Overcoming a low GPA - 工管

Overcoming a Low GPA

Many applicants believe that a low undergraduate GPA will prohibit them from
getting into an MBA or other graduate school program. While having a solid
GPA is a positive indicator in proving your academic potential, it is just
one of many factors that the admissions committee will evaluate to determine
your ability to succeed in an MBA program. Below is a list of steps that you
can take to overcome this weakness on your MBA applications.

- Get a high GMAT score. Your GMAT score is the other primary indicator the
admissions committee will use to evaluate your intellectual capacity.
Therefore, if you have a low GPA the GMAT becomes even more important.

- Evaluate your college transcript. If you earned solid grades on key
business subjects, and poor grades on subjects not related to business, be
sure to highlight this distinction in your optional essay. If your grades
in key business subjects are weak, consider taking supplemental college or
online courses to prove your proficiency in these areas - this will show that
you do in fact have the ability to succeed in those subjects and are working
hard to improve yourself.

- Focus on extracurricular activities. While you may not have been focused
on studying in college, you may have had extensive extracurricular involvement.
In your essays and resume, be sure to clearly explain the extent of your
outside-of-class involvement, specifically highlighting leadership and teamwork
experiences.

- Write persuasive essays. Almost every MBA program allows you to write an
optional essay which is a great place to address the low GPA issue. This is
your opportunity to provide legitimate reasons why you did not achieve as
much as you should have due to circumstances such as family issues, illness,
transferring schools or switching majors. The optional essay should be direct
and brief, must not be full of excuses and it must have a positive tone.

- Support from your recommenders. The letters of recommendation are a key
element to overcoming a low GPA. A recommendation from a professor stating
that the applicant is very smart and that their GPA does not reflect their
true academic potential can be very powerful. Make sure you address this
issue with your recommender before they draft the recommendation letter.

Your past does not define your future. Keep in mind that admissions committees
are very pragmatic and are looking for people with strong future potential.
Subpar past academic performance will not automatically eliminate a candidate
from consideration if they can show that they have unique qualities and such
future potential. I have seen many candidates that did not have high GPAs
follow the steps above and gain acceptance into very good MBA programs,
including a candidate with a 1.9 GPA!


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You can find this article and many more on my blog at:

http://transcendadmissions.blogspot.com/2011/04/overcoming-low-gpa.html


David Johnston, Managing Director
Transcend Admissions Consultants
Mobile: +886-987-914-077
Email: [email protected]
www.transcendadmissions.com


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