So I recently got my gmat results.
I got a score of 760, my previous score was 720.
So I have a fairly normal profile,
23, Male Non EU
Gpa 3.02 Bcom hons. (International Finance)
CFA lvl 1 and ACA (UK) cleared.
1 year of FT work ex in fmcg sector as Financial Analyst
And few ECs and NGOs
I wanted to know if my Gmat score of 760 is going to compensate for my low GPA of 3.02/4.0 when applying at LSE or Oxbridge for Ms finance.
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Without an actual MBA from a top school, no sir
So i gotta get MBA before I apply for Ms finance?
I do not know what hoover means by his comment.
I can tell you this that in most instances GMAT can compensate for a low GPA. If your GPA falls in the lower 80% of the school's avg, your GMAT needs to be on the higher end of 80% at minimum.
The issue here is your selection of schools. Oxbridge and LSE - MSc Finance/MFE programs are academia heavy programs. In this case, they put a lot of emphasis on your GPA. Programs such as HEC-Paris and LBS MFA/MFIN programs put more weighting on your GMAT rather than GPA. You might have success with these programs instead with your GMAT and GPA.
At the end of the day, apply to all of these and see what happens? It's an investment for the future, couple hundred $$ spent on application fees won't hurt.
Was there any trend to your grades?
Yes. I improved alot in the final year. Another reason why my grades are low is bc of low score in two subjects Audit and tax. Albeit, my score in finance and related subjects were 4/4
Your GMAT will compensate somewhat for a mediocre GPA. Improvement in your final year will also help. But saying that your GPA is low because of low grades in two classes, doesn't help much. GPAs are naturally reduced by low grades in certain classes. Frankly for the schools you're aiming for, I'm not confident it's going to do be enough.
I went to Oxford MFin and this profile will definitely struggle to get in, high chances it won't. Most people in the MSc had very good GMAT (above 720) and top grades, 760 is better than 720 but low marginal gain in my view, it's a well rounded profile that gets you in. Oxford is also academic so they don't really care about work exp, LBS definitely will though. IMO you should hedge your chances and place Accounting & Finance at LSE as top choice for that school, so that you get preferred allocation and still a good programme. Would also try LBS (most likely to get you in because of work exp + they value GMAT), HEC Paris, Bocconi and some safety school of your choice, these are highly dependant on nationality.
Yep I'll go for LBS or Bocconi which are less gpa centric. Can you in brief on your profile, I'm just curious as to what profile at such schools look like.
I'm Italian. Did BSc in a no-name state school, graduated full grades cum laude. During BSc I did an exchange in Switzerland, summer school at LSE, and an internship at PwC in Transaction advisory. Got 740 on GMAT, participated in many extracurriculars like finance club, competitions, volunteered part time for 3 years for an NGO in a charity shop.
All in all I would say I had a well rounded profile, nothing spectacular on its own, just ticked many boxes they look for. One thing I didn't say when I applied is that I'm first generation and come from a very small town etc, which I guess would have been useful for diversity, Oxford is definitely lacking in "diversity" of background.
Be wary of Bocconi as the program is very academic and punishing, LBS would be the best one for you since you are not Italian
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