entrepeneurial, international, and that you are MANAGING teams and groups. This will give you a terrifically rich pool of experiences and insights from which to draw when it comes time to write your application. Keep up the good professioanal work.


In short: your GMAT, recommendations (I'm assuming that you can get good ones), XCs, and work experience will all be great; your GPA won't. You are in the mix though you may need to make some adjustments that others don't and may have to wait a bit longer than others, too.

Keep me in the loop as your thinking evolves and if you have further questions--

Paxton

P.S. If you had serious psychiatric issues (and it sounds like you did) you may be able to get a statement or something similar from your attending physician explaining some of the details of the situation and that might help alleviate concerns about your GPA. -JPH
Keep me in the loop about your thinking and let me know if you have any more questions.

Paxton



Paxton Helms is an MBA admissions consultant for Kaplan Admissions Consulting. He earned his MBA from UCLA and specializes in helping clients that are applying to top twenty and "reach" programs. He can be reached directly at [email protected].

To begin working with Paxton immediately, follow this link and request him specifically: https://www.kaptest.com/GMAT/Admissions- ... lting.html
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by Skippy13 » Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:22 pm
Thanks for your informative reply paxton.

I think going to do a masters degree would be my best option....along with doing some other core courses along the way. Would doing the degree via distance learning be suitable way of alleviating any concerns about my GPA? Provided of course I achieve a killer GPA score in that.

I dont want to take a year away from my business but I am keen to do the masters.

Please let me know what you think.

Many thanks
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by Paxton Helms - Kaplan » Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:18 pm
Greetings from Amsterdam where I'm making a connection to Africa. The Kaplan section of Beat the GMAT Never Sleeps!!

My only thought is that doing a master's and core courses may be slight overkill. You really don't want to have much overlap between your masters and your MBA so, if you do the masters, make sure that it is technical and not business in nature.

Other than that, I think your thinking is sound. This may sound odd, but try a few classes and if you like them and benefit from them then take some more; if not, try something else; you may even end up thinking that you don't want an MBA. In other words, dont' feel like you have to commit yourself to a process or plan now: jump in with a "trial and error" attitude and see what works for you.

Good luck and please do keep me in the loop. I've enjoyed working with you!

Paxton
Keep me in the loop about your thinking and let me know if you have any more questions.

Paxton



Paxton Helms is an MBA admissions consultant for Kaplan Admissions Consulting. He earned his MBA from UCLA and specializes in helping clients that are applying to top twenty and "reach" programs. He can be reached directly at [email protected].

To begin working with Paxton immediately, follow this link and request him specifically: https://www.kaptest.com/GMAT/Admissions- ... lting.html
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