Please help...which schools?

Which schools are you hoping to get into? You're probably going to end up with a GPA of 3.1-3.3 and a less-than-average to average GMAT score. Your internships and ECs aren't anything that is going to jump off the page to admissions. I would say you can go to a lot of schools that are fairly off the radar on this forum, but obviously nothing in the top 20-25.

Id advise working or doing something else prior to business school.

I'm looking for a Masters program for fresh graduates with less than one year experience. Any advice?

PM ANT

OP,

I would strongly recommend against applying to a masters program for fresh graduates as the degree that you will likely get will not be worth the paper that it is written on. You would likely benefit more greatly from working for 3 years, building a skillset/network and determining what it is that you are generally passionate about. Taking that work experience, involving yourself in the community and crushing the GMAT will allow you to greatly improve your chances of attending a more competitive program. Your current strategy sounds like a waste of time IMHO.

What is it you want to do with this degree exactly?

I go to a unknown/small university in a city with a population of 200,000. There aren't many opportunities in the area and it's tough to compete if I move to a bigger city. That's why my plan is a masters program that can offer me recruitment on campus/in the city.

It sounds like you've made up your mind about getting your masters immediately after undergrad, which I think anyone would tell you is a mistake. You need to think about which schools you would like to go to and look at their admission statistics. That will give you a good idea as to what your options are. I wouldn't count on going anywhere great because you'll essentially have a relatively weak GPA, average GMAT if it is 650, and absolutely no real work experience. Similarly, your hiring prospects out of B-school aren't going to be much better even if it's in a larger city because it will be a very lightly recruited school. Good luck.

Get Corp Fin or BB experience (2-3 years min), get 700ish on your GMAT and then give it a go.

Hi TheMailman,

If you wish to apply to good business schools then one of the prerequisites is having significant work experience. Generally candidates have around 4-5 years of full time experience in spite of several term time projects or jobs; so you may be competing with other candidates who have 4-5 years of full time experience and have started significant initiatives at college.

Hence, we would advise you to gain some full time work experience before you decide to apply for an MBA.

Also your GPA could be a hurdle so you should use the application’s section that allows students to elaborate on anything that you feel is important for the admission committee to know while evaluating

your candidature. Use this place wisely to explain and prove to the admission committee that your GPA won’t be an issue. If you can tell in your application about any extra classes or courses you undertook in the subjects that you did not do well. This would highlight your zeal to learn and improve and in turn improve your low GPA situation.

OP,

I was/ am in a very similar situation except with a sub 3.0 GPA, no internships and from a complete non-target. I woke up way too late in college, having made a lot of uninformed decisions prior to my senior year. I began to improve my profile as fast as I could.

Fortunately for you, there is still time. I wouldn't get down on yourself too much but take a real good look at what is it exactly that you want to do with a Master's degree, research how to get there and treat the "hole" you dug yourself in as a do-or-die situation. Not a day should pass by when you are not improving yourself. If you think you can only get 650 on the GMAT, aim higher. I had a similar goal but scored significantly better. For now, forget about a MBA degree, if you want to rebrand yourself go the Master's route, but again, don't go somewhere that won't improve your profile and give you a shot at picking up some small interships to get the ball rolling.

-Think about volunteering (abroad during breaks, at home, coaching kids, etc.) -Look into turning one of your interests/hobbies into a small, part-time business from home or online. -Join any clubs that cater to your career aspirations or involve mentoring/leadership skills. -Get your "story" down to every last detail and be ready to be questioned about this aspect. -Start networking right now (plenty of threads on this one)

The point is to dilute the impact of that low GPA by becoming a more well rounded candidate for a good Master's programme. Get closer to your professors, volunteer for them and talk to them about your situation. If your major GPA is significantly higher than your overall, use that to your advantage. Some schools place more importance on relevant coursework, some don't. Maybe add a related minor if it only takes one or two more classes? Are you fluent in any language other than English, even if your skills are only basic? If so, see if you can take a class to strengthen that. Are you an athlete? Emphasize anything that makes you stand out and any accomplishments (to an extent of course, no body cares about how you won that county fair hoe down in junior high).

If you are looking at rebranding yourself after UG by taking on a Master's program, ANT is the guy to talk to. If you get into a decent school with a good track record of placing its students, you might be able to start off small, network like your life depends on it, and take it one step at a time. Depending on what exactly it is that you want to do, it's most likely too late for a FO position straight out of UG, but how you come out of that Master's program is up to you. The point of a Master's for someone like you, assuming you come out of a non-target with no relevant experience and a below-average GPA is to rebrand yourself and get another shot at OCR. You need to show whomever will be evaluating you in the future, whether it's the admissions committee or an interviewer, a solid record of improving yourself as well as figure out exactly what you want to do, how to get there and above all, be genuinely passionate about your field of interest.

These are only some of my tips based on my experience. I went to a complete non-target, in a city of 15,000 people counting the student body. No internships, a GPA that would make you cringe and up until my senior year, no idea what kind of career fields existed in finance and what I EXACTLY wanted to do. I did everything mentioned above and more and after submitting only 3 applications the summer after graduation, and obviously not getting anywhere, I sent out 15 this year. So far I'm 2-4 and the schools I received offers from are well looked upon and have a solid placement record. I'm still in shock that I got in given their entry requirements but I wrote solid essays, provided great reference letters and showed a history of constant improvement coupled with some great athletic and leaderships accomplishments. Nothing out of this world, but I'm sure it made a difference. Still waiting to hear from the other 11, but I'm not slowing down. I'll use this summer to keep improving my profile from every single angle.

Don't let a day pass you by during which you haven't improved some aspect of yourself!

Good luck.