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MBA Admissions News Roundup

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
  • How To Make or Break an MBA Admissions Interview- Adam Markus’ Blog gives b-school applicants some helpful tips on what not to do in an admissions interview. For example, Markus explains that surefire ways to blow your interview are: forgetting to review your resume and essay in advance, not researching the school before you meet your interviewer, and forgetting to prepare some good questions to ask during the interview. However, if you remember all these steps, dress appropriately and explain why the school is your first choice then you should knock it out of the park.
  • And You Think You Had a Hard Time Applying to B-School!- The Financial Times tells the story of a platoon leader, Aaron Perrine, applying to MBA programs while leading his troops in Afghanistan. After being accepted to Wharton, Perrine and a second-year classmate started the Wharton Veterans Club to help fellow veterans apply to b-school. As it turns out, veterans are great material for MBA programs and future employers because they “possess proven leadership skills, a solid work ethic and a team-player mentality.”  So while applying in the midst of a mission in Afghanistan isn’t easy, it’s good to know that being in the military can also help your chances of getting into b-school.
  • How Ethical Is Your B-School?- Poets and Quants reports that a survey of academics published in the journal Business and Society showed the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School are the “clear leaders in the field of business ethics.”  Harvard Business School was the third leading school listed, but the irony behind this honor is that both Wharton and Harvard graduates have played prominent roles in business scandals in the past year. Darden, on the other hand, has shown tremendous dedication to ethics with its Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
  • Kellogg is Shrinking- Poets and Quants reports that Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management has decided to accept 25% fewer students to its 2-year MBA program. Meanwhile, the school plans on doubling or even tripling the size of its one-year MBA program for business graduates. After doing a review the school discovered that its 12-month MBA program for students with an undergraduate business degree was more valuable than its 2-year program. The school will also expand its executive education courses in both Shanghai and San Paulo with partner schools, but it will not be launching additional degree programs abroad.

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MBA Admissions A-Z: E is for Essay

February 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

E is for EssayNext up in our MBA Admissions A-Z series is E for Essay, a topic on which we could very easily write an entire book. (Hey – we DID write an entire book. Scroll down for details.)

Here we are going to focus on 4 critical MBA admission essay mistakes. Make sure that your essays DON’T include any of these:

1.    Buzzwords

Try this on for size: “I plan on penetrating the B2C e-commerce bubble by starting my own synergistic company. Additionally, I want to lead empowering seminars about diversity awareness in the workplace for the human resources space.”

Unfortunately, creating an MBA application essay isn’t as simple as piecing together a string of keywords. Many applicants think that if they include industry buzzwords in their essays, then they’ll come off sounding like experts in the field. Recipe for success? More like recipe for disaster. Buzzwords don’t make you look smart; they make you look unoriginal. (Of course, you can use a few buzzwords when absolutely necessary. Just make sure they clarify and inform as opposed to confuse and obscure.)

2.    Grandiose Statements

Don’t merely discuss a value or belief; illustrate it. “I want to give back to my community.” Okay, thanks for the info…now tell me something else: HOW? Or WHY? When have you lived this value in the past? How do you plan on focusing your energy on helping your community in the future? Furthermore, why do you feel a calling to contribute to your community? Give me some details here!

Maybe this is what you meant: “When I was suddenly orphaned at 16 years old, my local church bent over backwards to help revive me and my twin brother after the paralyzing tragedy. The community members went beyond simply feeding and clothing us, by caring for us and loving us in the absence of our parents. Their boundless kindness inspired me to found my not-for-profit organization; it helps teenage orphans keep their heads above water after tragedy strikes by supplying material as well as emotional support.”

3.    Whining

Complaining about your application blemishes only draws attention to them. If you aren’t happy with your GPA, then take responsibility for your low grades, and if relevant, provide context that explains why you did poorly…and then move on. If possible, portray your liabilities as assets by discussing the ways in which you’ve grown from your experiences, or  point to times when you excelled in similar circumstances. But please, keep the tone mature. Nobody likes a crybaby.

4.    Typos

This is one of the most common MBA essay mistakes, and yet is also one of the easiest errors to fix. Rule of thumb: Don’t hit “Submit” until you’ve edited and proofread your application essays. For the best results, read your essay aloud so you can identify errors with your eyes, as well as your ears. And remember, the only thing better than one set of eyes and ears, are multiple sets. Have your mom, best friend, neighbor, co-worker, or Accepted.com editor help you identify and then fix all spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and stylistic blunders.

The Book of All Books, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, will lead you through the MBA admissions process beginning to end and includes lots of advice on how to approach the MBA essay writing process with examples. The book, written by Accepted.com founder and CEO, Linda Abraham, is succinct, but more in-depth than our short tips can ever be. Available on Kindle and in paperback.

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USC Marshall MBA Admissions Director Interview Available Online

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Popovich Hall at USC MarshallThank you to the USC Marshall representatives for an excellent admissions Q&A. They covered lots of important topics, offering tips on all aspects of the admissions process. Read the excerpt below to learn more about the culture at Marshall and what qualities the adcom members look for in applicants:

Linda Abraham: Art asks, “What strengths do you believe separate your school from some of the other MBA programs?”

Grace Kim: There are great programs out there, ours being one of them. Academically, any school that you go to, you will get a great academic education. So it’s really about fit – where do you fit culturally? What sort of experiences are you looking for as you are going to graduate school? I think that makes the difference as far as distinguishing factors from schools. Because when you go to an academic environment – a college, a graduate program – there are certain standards that everyone maintains to give you that type of education. But the other component is – what kind of network do you want to have? What type of culture? What type of experience? And that is what is unique from school to school.

So we always encourage our applicants, whether you are starting the application process or you’re thinking about schools, or even during the application process, to really go and visit the schools that you are going to apply to because that will give you a very good idea what the school is about and what the students are about. When we say teamwork and camaraderie, what are we talking about? How do people interact in class? What is the relationship between the professors and teachers? You will be able to get that kind of feeling and sense for the school when you actually visit. So we encourage our applicants to always visit the schools. Most schools have a visitation program. We certainly have one here; it’s called the Ambassador Program. Anyone can come Monday-Thursday. There is a morning class or an afternoon class, and a student will host you and take you around. They’ll give you a tour, answer any of your questions, and introduce you to the professors and other students so that you really get a feel for the school and what the unique characteristics of the school are. So we encourage you to do that. Feel free to call us any time in your application process to schedule an appointment.

You can view the full transcript or listen to the audio file here and see our blog post, USC Marshall Application Questions, Deadlines, & Tips, for more advice on how to optimize your USC Marshall application.

Still not sure if Marshall is the best b-school for you? Download Accepted’s free special report, Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One, now for valuable tips on choosing an MBA program based on your individual qualifications and experiences.

To automatically receive notices about these MBA admissions chats and other MBA admissions events, please subscribe to our MBA event list. To listen to the Q&A recordings on-the-go, please subscribe to the Accepted Admissions Podcast.

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Making the Most of an MBA Event

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

TopMBA ConnectThank you to Lizz Fitt, Product Manager of TopMBA Connect 1-2-1, for answering some important questions about Connect 1-2-1 events. In the coming weeks, Connect 1-2-1 will have events in Milan, Lisbon, Vienna, Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, Moscow, and Mexico City.  Visit Connect 1-2-1 online to see the complete schedule and register today!

Accepted: What is unique about the Connect 1-2-1 events?

Lizz: Connect 1-2-1 matches you with specific MBA programs for one-to-one meetings. We match according to your own study needs and to the entry criteria of the schools. The idea is to give you quality time to quickly and easily establish which programs are a good fit for what you want to get out of your MBA

Accepted: How should applicants prepare for your events?

Lizz: It’s a great idea to get some background knowledge on the schools you’re booked in to see beforehand, if you aren’t already familiar with them – this will mean you get more out of your sessions by being able to move on quickly from information that can be found online to the interesting stuff that isn’t so widely publicized. Then work out what’s important to you and prepare some questions that will enable you to gage whether or not a program can give it to you. And make sure you are able to explain why you want to do an MBA and what you intend to do with it afterwards – nothing impresses like a well thought through plan with clear objectives.

Accepted: What should applicants do to make the most of the event while they are there?

Lizz: To get the most out of these sessions, basic things like the way you present yourself are important – dress in business casual and be prepared to chat with some lovely people about your business education prospects. Networking with the other candidates in the waiting area is also a good idea – some amazing people attend these events!

Accepted: Is there any follow-up you would recommend?

Lizz: Definitely! Make sure you get business cards from the Admissions Directors from all the programs you are interested in, then stay in touch through your applications. A lot of schools run campus visits and breakfast meetings to help candidates through the process. These events are a great way to kick-start a really positive rapport, enabling you get the information you need quickly, while making a good impression.

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The President Wrote My Letter of Recommendation!

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

President's Day“Wouldn’t that be great. I’m in!”

Or are you?

On this President’s Day, let’s think about it: Would a letter of recommendation from President Barack Obama, POTUS himself, ensure your acceptance?

I’m sure a letter from President Obama would get passed around the admissions office. That presidential seal and signature (even if from a machine) would be an eye catcher, but is it equivalent to “I’m in!”

How about from a past president? Maybe a senator? Or governor? The president of a Fortune 500 company? Maybe Mark Zuckerberg? Would he do it?

Actually, the title after the author’s name doesn’t matter nearly as much as the substance above the signature. Can the author, whatever his or her title, talk from personal experiences about your character when answering  the questions posed in a recommendation form or in writing the typical letter of recommendation?  If the recommender doesn’t have that personal perspective, can’t bring detail and example to the letter, the title may be a curiosity, but no more. That VIP letter could be less effective than a detail-filled letter from your twenty-something team lead who writes with specific examples and persuasive substance about your contribution to her organization.

Now if President Obama were to write about:

  • The difference you made to his campaign or your contribution to nabbing Osama bin Laden,
  • Your ability to organize his brilliant social media campaign,
  • An example of integrity, or
  • Your initiative during the budget ceiling crisis.

Then you would have an extraordinarily powerful letter of recommendation. However if he (or his third secretary twice removed) just wrote a general, flowery ode to how wonderful you are with no specifics, it would be no value. It would just be a shiny seal and sig.

Of course if your team lead wrote about:

  • Your contribution to the team and the difference you have made to the bottom line.
  • Your ability to organize a social media campaign or just about anything else of significance.
  • An example of integrity.
  • Your initiative and cool during a crisis.

You would also have a compelling letter of recommendation.

So on this President’s Day, keep in mind that a powerful letter of recommendation is much more about substance than station, personal insight than position, examples than eminence.

Linda AbrahamBy Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and author of MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.

The Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog covers the college, MBA, medical school, law school, and graduate school admissions scene. You’ll find everything from testing tips, essay advice, and interview guidance to rankings. Subscribe now!

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Considering Cambridge: Judge MBA Admissions Q&A This Week!

February 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Cambridge Judge MBA Admissions Q&AJoin us for an interactive Q&A on Thursday, February 23, 2012, at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM UK, during which Conrad Chua, Head of MBA Recruitment & Admissions at Cambridge’s Judge Business School, will be available to answer all your Judge admissions questions. For example, what is it like to study at one of the world’s best universities? What financial aid opportunities are available for international students? How does a European MBA differ from a degree from an American or Asian institution? And finally, is Judge’s one-year curriculum, focus on consulting projects, and emphasis on business fundamentals the right fit for your needs? This in-depth Q&A will give you the chance to get the answers you need to determine if this top business school is the right place for you.

Register now to reserve your spot for the Cambridge Judge MBA Q&A.

What time is that for me? Click on the link to find out the exact time for your location.

Check out this 3-minute video to hear the Cambridge Judge MBA Class of 2011′s first impressions and what they’re looking forward to most.

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Last Chance to Submit R3 Successfully and Save $100!

February 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Applying Round 3Want to know how Accepted.com can help you gain acceptance to your top choice MBA or EMBA program during the final phase of this year’s admissions cycle AND put $100 back in your pocket?

For the next TWO DAYS you can get the assistance you need to create Round 3 applications that portray you at your very best, and save $100!

View our catalog of MBA and EMBA Admissions Services, choose the package that works best for you, and enter coupon code R3100 at checkout to receive your $100 discount.*

Hurry – the sale ends on Monday, February 20, 2012!

*Sale applies to non-rush purchases of $1200 and more.

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UVA Darden Current MBA Student Interview

February 17, 2012 By 1 Comment
Current UVA Darden Student Interview

Meet Jeffrey, current UVA Darden student and Consortium member

Accepted.com is continuing a blog series featuring interviews with current MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. We hope to offer you a candid picture of student life, and what you should consider as you prepare your MBA application.

Here’s a talk with Jeffrey Love, a student at UVA Darden who provides a window into student life in Charlottesville, his thoughts on Darden’s case study method of instruction, and advice on how to apply to Darden and the Consortium successfully. Thank you Jeff for sharing your thoughts with us!

Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself – where are you from? What and where did you study as an undergraduate and when did you graduate?

Jeff: I am from Huntsville, Alabama. I matriculated at Alabama A&M University, where I majored in accounting. I graduated summa cum laude in 2006. After obtaining my Bachelor’s, I attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to pursue the Masters of Accountancy. I graduated from UAB in August 2007 and after graduation, sat for the CPA Exam (which I passed).

Accepted: Why did you decide to attend UVA Darden? Which other programs were you considering and what tipped the scales to favor Darden?

Jeff: I was admitted to other top business schools, but I chose to attend Darden because Darden had a reputation for being one of the toughest business schools in the country and because I believe in the experiential learning that the case method provides. Darden has a rigorous first year curriculum and I knew that after graduating from Darden, I would be very prepared for whatever career I pursued. The other schools that I considered attending were HBS, Duke, and Booth, but I ultimately chose Darden because of its reputation of preparing students to become hardworking, principled leaders.

Accepted: What are some of your favorite things about living in Charlottesville?

Jeff: Charlottesville is a nice, small college town. I never had the college town experience so that I appealed to me about Charlottesville. Furthermore, I wanted to attend a college town that required students to connect with one another on social level as well as an academic level. In some of the other schools that are located in bigger cities, students do not interact with one another outside of the classroom because they have so many options of other things to do. Charlottesville forces you to interact with your classmates socially, which fosters long-term friendships.

Accepted: Darden is well-known for utilizing the case-study method of instruction. Is that something you had sought out specifically when choosing b-schools to apply to? Is it a learning method that you’re enjoying? What surprised you about the reality of this teaching method?

Jeff: As I mentioned earlier, the primary reason I decided to attend Darden was the case method. I knew that the case method would be an interesting and unique way to learn. However, I underestimated the full extent of the learning process. I have been pleasantly surprised by how intense the classroom setting is when you openly discuss and debate business issues with your peers. Additionally, the case method requires disciplined study habits because students must come to class fully prepared to discuss the cases. The case method always keeps the students captivated because the topics build on one another and each day you leave out of class feeling enriched because of what you have learned.

Accepted: What’s your favorite class so far?

Jeff: I have enjoyed each of my classes, but my favorite class has been economics. This class has really expanded my knowledge on macroeconomic events and has provided me with the fundamentals to assess the current state of the economy and start thinking about ways to improve the economy. I am still surprised at how much more comfortable I am when reading current news sources like the Wall Street Journal because of the increased fundamentals that we have covered in our economics class.

Accepted: Do you have an internship lined up for the summer? If so, what role did Darden play in helping you secure that position?

Jeff: This summer I will be interning at Wells Fargo Securities as a summer associate in investment banking. Darden has a great career development office and alumni base. Our career advisors and the Darden alumni were very instrumental in me obtaining my summer internship. The career advisors and Darden alumni held mock interviews and held review session to help students prepare for investment banking interviews.

Accepted: Do you have any advice for some of our applicants who will be applying to UVA Darden?

Jeff: Students interested in applying to Darden should start early working on essays and taking the GMAT. The Darden admissions department is looking for students who can demonstrate that they have a history of leadership and students that have a plan for their future. Students who qualify for the Consortium should strongly consider applying through the Consortium.

Accepted: What attracted you to the Consortium? Is the program living up to your expectations?

Jeff: I was initially attracted to the Consortium because of their mission to reduce the underrepresentation of minorities in both the top MBA programs and the ranks of management resonated with me. The Consortium also simplifies the application process by allowing students to apply for multiple business schools with one application. I was fortunate to receive the Consortium Scholarship to Darden, which has allowed me to focus on my classwork without worrying about how I would pay for school.

Accepted: Can you share some application tips for other students applying to business school through the Consortium?

Jeff: My advice to any student interested in applying to Darden through the Consortium is to apply to Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). MLT is an organization that equips talented minorities with coaching throughout the business school application process, provides early exposure to admission officers, and allows fellows to reflect on their past and properly plan for their future through a detailed curriculum. Any candidate that becomes an MLT fellow before applying to the Consortium will be fully prepared for the application process.

Please visit our UVA Darden B-School Zone and Consortium Zone for more Darden- and Consortium-specific advice. For complete, soup-to-nuts guidance on the MBA admissions process, please purchase Linda Abraham’s new book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools – now available in paperback and Kindle editions!

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MBA Admissions: Dartmouth Tuck and Management Consulting

February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dartmouth TuckThis post about Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, focusing on management consulting, is part of a series of interviews about top MBA programs called “MBA Career Goals and the B-Schools that Support Them.” Please subscribe to our blog to ensure that you receive all the interviews exploring the elements at each school that support career goals in finance, consulting, general management, entrepreneurship, marketing and more.

Here is the interview with the Career Development Office at Tuck.

A quick glance at Tuck: The oldest graduate business school in the nation, Tuck offers only one program: a full-time MBA.  Known for its small scale (each year Tuck enrolls just 250 students in its incoming class) and personalized atmosphere, Tuck currently has the 4th highest average starting salary and bonus among the business schools ranked in US News & World Report (March 2011).  About 30% of Tuck graduates go into management consulting careers.

What kind of background and skills do you like to see in applicants expressing interest in a career in management consulting?

Many consulting companies are used to hiring people from a broad variety of backgrounds, so it is not essential to have a certain career background. If you think about the competencies required to be a good consultant, you can imagine that people who are able to show evidence of these competencies in their past experience will be well positioned. Common competencies include the ability to work well in teams, to influence other people, to work comfortably under pressure and with ambiguous information, to achieve and to have impact. Entrepreneurship is another sought-after skill. If you think about a consulting company, it is a collection of partners who bring in business. Therefore if you are somebody who has already demonstrated that you can build a business then that puts you in a good position. Finally, if you look at many of the people who work as management consultants, they possess a certain level of self-confidence that enables them to walk into a new company, pick up the basics, and then give advice. I think having that innate self-confidence (without arrogance) is a key predictor of success in getting a job in consulting.

What aspects of your curriculum do you feel are best suited to students who want to eventually pursue a career in management consulting?

Tuck does very well with management consulting recruiting for a number of reasons. Firstly, I believe it attracts the type of people who will do well (see above) – people who like to work collaboratively, who are intellectually curious, who can build trust-based relationships. Secondly, the curriculum is well-suited to this type of career. Tuck’s first year core is incredibly rigorous, so that by the time students have gone through that there really aren’t any major gaps in their skillset, so they can confidently tackle a consulting internship knowing they have the fundamentals under their belt. Then there are certain technical skills that many consultants rely on, for instance being very capable with PowerPoint and Excel, and Tuck has excellent hands-on classes in both these areas.

There are also many opportunities during the two years to do actual consulting projects, for instance the First Year Project is a capstone of the first year, and is a real project, solving a problem for a real company. Another course that springs to mind is Consulting Project Management, which is literally a 6-week simulation of a consulting project. For this we have guest lecturers who come from a variety of consulting companies, for instance we’ll have a senior partner from McKinsey come and talk about the challenges of implementation. At the end of the course, students present their findings to a panel of ‘clients’ in a very realistic setting.

Finally, we have Tuck Global Consulting – this is where a client company will pay for a student consulting group (with expert faculty oversight) to come and do a consulting project in a global setting. This is a fantastic way to get both global exposure and also real-world consulting experience.

Which school clubs and extra-curricular events are most relevant to people interested in management consulting?

There’s the Consulting Club, which is very active and which really leads the charge during the fall, when students are learning about the industry, and learning about how to succeed in consulting industries. There are more extra-curricular events available than any one student could take advantage of. Some of these might be leadership opportunities, for instance to lead a club, or a conference. There are opportunities to do a consulting project for a local company, to sit on the board of a local non-profit, to do volunteer work in the community. There are also the many recruiting events that consulting companies put together. Shortly after you arrive at Tuck, you will have many opportunities to get to know all of the major firms at company briefings, wine tastings, individual office hours, visits to their offices in Boston and so on.

Since management consulting is a very broad term, can you break down some of the sub-categories in the field that Tuck excels in?

The largest recruiters at Tuck are the traditional management consulting companies like McKinsey, Bain, BCG and their peers. We also do very well with healthcare consulting, and students who arrive with a background or passion for that area have a wealth of options in terms of who they might like to apply to. I think we also do well with ‘niche’ companies, because with a small company you want to make sure you’re getting someone who is going to be a good fit, and Tuck students tend to be very collegial.

With smaller firms I think there’s a natural focus on those who are located in the Northeast, and within that I can certainly think of good examples in telecom, energy, investment analysis (due diligence), market analytics. Finally, there are many great companies that have internal consulting groups, and these recruit strongly at Tuck. Global companies like Samsung, Siemens, British Telecom, Fidelity, as well as the global pharma companies, all have very strong internal groups that provide the intellectual stimulation and team atmosphere of traditional consulting within the ‘home’ of a parent company.

Which management consulting firms recruit the most Tuck graduates?

Tuck’s top hiring organizations include: McKinsey & Company, Amazon, Bain & Company, Citigroup, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Barclays Capital, and Boston Consulting Group.

Related Resources:

Thanks to the Tuck Career Development Office for granting us this interview.

Eliot SloanBy Eliot Sloan, Accepted.com editor.  Eliot is a college writing professor specializing in the personal narrative, journalist, writing coach, and admissions counselor. She has helped applicants gain acceptance to Ivy League schools and other top programs.[hs_action id="3933"]

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How MBA Adcoms Evaluate Your GPA

February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The GPA in MBA Admissions“But my undergrad school was highly competitive!”

“But I worked 20 hours a week during college!”

“But I was a varsity athlete at a Division I school.”

“But even though it took me a couple of years, once I got it together I made dean’s list every semester!”

“But my PhD GPA was 3.9…”

So wail MBA applicants who fear their applications will be doomed by a poor undergraduate GPA.  Behind every GPA is a story.  Often it’s a story that arouses frustration, confusion, uncertainty, and even anguish on the part of applicants, as responses to Linda Abraham’s recent Poets & Quants article revealed.

Undergrad GPA is important, to understate things.  BUT adcoms view your GPA (like the rest of the application) holistically.  Not just low GPAs, but all GPAs.  What does that mean exactly?

First, no matter how well or how poorly your GPA represents your actual ability, the adcom will consider it and take note of it in reviewing your application.  You cannot, by convincing explanations or subsequent courses, erase a low undergrad GPA from adcom consideration.  You can at most mitigate it, sometimes substantially.

Second, the adcom will examine the context of the GPA.  They can see some aspects of that context automatically (like rigor of courses and school) but not others unless you tell them (like pneumonia in sophomore year), usually in an optional essay.  They will see whether the GPA trends up (good) or down (a problem that might need explaining), they will see from elsewhere in your application whether you were working during school and/or participated in a lot of activities, etc.

They will draw some conclusions from this contextual review.  For example, if you worked, they’ll probably assume you had to, and so will be less likely to hold against you time management challenges that weren’t necessarily your choice.  If, like some of my amazing clients, you started college in the US barely knowing English and struggled for a year or two until your passion and ambition propelled you to the dean’s list, that’s a story to tell in the optional essay – you can’t assume the adcom will know you overcame rudimentary language skills.  If they see lots of activities, they’ll note the positive aspects (sociable, contributor) and the possible negative aspects if your GPA was low (less than great time management and prioritizing).  Trending up – probably a kid still growing up; most likely the last two years are more representative.   They’ll also note things like change of academic focus (he really improved once he switched his major from physics to East Asian Studies).

Part of your job in writing your application is to anticipate and envision the context the adcom sees for your GPA and fill in gaps.  For example, if an overabundance of activities undermined your grades, you can show in your essays how you subsequently learned to better manage your time while maintaining your vibrant community involvement.

Moreover, good GPAs are not just given “check OK” from the adcom.  They actually review your transcript. An otherwise strong GPA that has one C in your only quant course could raise an eyebrow.  So could a GPA that starts very strong and trends down – even if it’s solid in aggregate.

Post-undergrad efforts also shape the context of your undergrad GPA.  A strong GMAT, demanding professional certifications, an “alternate transcript” of courses to demonstrate academic capability and counter a low undergrad GPA, and/or a strong grad school GPA all will help to mitigate a low GMAT – but, again, they will not  erase it from your profile.  They will have other positive impacts though, such as showing commitment and maturity.

The adcoms’ use of context in evaluating GPA means ultimately there is no one formula applied.  It’s nuanced, unique to the candidate, and qualitative.  Try to see your GPA in their eyes to determine (a) do you need to provide context for your performance, (b) should you take steps to mitigate the GPA like additional courses, and (c) does your GPA in its holistic context enhance your candidacy at a given school.

Cindy TokumitsuBy Cindy Tokumitsu, author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last thirteen years with Accepted. She can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses and develop a winning MBA admissions strategy.[hs_action id="3903"]

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