Ask MBA Admissions Expert

If you received low marks in important quantitative subjects, you can take classes now and perform well to prove your abilities.  Calculus is the most important class.  After that I would suggest Accounting and Statistics.

Q) I am from India. I have average academic score in schooling and in graduation. (59.2%). I am worried about my low academic performance. I would like to know whether this will create difficulties in getting admission to top Canadian and US universities. How I can compensate this. I have 8 years of experience in project Management, now working as a senior project coordinator. What needs to be done to get admission?

Stacy Blackman: Yes, a low GPA can make it more challenging to gain admission to a top school.  Here are some things that you can do to mitigate this risk:

1) How did you perform in quantitative subjects specifically?  If you received low marks in important quantitative subjects, you can take classes now and perform well to prove your abilities.  Calculus is the most important class.  After that I would suggest Accounting and Statistics.

Q) I am a PHP Web developer with 4+ years of experience. I would like to pursue MBA in US or UK. Please suggest if it is a good idea to go for MBA.

Information about my work experience: My company is not a CMM level company. I had been here for 1.5 years and working as a Team Lead (with 4 team members). I know that MBA might not boost my career opportunity, but I would like to change my entire career path. I am very much interested in doing MBA as I am not satisfied in my career right now and I need to change my career path ASAP.

I would like to give GMAT in Aug 2012 ( I am getting 710 in GMAT practice tests). Please suggest me of any course or any improvements I need to do (starting from now) in order to get into MBA. Please suggest my chances of getting into top universities in US.

Q) I've read that extra-curricular activities (ie. leadership via community involvement) is an important part of the assessment. As a consultant/auditor I have little time for activities outside of work, however I have good leadership experience of many teams in the work environment. Could you comment about the weight placed on community involvement in the application process?

I am currently working with International IT MNC in telecom domain with 4+ years of experience, majorly in Project Implementation. If I want to retain my same line of professional what kind of MBA suits me. Also, what are the other options for me?

Find out what the team at GyanOne has to say!

"You can successfully research MBA programs by using the following characteristics: Program format, Academic offerings, Faculty, Initiatives, Field studies, Cross-registration opportunities and Clubs"

Each one of my clients asks me this question as they begin to write the “Why Business School?” essay that most MBA programs require.

"According to a Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) study, enhanced skills is a top reason applicants pursue the business degree"

Ten years ago, the question on everyone’s mind was, “Am I too young?” Back then, the more experience the better…the older the better…

F1GMAT: How do you go about finding the right MBA Program?  

Lee Milligan(Copenhagen Business School) : The answer can be found in one word “research”.  You will be investing a huge amount in an MBA program; financially, time-wise and career-wise.  It is therefore vital for you to do as much personal research as possible to make the right choice for you.  In the MBA industry this is often know as the correct “fit”. 

Kavita Singh: Thanks for the question! Recently more top universities have started to offer a Masters in Management program, and so this question is now becoming a more popular question amongst potential applicants.

As most of you know, if you are looking to get an MBA abroad from a leading institution then you need, on average, about 4-5 years of work experience. Of course, you can still go ahead and apply if you have 2-3 years of work experience – and if you are a strong applicant you will be successful. Some Business Schools, such as Harvard, are also encouraging younger applicants. However, few MBA programs accept applicants with no work experience

Read the Complete Answer

Stacy Blackman: Most candidates we speak with wonder which round they should apply to. Planning your application schedule obviously requires that you know your deadlines. Schools will generally announce their deadlines over the summer months. While every school is different, most schools have a number of deadlines, known as “rounds.” Deciding in which round to apply can certainly complicate your planning. Frequently, the first deadline, round 1, will take place in the Fall, the second deadline, round 2, in the Winter, and the third deadline, round 3, in Spring. For each round there is a full admissions cycle and a unique set of notification dates. There are exceptions to this all over the place with some schools having fewer or more rounds and many variations on dates. That said, when faced with several different options, applicants want to know: “which round is the best round in which to apply?”

For many, there is a frenzy involved with trying to submit applications in round 1. So much so that you might wonder what the other rounds are for. If everyone needs to submit applications in round 1, who exactly is being admitted in round 2? The answer: a lot of people are admitted in round 2, and if your application is not ready, you should not be afraid to slide to round 2.