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($) What’s a good undergrad GPA?

July 2, 2018 by EssaySnark Leave a Comment

First: We just published our MIT 2018 MBA essay guide — overhauled for the Class of 2021 to include the org chart requirement!

For today: We recently talked about What’s a good GRE score for getting an MBA and we’ve done plenty of those “good enough?” posts on the GMAT — like, is a 710 enough? And of course we’ve posted plenty o’ times about undergraduate grades and getting into a hot MBA program with an, um, errr, oh crap, not so great GPA.

But many of those GPA posts are pretty ancient at this point and buried deep in the ‘snarchives and we figured it was time to lay it all out for you fresh!
 

1. Undergraduate grades really matter

With all the focus on GMAT scores on the MBA applicant forums, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the very real importance of college grades. Our data show a higher correlation between college grades and admissions success than GMAT to admits. This has been true from the beginning of time but it’s even more pronounced today.
 

2. A high GMAT might offset a low GPA — but that alone is not enough

If your college transcripts are really shaky, you need to do more than score well on the GMAT (and if you’re taking the GRE, you need to score exceptionally well to counter low grades). A low GPA from college means that action is required now to offset not only the possible doubts about your performance, but also to fix the optics. When someone does poorly in college, that either means that there was something else going on that prevented them from focusing and succeeding — in which case, you definitely need to explain this to the adcom in the optional essay; OR it means that they were just checked out and didn’t really care about class. They were partying too hard, or going through the motions, or for whatever other reason, their heart wasn’t in it. That’s sometimes an even tougher hole to dig out from in your applications to bschool today. Either way, YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN THE SITUATION. The optional essay will be PARAMOUNT to your success (plenty of posts here on that topic!) and you also almost definitely need to take further action than that, in the form of an additional class or other coursework today that can show your current level of academic performance and commitment.
 

3. A very rough rule of thumb is, if your college GPA is below a 3.0 on the U.S. 4.0 scale, then you need to DO SOMETHING

If it’s significantly below this 3.0 level then we get really concerned — or even if it’s above the 3.0 level but the overall transcripts just don’t come across as impressive, either based on not showing evidence that you challenged yourself academically given the classes you chose, or for a more lightweight major (not naming names or anything!), or going to a less rigorous college and still not performing at the top of the class. These are just some things that can sometimes give the adcoms pause. The transcripts are evaluated in excruciating detail, and they’re also of course evaluated in the context of every other part of your app. But if, taken in isolation, the transcripts don’t show a story of you as an overachiever who pushes yourself to learn, get engaged, succeed, welp, then you’re at the risk of not impressing your adcom. And in this era of hypercompetitive admissions, where there’s always someone else coming up behind you that does show evidence of these things, then it can be a real weight to throw off in how you attract the adcom’s attention.

This 3.0 level is arbitrary indeed; sometimes we see someone with a 3.17 GPA who gives us tremendous concern; at other times it’s a 2.97 and we’re not overly worried. It all depends on everything else taken together.
 

4. And on the opposite side? What’s a so-called “good” GPA?

Well, anything at the 3.5 level and we’re feeling confident, assuming of course that there are no bombs lurking somewhere underneath that nice shiny average. Harvard now has an average GPA of something like 3.71 in its classes every year, which is at nosebleed-heights and beyond ridiculous — and more proof of how they skim off the cream from the entire crop of applicants each year and cherrypick those that are outstanding. Other schools that you may have heard of, like Columbia or Kellogg, have more like 3.5 as their class average — which is still a very decent showing in college, but gives a bit of wriggle room. If your transcripts show a performance around that level, then we’re going to breathe a sigh of relief on that particular component of your application.

You got 99 problems but GPA ain’t one.

 
 


 
 
If you want some personalized support and guidance on this VERY important subject of what to do about your set-in-stone transcripts and are they going to be an albatross around your neck and keep you out of bschool today…. Our Transcripts & Grades App Accelerator is the best idea. Or, if you want a more holistic view of your entire profile, our Comprehensive Profile Review offers the push-and-pull of how your GMAT or GRE score will be considered in light of your college grades, and we try to offer a back-of-the-envelope translation of what your international GPA might be seen as under the 4.0 scale, so you can better see how you fare in comparison to your target school’s class profile.

 
 
You may also be interested in:

  • From way back in the ‘snarchives: What to do about a low GPA

Filed Under: GPA and grades, low GPA

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From a BSer January 2020:
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CLASS OF 2023 MBA APPLICATION STRATEGY GUIDES

     
    The 2020 Berkeley-Haas MBA Application Guide - updated for the Class of 2023 application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Berkeley Haas - refreshed and updated, with brainstorming exercises and structured maps to help you focus your stories!
   
    The 2020-2021 NYU Stern MBA Application Guide that covers the main essay, the EQ Endorsement and Pick Six!
SnarkStrategies Guide for NYU - discusses your requirements for the Class of 2023 essays!
   
    The 2020-2021 Columbia MBA Application Guide
SnarkStrategies Guide for Columbia Business School for 2020-2021 applications
   
    The 2020 Harvard MBA Application Guide - completely overhauled and updated for the coronavirus era!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Harvard Business School!
   
    The 2020-2021 Duke Essay Guide - covers the 25 Random Things essay and all the rest too!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Duke Fuqua - up to date for the current season!
   
    The 2020-2021 MIT Essay Guide covers the org chart, the contacts for two references, and additional tips for the cover letter and 'introduce yourself' video -- and everything else you need to know!
SnarkStrategies Guide for MIT Sloan MBA - totally revised for the Class of 2023!
   
    The 2020-2021 Tuck Essay Guide has been refreshed with latest insights and advice for your essays about "investing generously" and "why Tuck"!
SnarkStrategies Guide for the Dartmouth Tuck MBA - completely overhauled for 2020, to help you demonstrate how you are nice, aware, etc stuff!
   
    The Yale SOM MBA Application Guide for Class of 2023 candidates!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Yale SOM - updated for 2020-2021
   
    The 2020-2021 Chicago Booth MBA Application Guide - ready to go to support your Class of 2023 essay strategy!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Chicago Booth for this year's MBA app!
   
    The 2020 Wharton MBA Application Guide - even more advice on how to get to a win with those essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for The Wharton School - with new tips for 2020!
   
    The 2020 Kellogg Essay Guide - with a full methodology to identify your 'lasting impact' and your 'values' -- plus tips on 2020 world events and applicability to your essays!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Kellogg MBA - updated and revised for the new realities of 2020!    
      The 2020 Stanford MBA Application Guide - for "what matters most" in your MBA application!
SnarkStrategies Guide for Stanford GSB for the Class of 2023
   
    The 2020-2021 UCLA Anderson MBA Application Guide - updated for Class of 2023 on "impact"!
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UCLA
   
   

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What were we snarking about at this time in past years?

  • 2020: Now that most apps are in: What to do with your life
  • 2020: ($) Updating the adcom on a job change
  • 2019: ($) "What if School D gave me money but I really want to go to School A?"
  • 2019: ($) The BSer's Dilemma: Deciding between two top MBA programs -- what to do, what to do?
  • 2018: Radcom of the Year Award
  • 2018: ($) Which top bschools interviewed lots of applicants in Round 1?
  • 2017: The reason why MIT's adcom is rad and a big tip for everyone interested in going to bschool
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  • 2015: Guest Post! Making the Most Out of Business School
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