How important is Academics for getting into a top Business School?

Does the entry criteria especially academics play a big part in getting into a top Business School? We have heard instances of MBA candidates getting into top B-Schools despite low GMAT or GPA. What experiences encourages MBA Admissions team to look beyond Academics?

Kavita Singh: I often people ask how an academically strong candidate could have gotten rejected from a top business school. While applying for an MBA school, there are multiple criterions, based on which one’s application and credibility as an applicant is verified and taken into consideration. While every applicant is aware of the fact that academics would play an important part in the application process, not everyone knows how much is the actual importance and weight age given to the various factors? We try to provide some quick & valuable answers here as to how admissions committees view your academic history:

1. 3 year vs. 4 year degrees: There is often a debate/doubt over the significance of and difference between a three or a four year undergrad degree when applying to a business school. Here is some clarification- international candidates must have a college-level education equivalent to a 4-year American undergraduate or baccalaureate degree (the same as a first university degree). There are a number of universities around the world, particularly in India that offer 3-year undergraduate programs. Keeping in mind this difference in education systems, many international universities have now started accepting the 3 year Indian degree as an equivalent to the 4-year American undergraduate or baccalaureate degree. A good example of this is that of Michigan University that recently joined a now growing list of institutions accepting the 3 year Indian undergraduate degree as being equivalent to a 4-year American undergraduate or baccalaureate degree for their MBA programs. We even made a small post about it at the time the news came out. You can read it here. However, there still remain a handful of B-Schools that do not accept the 3 year degree for their MBA admissions. A prime case in point here is the Berkley School of Business, which still requires a 4 years bachelor’s degree. It’s also important to note that the list of requirements clearly state that the applicant must not have obtained an MBA or comparable degree from another institution at the time of application. Therefore, an Indian applicant with a 3 year under graduate degree aspiring for Berkley needs to add at least one more year of post high school education to their resume while ensuring that the qualification isn’t an MBA or equivalent degree.

2. Brand name/strength of undergrad institution: It does help the cause if a person happens to be from a premium undergrad institution, because the reputation of the institution they are from strengthens their case. One must keep in mind though, that approaching the application process with over-confidence due to being from a top brand undergrad college may work adversely for the candidate. So, while the brand name helps, a lot also depends on how you did college and what activities you participated and excelled in. However, a candidate whose college name isn’t such a well known brand can still do well if they showed how they went ‘above and beyond’ at college. They can also hope to leverage the brand of their employer in the work experience section. We will be talking about this more in one of the following blog posts.

3. GPA Score: GPA, or Grade Point Average, is the globally accepted score which is mandatory at all top B-schools, and is usually provided by your college if you studied in the U.S.  However, in some countries, as is the case with some colleges in India, GPA scores are not provided to graduating students.  However, in such cases B-schools will take the percentage provided in your mark sheets and then convert those into a GPA by taking into account the course, overall grades, average grades across the student body, and credit hours. Traditionally, a good GPA score is around 3.5, so, once you do the conversion and realise you have something around this, you’d know that you are in the running for a good B-school. There are a few sources available online where you can get this conversion done yourself as well. For example, the WES GPA calculator; it’s a simple and effective GPA score calculator provided by the World Education Society. Interested applicants may also order an online evaluation report and other transcripts from them by filling the report request form available on the WES website.

It is important to note that admissions committees will not only look at your GPA but also the strength of your institution and evaluate both together. Furthermore, a low GPA can be overcome and there are several strategies you can use to address this.

4. GMAT Score: Another essential for getting into a top grade B-school is cracking the GMAT. A decent GMAT score for an Ivy League or Ivy League equivalent school is about the 700 mark. Here’s a look at the GMAT averages for some of the top B-schools –

Wharton Business School: 715
Sloan Business School: 706
University of Chicago: 714
Berkeley: 718

One must remember that this needs to be complimented it with a good GPA score. Also, if you have taken the GMAT a number of times, make sure that you put in the scores of all your GMAT attempts. Schools are generally interested in knowing what is the highest that you can get, and often consider your best GMAT score from among the options. Therefore, whether you’re someone who is preparing to give the GMAT for the first time, or if you have given it a few times but have not achieved your desired score- consulting a GMAT preparation professional service may be good idea. However, a word of caution is required here too, as there are various GMAT preparation centres and consultants out there and not all of them all credible. So, if you plan on going for consulting/preparation services then do you research well and take inputs online from those who were able to ace the test after taking professional help.

Related
Veritas Prep has helped more than 20,000 students maximize their GMAT scores with proven GMAT Curriculam. F1GMAT Recommends Veritas Prep GMAT Courses.

5. Overcoming a low GMAT score: While a high GMAT score works in your advantage, a low score needn’t necessarily be the end of your hopes. The GMAT exam is intended to measure the specific academic skills needed for business school and a low GMAT score will raise questions on whether or not you will be able to cope with the academic rigor required in an MBA program. However, if you can convince the admission authorities that have the qualities to help you excel in the MBA and tackle the challenges it presents then you can overcome this hurdle. For example, if you have a lower than desired GMAT score think about other things in your academic background or in your professional experience that can help to demonstrate the skills that the GMAT is trying to test.

Additionally, if your work experience is exemplary and your GPA and undergraduate institution is strong then even a low GMAT score can be overcome. Here are a few examples of average GPA scores in some top B-Schools.
 
Stanford: 3.6
Columbia: 3.5
University of Chicago: 3.52
Dartmouth: 3.5

So, a good GPA & GMAT combination along with stellar work experience & recommendations as well as a strong set of application essays is what an applicant needs to see his candidature through to the accepted list.  While the academics are usually considered the easier part of the application process, they alone will not get you into a top Business School. Strong academics help assure the admissions committee that you will be able to handle the rigor of Business School, however it does not differentiate you from the thousands of other ‘stars’ applying to the top Business Schools from around the world.

About Kavita Singh

Kavita Singh has over 13 years of experience working in the U.S. and India. Kavita is the CEO of FutureWorks Consulting
. She is an MBA graduate of Columbia Business School and holds a BA (Hons) from Oxford University. She has worked for leading companies such as Mars, Colgate-Palmolive and Web MD at higher management and consulting roles.Kavita writes for elite publications like the Hindustan Times




FutureWorks Consulting offers array of services for both undergraduate and postgraduate admissions at leading institutes abroad. FutureWorks Consulting also runs NDTV.com’s study abroad center.