Mr. Travelpreneur

Hi, this is JP, Senior Consultant at The MBA Exchange. Your story sounds familiar, as I’ve helped many applicants with low GPAs get into top programs over the last 10 years, and assisted professionals from the travel industry in doing the same! The key success factor in your case will be tying all your background pieces together with a clear, inspired and tangible long-term vision. It will also be important to show the schools that you’ve done your research, i.e. which specific resources (classes, alumni, activities, etc.) at a given program will help you get there. There is plenty of opportunity to shake-up the travel industry, particularly on the sustainable side. A top MBA will surely equip you to have that broad impact. Be sure to have an expert with you as you navigate the career planning and application process, as it’s harder than it looks. Since reapplicants are generally held to a higher standard than first-time applicants, you must put your best foot forward the first time around! I’d be happy to share additional feedback and info, just email me at jpo@mbaexchange.com.

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission! While your GPA is low, rest assured that my colleagues and I have seen otherwise strong candidates overcome this hurdle by 1. doing well on the GMAT, which you have done 2. addressing the GPA in the optional essay, explaining openly the financial and health challenges that you had to overcome in college 3. Additional coursework – perhaps you can take a quantitative course (such as Statistics) that will not only help provide the AdCom additional reassurance of your academic abilities but also, give you a nice refresher before you enter the MBA program.

Regarding your goals: I nearly always advise candidates with entrepreneurial ambitions to think of those as long-term goals. So for your internship/post-MBA roles, think about what organizations will help you gain the skills and experiences you need for your eventual venture. You mentioned tech, which makes a lot of sense – think about the function that you feel would be the best fit with your interest and transferrable skill set, and communicate in each application companies of interest that have a relationship with the program you’re applying to.

You have strong impact at work and a good track record of extracurricular involvement, which will certainly serve you well. To maximize your chances of admission at a program that appeals to you, in addition to the above I’d apply to a range of schools (which it sounds like you’ve identified effectively, from Kellogg as a reach and IU Kelley as a safer choice), have your recommender attest to your intellectual rigor (which will further put to rest doubts about your GPA), and thoroughly research each program so that you can communicate your fit based on its culture and resources within and outside of the classroom. Hope that helps – best of luck!

Hi Mr. Travelpreneur, this is Donna Bauman with Stratus Admissions with comments on your profile. Your 730 GMAT is a big help in lowering the impact of the 2.68 gpa. But from what you wrote, you just need to provide some context in the optional essay from some of the challenges you faced during college and I think you will be remembered for your GMAT and not gpa. I have had clients with gpas in your range get even scholarships to top programs so don’t be too hard on yourself. You have great community leadership and some excellent work in aerospace industry. I think in these uncertain days the travel tourism startup idea right out of the gates could be an issue—so you might want to leverage some of your aerospace industry knowledge to help with the immediate post MBA goal and consider the travel start up as the longer term goal. I like Ross because of their extensive experiential learning. I also think that all the schools on your list could be possibilities. Consider adding programs on the coasts such as Anderson, USC and Stern or even CBS. I think you may find if you can apply in this extended R3 that you might find a program looking to beef up their GMAT stats and you’d fit nicely in there. So I encourage you to get busy and be hopeful because I see big things for you either in this R3 or potentially next year in R1. Get busy working on these applications now! I’m happy to offer further guidance on a free consult if you like.