GPA low & high GMAT

[dapplegate]

I'm in the Houston area and would like to get into an MBA school better than UH. Possibly Rice, UT Houston, Tulane Houston, etc. (anything better is good!).

My low GPA in college, in my opinion, had little to do with my potential. Basically, once I met the requirements of my first year, 3.25, to get into the business school, I was somewhat "lazy". I actually had a 3.5 at the end of my freshman year.

My "upper level" grades average to around 2.6 while my overall GPA is 2.83.

Can a high "for me" GMAT, 700, get me into one of those schools listed? If not, what should I do?... should I create an "alternate transcript"?

Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

[mbamission]

Thanks for your question. Many applicants have a weakness in their profiles. However, several weaknesses can have a negative impact on your competitiveness. I would recommend that you compare your GPA with the average GPAs of your target schools. If you are significantly below the average, then you need to show that you can handle a rigorous b-school curriculum.

You are definitely thinking about the right things. Yes....you should create an alternative transcript. Taking courses like calculus, finance, and/or statistics (and earning A's!) would help show that you are capable of succeeding in an academic environment. If you achieve a high score on the GMAT, that should help as well.

You will have an uphill battle due to your low GPA, so you should focus on making all other aspects of your profile as strong as possible.

I hope this helps!
Monica Okrah
mbaMission