shitty GPA, high GMAT, great work exp = dinged at every top 10 b-school?
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on 4/8/07 at 8:44pm
how important is the GPA, relative to those other factors? would a candidate fitting this profile be screwed?





how shitty?
how shitty?
2.5-3.0, and not in a
2.5-3.0, and not in a difficult major like physics or CS
*edit: from a definite ivy-caliber school
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sorry to kind of jump in
sorry to kind of jump in here, but I was wondering pretty much the same thing, only a slight difference...
good work experience, high GMAT, possesses decent analytical skills, but GPA roughly 3.1 (engineering major from Ivy)? Can anyone, based on their experience, substantiate how heavily GPA is weighted relative to these other factors. And aside of that, in the application, how important are recommendations and essays as far as the admissions process is concerned? Thanks in advance.
Thats why they look at the
Thats why they look at the entire application. Obviously, a low GPA will hurt you, but I don't think it can kill you if everything else is great.
On the flip side, can a
On the flip side, can a fairly high GPA help somebody who is in the lower area of the 80% range for a school?
Forgetting about Essays (and interviews if applicable)
It's not necessarily a big deal having a low GPA, but you have to be able to spin it as part of a story as to why it won't happen again or it was an anomaly etc.
really, the essays are a huge part of the application process. If you get too focused on the numbers without making everything fit together in a nice, easy-to-understand, logical package then you run a risk of not getting in.
Sure, there a likely some automatic entries with super-high everything, but what distinguishes the people on the border or people with one thing against them is the ability to package your past, present, and future so that they think you are worth having at their school.
A lot of schools give you an extra essay to explain anything else you would like to. Well a good story about why your GPA was low is exactly the type of thing to fill in here.
Another mistake people make with essays is that they answer each question individually, rather than looking at the entire essay section as a whole. You don't want to repeat the same crap, the same work experience, etc. in each question. You don't want to contradict yourself. rather build upon it. Be consistent, but use each question as a chance to deepen and clarify your story.
I think this approach is also huge when interviewing.
In the end, plenty of people have good stats, but it's the packaging that gets it done.
thanks for the advice. much
thanks for the advice. much appreciated.
One of the things I
One of the things I witnessed in B-School is that folks with low undergrad GPA's that got into top 10 schools generally had more work experience (e.g. 5+).
Also, I had friends that got dinged multiple times and they kept reapplying. Persistence pays off.
e.g. a girlfriend was hard set on getting into University of Chicago, even after multiple dings. She started taking MBA level courses thru UoC's extension program and once she had 2-3 courses under her belt with decent grades, she applied yet again to UoC, finally got accepted and those courses ofcourse transferred toward her MBA...
Out of curiosity, what where
Out of curiosity, what where the "low GPAs" you guys are referring to?
....
Essays and work experience are the most important things. Period. GMAT should be 700+ to be safe, but higher is not necessarily better. My buddies with 770+ actually fared worse than my buddies with 700s.
I know a kid with a 620 GMAT who got into Wharton. I also know 2 kids with GPAs around 2.5 who got into Kellogg and Michigan.
The average GPA at the top schools is only around 3.4 to 3.6, so don't sweat it. And if you were an engineering major then GPA becomes irrelevant. Focus on essays, story, culture fit for the school, and your work experience.
Not to Worry
I think your work experience can cover up for your GPA, since it's more practical experience in the field.
I will be starting as an
I will be starting as an analyst in July so B-school is a few years away. However, as far as the experience is concerned, what are we talking about? Is it the job itself? How about experiences outside of work too? Considering the long hours, how do you stand out as being something more than a workaholic? What kind of activities outside of work allows you to stand out when applying for a MBA?
more gpa questions
I have an average gpa of 3.5 at a top 15 undergrad. However, it's been a roller coaster ride for me... lots of A's and but also some C's. Does that look worse than if I had mostly A-'s and B's? The average would still be the same.
My experience
I had a 3.3 in a medium difficulty major (Econ) from a mediocre school (Berkeley); 730 GMAT; 1 year consulting, 1 year misc. contract work, 2 yrs real estate PE, decent extracurricular (though self-centered, not community/feel-good).
I got dinged at every school I applied to (H/S/W, UCB, UCLA, MIT). My take: my GPA would bring down their average slightly, my GMAT, would raise their average slightly, and my work experience would make my expected post-MBA compensation in each school's average range. Therefore, I would have little impact on improving any of those schools' marketability. You have to bring something to the table that will help them make money.
Re: more gpa questions
I have an average gpa of 3.5 at a top 15 undergrad. However, it's been a roller coaster ride for me... lots of A's and but also some C's. Does that look worse than if I had mostly A-'s and B's? The average would still be the same.
If anyone gives you advice on this, they probably don't have a clue. In one phrase, "IT DEPENDS"...
If the courses you have A's are Calculus 3 and Astrophysics...but a C in English Composition it's probably no big deal. But if you're a weakling in the important classes they have prestige then hell ya it's an issue. Evaluate your tranny rationally and come up with your own opinion.
Re: My experience
Re: My experience
Bumping an old thread, but
Nikkisixx wrote: Bumping an
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis, you can't trust people Jeremy
Thanks Jorge. So during their
Hell no, this will sound
People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis, you can't trust people Jeremy
Silver Banana for you
Great post
If you are an analyst in NYC
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This topic has been beat to
"They are all former investment bankers that were laid off in the economic collapse that Nancy Pelosi caused. They have no marketable skills, but by God they work hard."
i think a good story could
Sorry to keep bumping this,