To follow up on last week’s advice about GMAT preparation and timing, we wanted to offer some general comments about the role of academics in the admissions process. Although many applicants set out to obtain admission to business school with thoughts of the credentials they will hold and the network to which they will gain access upon graduation, it’s important to keep in mind the learning experience in which you will partake in the process of earning an MBA. Because a business school is, after all, an academic institution, it makes sense to begin your consideration of your profile by thinking about your academic aptitude and track record to date. Your performance in your educational endeavors up to this point will, naturally, be treated as a predictor of your success in business school.
While this is all well and good for applicants whose undergraduate GPAs and GMAT scores are close to the average of students at their target schools (about 3.5 and 705 for the top programs), things become a bit trickier for candidates who fall below the pack in both or either of these categories. Retaking the GMAT is always an option, but this becomes counterproductive after the first two or three attempts; and obviously there’s nothing to be done to alter one’s college marks after the fact. If the other aspects of your candidacy are strong and you’re only lacking in one of these two academic areas, an often effective strategy is to use an optional essay to acknowledge that one of these numbers is below the school’s average and assure the adcom that the other is the more accurate indication of your academic ability.
Meanwhile, applicants who fall short in both of these measures – as well as anyone who simply wants to strengthen his or her academic profile – should look into putting together an alternative transcript: a track record of As in quantitative coursework (i.e. basic classes in accounting, statistics, calculus and economics). These classes can be taken at any community college or even through an accredited online program. This is a particularly sound strategy for candidates who focused on the social sciences or humanities in college and do not have a record of demonstrated success in quant-heavy disciplines. Applicants can then point to this as a more recent and therefore more accurate reflection of their present abilities in a classroom setting. While one or two classes can suffice, keep in mind that the more classes one takes, the more convincing this argument becomes.
Of course, these are general guidelines about the ways that one might address a shortcoming in a single element of the admissions process. For a more detailed evaluation of your entire candidacy and more comprehensive advice about your applications, send your resume to info@clearadmit.com for a free initial consultation.
