I've never posted on here before as I just discovered this forum today and I have a couple questions. I have been a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley for 9 months now and want to get an MBA in the incoming class of 2009. I plan on taking my GMAT later this Summer and then applying to the local Southern California schools (Pepperdine, Loyola, Usc, Ucla). I have a 3.2 GPA overall in college and a 3.5 GPA in my business administration major from California State University Northridge. I didn't take college seriously at the beginning and worked full time throughout college which definitely had an effect on my GPA. My questions are like this. One, when filling out the application, should I write this explanation as to why I have a low GPA? Secondly, I've read some other posts and was wondering if it makes sense to take one or two business classes at a community college this summer to raise my GPA (which would probably raise it minimally after getting an A or two). Thank you very much in advance to whomever responds to my post.

Thank you for your inquiry.

Your 3.2 GPA is not really that problematic. It is lower than the average at UCLA (approximately 3.6), but it is not at all uncommon for candidates with 3.2s to get into the school. My guess is that it would be about average or even higher than average at the remaining schools. If I were you, I would focus on the GMAT for now. A very strong score (700+) should mitigate any concerns about a GPA that is marginally lower at your top school choice.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844