AboutJay Cutts Expertise Preparation for LSAT, GRE, MCAT, GMAT. Personal statements, letters of recommendation, graduate application process, practice tests.
No Questions about Undergrad Admissions Please (unless you are planning to go to law, business, medical or grad school eventually).
Note that I change private questions to public so they are available to others. If you have something that is truly private, let me know.
Experience Over 18 years full time graduate entrance exam prep with over 1500 students nationally and internationally.
Education/Credentials BA, Linguistics with Honors and Distinction, University of Michigan
MA, Special Education with an Emphasis in Learning Disabilities and Giftedness, with Honors, University of New Mexico
Question During my years as an undergrad, 6.5 years total, I was not very focused or driven and my GPA reflects it. I had to retake a few courses and my final GPA was somewhere around 2.2. I eventualy did earn my BS in Civil Engineering an landed a good job upon graduation. I am very seriously interested in going to grad school either for construction management or MBA. I have obtained additional credentialing related to my field such as LEED AP, safety training, and have excellent letters of recommendation along with three years of work experience. I am thinking about enrolling as a non-degree seeking student because I may have a better chance at gettting in and proving myself as capable of enrolling with full-standing. I am confidendt that I could take the GMAT and get a good score on it, but there are no testing requirements for the CM degree to offset my poor (to put it lightly) undergrad performance. I guess I am just looking for any advice that you could offer to help me choose the right path so I can earn a masters degree.
Thank you in advance for your time.
Answer Hi, Jake.
Schools will often look at a pattern of improvement in your GPA. So if your last couple years had a higher GPA than the earlier years, you can cite that. If you had higher grades in your major courses than in general, you can cite that as well.
Even if you don't have the above, you can briefly explain why you didn't do well. If you do get a strong GMAT score, that will offset the GPA, as you said. You would want to make sure you can get your best possible score, because you will need a lot of offsetting!
For the other program I'd suggest using your work experience to offset the GPA. You will want to create a strong personal statement that conveys your skills and experience. You might also consider taking the GMAT for that program even though they don't require it, as it may impress them. You should check first with them to see if they will even look at it.
For more free info on writing a powerful personal statement and getting your best GMAT score, please see my website at http://www.cuttsreviews.com/gmat/
