Lower GPA Top Schools

[benjamin.palmore]

Hi -

I live in the Chicago area and would love to go to a Booth or Kellogg but I'm concerned about my undergrad GPA. My GPA from Marquette University was 3.2 with majors in Economics/Intl Business and minors in Spanish and Finance. But I know that's got to be on the low end of both of those schools ranges.

Now that being said - I'm doing fairly well in the GMAT prep courses and I'm hoping that a good GMAT 700+ coupled with a good interview (hopefully :)), strong letters of recommendation, great work experience (both professionally and on the board of an NFP) might offset the less than stellar GPA.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[mbamission]

Hi Benjamin,

A lower GPA can certainly be offset by those factors you mentioned, but it's all on a sliding scale. A 700 is not going to make up much ground on your GPA at Kellogg and Booth, but a 3.2 is not a bad place to start with either. And great work experience can certainly trump a bad grade from several years ago, but the key is to explain why it's so great, and how you demonstrated leadership in your jobs.

Best of luck!
Daniel Richards
http://www.mbamission.com

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