Mr. Low Undergraduate GPA

Hi Mr. Low Undergraduate GPA, Julie-Anne Heafey here at mbaMission. I think you know what the GPA hurdle is, and circumstances can certainly bring context to your performance, but at the end of the day, schools will also want to see evidence that you will succeed in their program. I’m a little uneasy whenever I see “(expected)” next to a GMAT score, but I think you know that this will be one important factor. I’d actually look to do more than that, however, with some additional, graded, quantitative/finance coursework, to show that you’ve turned things around. NYU actually offers a number of them online, and I’d look into that to improve your chances there…I find that can often get candidates more attention there. The other big issue here is your goals…I think you need to look into what it actually takes to get into the roles you’ve identified. MBB consulting is big on stats and academic performance, so my guess is that the adcoms will not find your target realistic. Can you find a role that leverages your skill base a little better? I’d steer you away from PE as well, unfortunately, at least at first. While an understanding of tech is helpful, this is a serious finance role that demands a good background in accounting and finance– most PE firms recruit from banking. It’s possible you could put banking as your next step, so you might look into that…but the low GPA will potentially be a hurdle there too. Ultimately I wonder if there’s not a better role for you out there that will leverage your tech expertise and yet be somewhat more achievable for your stated goals on your application. Nobody’s stopping you from trying to beat the odds once you’re in school, but to get accepted in the first place, you need to show that you’ve done your homework and demonstrated that you understand what’s realistic. Best of luck!!

Hi Mr. Low Undergraduate GPA, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. It sounds like you have an opportunity to knit a good story together. And I’m guessing your ball of yarn might give some explanation to your low GPA. Make sure you tell this story in the optional essay of the applications. So the combination of your GPA and GMAT score are to show that you can handle the academic rigor of the program. So getting a solid quant score here will help your chances. Maybe your ball of yarn kept you from getting involved in extracurricular activities – schools want to see community involvement so you will want to give insight here. Are there things at work you’ve gotten involved in that were outside of your role at work? These would be worth bringing up. MBB has been known to leverage test scores as a part of the interviewing process, so this is another reason a higher score is important. You have really targeted 2 of the most competitive roles to get out of school – and while this might be the right path for you – I’d want to hear more why. Sounds like you have a good grasp on finances – maybe some of this passion can play into your story – have you been investing personally? Helped others with financial literacy? Would love to see how the finance plays into your story. And PE jobs are tough to come by as well – good news is that consulting before MBA can be one of the recipes for success – but you will want to have some clear explanations as to where either of these options will take you long term. I like your group of schools that give you some reaches and some more likely. Assuming you hit your target GPA, weaving your compelling story is going to be the most important thing for you. Reach out if I can answer any other questions.