Extremely Low GPA, but other areas are strong

[Scott.Wachs]

Hello and thanks in advance for your response,
During my time in college I did not take academics as seriously as I should've because I spent most of my time working on music. Since i've graduated college I've worked full time as well as worked full time as a musician. At the University of Wisconsin I had a GPA of around a 2.2. However, I was very active in the school as well as in my music career. At this point i plan on attending business school because I am looking for a complete career change. Some of the schools I'm looking at include USC (Part time), Pepperdine, Fordham, Baruch, and Pace. I'm under the impression that a very strong Gmat score of 650 or above along with a solid resume and great recommendations will help combat my very low GPA. At this point I will be 6 years out of college. A lot of these schools I have looked at have average Gmat scores of around a 610. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

[mbamission]

Hi Scott, and thanks for your inquiry.

A 2.2 is definitely going to present some challenges for you. Definitely a good GMAT will help (and the higher the better in your case) and if you can start building an alternate transcript (taking night, weekend or online classes in rigorous subjects and doing well in them) that will also show the committees more recent academic success. Applying part-time gives you a little more flexibility as well, since the schools often have a broader range for what they accept for part time applicants. Yes, excellent recommendations, activities, and work experience will help, but the schools need to feel confident of your ability to thrive academically.

The other caution is your statement that you're looking to change careers completely. While schools do understand that a lot of their applicants are career changers, they still like to see a logical flow from what you've done to what you want to do. If you can think about transferable skills - what skills has your music career given you that may help in your future career (e.g. ability to deal with difficult conditions on the fly, ability to work with artistic temperaments, discipline and rigor, etc.) - then your personal statement should show how your future will build on your past, even if it's in a completely different field. (On our website, www.mbamission.com, there's a link to a free Personal Statement Guide that discusses this concept of logical flow).

Best of luck,

Jessica Shklar
mbaMission