hsWang

QUOTE:

以下是引用gzdavid在2009-1-17 23:40:00的发言：

Dear wang,

    I'm a forth year student studying marketing at a not famous university,and my GPA is about 2.9 without GMAT score(suppose it ranged from 650 to 700).But my last 2 years' GPA is above 3.5.The reason that my GPA is so low is that my first 2 years GPA is only 2.2,while after a lot of hard work my GPA in last 2 years finally soared to 3.5 as you can see.And I'm going to graduate this june.Can I apply top 20 or even top 10 USA b-school after working for 2--5 years? What category of corporate do I work for would really help my application?

    Thanks a lot!

 

Hi, thank you for your question.

 

Of course, you can apply to top 20 or even top 10 US MBA program. GPA won't be the major obstacle on your journey toward a top MBA. The adcom will fully understand your academic context if you can explain it well in optional essay. Some adimssion officers like to see applicants' academic performance in last two years, and almost all admission officers appreciate a rise-up performing curve. So no need to worry about your GPA. Anyway, I suggest you work about 3-4 years before applying an MBA. The longer you work, the less negative impact a low GPA will have on your application. As for choosing what type of company, it's up to your professional interest and your vision about your future. B-schools always emphasize the diversity of their student body. So, although consulting firms, I-banks, and fast comsumer companies contribute the majority of top MBA students, the key is how you can do well in your post and what impact you can achieve in your company no matter what industry it belongs to.

 

Best of luck with your future application!

H.S.Wang

momiji0626

what a wonderful place!

stubor

HSWang,

你好。请允许我用中文请教您一些问题。
国内著名大学本科毕业，GPA 3.5。德国大学化学硕士毕业，GPA 3.8。有两年半的著名咨询公司工作经验。今天刚刚考完GMAT，成绩不是非常理想（730）。
我想问的是：
1，鉴于今年严峻的形势，如果我要申请HBS和Wharton这两所我心仪的学校，这个GMAT分数会不会不够？
2，我申请的时候是应该更注重国内本科的GPA还是德国硕士阶段的GPA？
3，我的TOFEL成绩已经过期了，现在还需要重考么？

目前只想到这几个问题，还请您不吝赐教。谢谢！

hsWang

QUOTE:

以下是引用stubor在2009-5-25 20:16:00的发言：
HSWang,

你好。请允许我用中文请教您一些问题。
国内著名大学本科毕业，GPA 3.5。德国大学化学硕士毕业，GPA 3.8。有两年半的著名咨询公司工作经验。今天刚刚考完GMAT，成绩不是非常理想（730）。
我想问的是：
1，鉴于今年严峻的形势，如果我要申请HBS和Wharton这两所我心仪的学校，这个GMAT分数会不会不够？
2，我申请的时候是应该更注重国内本科的GPA还是德国硕士阶段的GPA？
3，我的TOFEL成绩已经过期了，现在还需要重考么？

目前只想到这几个问题，还请您不吝赐教。谢谢！

Hi Stubor,

It's my pleasure to anwer your questions.

1) Though the score of GMAT is viewed as one of the best predictors of academic success, admission officers of top MBA programs typically give only a 20-30 percent weight to the score alone. The more important factors are your professional background, your application essay, and your performance in interview. A score of 700+ is enough for getting into any top b-school, no matter it is HBS or Wharton. 

2) Your undergraduate GPA will be given more weight than your graduate GPA. However, since both your GPAs are high indeed and unable to change, I suggest you spend time and energy in where you can make real improvements.

3) I suggest you re-take the TOEFL ASAP. It seems that you are not eligible for a TOEFL waiver as Gemany is not an English-speaking country. But you'd better write to the admission office to have the right anwer. 

Best of luck with your application! 

H.S.Wang  

stubor

QUOTE:

以下是引用hsWang在2009-5-26 1:01:00的发言：

Hi Stubor,

It's my pleasure to anwer your questions.

1) Though the score of GMAT is viewed as one of the best predictors of academic success, admission officers of top MBA programs typically give only a 20-30 percent weight to the score alone. The more important factors are your professional background, your application essay, and your performance in interview. A score of 700+ is enough for getting into any top b-school, no matter it is HBS or Wharton. 

2) Your undergraduate GPA will be given more weight than your graduate GPA. However, since both your GPAs are high indeed and unable to change, I suggest you spend time and energy in where you can make real improvements.

3) I suggest you re-take the TOEFL ASAP. It seems that you are not eligible for a TOEFL waiver as Gemany is not an English-speaking country. But you'd better write to the admission office to have the right anwer. 

Best of luck with your application! 

H.S.Wang  

I really appreciate your help! Thank you very much.

Wish you a nice day!

toyou

不错的版

howard1127

Hi HSW,

i'm looking to apply to US top 10 MBA next fall, below are my stats, what do I need to do to overcome my weak gpa?

 

GPA: 2.6

GMAT: will take by year end (aiming 700+)

W/E: 3 years in top ibank as analyst, 2 years as trader/analyst in fund house (rank top 3 by morningstar out of 100+ funds within same category)

Professional title: CFA, CAIA

Post graduate degree:  Executive diploma in M&A, Graduate with Distinction

Extra Curriculum:  Co-founder and treasurer of student club back in uni. and volunteer experience

 

My biggest concern is obviously my weak gpa back in university, i had to work 2 jobs throughout university to help pay for tuition (work roughly 40 hours a week) and back then the thought of mba never crossed my mind.  I heard most grad school will ding applicants with low gpa, is there any way for me to go around it?  I still have 1 year before applying, what's your suggestion to strengthen up my resume further?

Do you see if i have any chance at all in getting into wharton, columbia, kellogg, MIT??

 

many thanks for your help!

 

hsWang

QUOTE:

以下是引用howard1127在2009-6-21 18:28:00的发言：

Hi HSW,

i'm looking to apply to US top 10 MBA next fall, below are my stats, what do I need to do to overcome my weak gpa?

 

GPA: 2.6

GMAT: will take by year end (aiming 700+)

W/E: 3 years in top ibank as analyst, 2 years as trader/analyst in fund house (rank top 3 by morningstar out of 100+ funds within same category)

Professional title: CFA, CAIA

Post graduate degree:  Executive diploma in M&A, Graduate with Distinction

Extra Curriculum:  Co-founder and treasurer of student club back in uni. and volunteer experience

 

My biggest concern is obviously my weak gpa back in university, i had to work 2 jobs throughout university to help pay for tuition (work roughly 40 hours a week) and back then the thought of mba never crossed my mind.  I heard most grad school will ding applicants with low gpa, is there any way for me to go around it?  I still have 1 year before applying, what's your suggestion to strengthen up my resume further?

Do you see if i have any chance at all in getting into wharton, columbia, kellogg, MIT??

 

many thanks for your help!

 

Thanks for your inquiry. Yes, a 2.6 GPA will be of concern to the adcom. But I never think a low GPA alone can lead to a "ding" decision.

There are many ways you can do to counteract the effect of low GPA and even turn it into an advantage that is appealing to adcom.
First, aim at a 700+ GMAT as you've determined. In adcom's eyes, GMAT is much more important than GPAs from a Chinese university.
Second, showcase your diploma in M&A with disctinction and professional certificates such as CFA.
And most importantly, use the optional essay to explain why you had achieved a 2.6 GPA. Tell stories here. Don't stay on pure, drab explanation. You should take it as an opportunity to strenthen your candidacy.

As long as you deal well with the GPA problem and turn out winning essays and interview, I am confident about your chance of getting accepted at W, C, K, M.

Good luck!

Best regards,
HS.W

howard1127

Hi HSW, thanks so much for the prompt reply, really appreciate it!

i just have one more question regarding extra-curriculum activities...

I read that adcom loves interesting stories in this part of the application, there are olympic athletes, secret agents, people who climbed mount everest, 28 year-old who built multi-million company....etc

If i'm competing with the top candidates from around the world, do you have any suggestions that perhaps there are things we chinese can do in the extra-curriculum category to make our application stand out?  (i have some thoughts on this part, and i'd be happy to discuss with you off line)

 

can we send pm here?

hsWang

QUOTE:

以下是引用howard1127在2009-6-22 22:31:00的发言：

Hi HSW, thanks so much for the prompt reply, really appreciate it!

i just have one more question regarding extra-curriculum activities...

I read that adcom loves interesting stories in this part of the application, there are olympic athletes, secret agents, people who climbed mount everest, 28 year-old who built multi-million company....etc

If i'm competing with the top candidates from around the world, do you have any suggestions that perhaps there are things we chinese can do in the extra-curriculum category to make our application stand out?  (i have some thoughts on this part, and i'd be happy to discuss with you off line)

 

can we send pm here?

Hi Howard, you're right. Adcoms always look for diverse and interesting people who will contribute something to the b-school communities, not just a group of analysts who know how to pick a stock. All top schools place a huge emphasis on "diversity". Equally important, telling interesting stories outside of workplace is needed to convey a clear picture of "who you are" to adcom. Such stories can help differentiate you from a big pool of i-bankers. Remember, you can receive "congratualtions" from adcom, not just because you're highly competitve as a future leader, but also because you are different, or you are unique as a person.

BTW: you're welcome to off-line discussion with me. But I suggest you contact Kathy who will help arrange a telephone conversation or a face-to-face meeting. She can be reached by telephone: 010-82864215 or MSN: liuxi_topway@hotmail.com

Best regards,
H.S.W