I went to a top ten Undergraduate Business School (Cornell). My GPA stunk, with a 2.85. Even worse, I failed my Managerial Accounting course and it was one of the easier courses I had taken at Cornell. The course was graded off of the midterm and final only. The next year, I re-took the course. I aced the midterm, however, I got very sick when I had to take the final, didn't get a minute of sleep the night before the exam, and ended up getting 60 on it. So, I ended up with a C in the course the second time around.
It's been over three years since I graduated. I still look back on this, and am astonished that I let myself fail a course, and then retake it and only get a C, when I could have Aced the course. It's honestly one of the biggest regrets I have in my life.
Anyway, how will MBA admissions look at this? I mean, I can easily see them scratching their heads saying WOW he failed an accounting course? Retook it, and got a C? Is accounting that difficult for this guy?? It's depressing to think about!
Also, I took the GMAT and scored a 710.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Your GMAT is in the ballpark for some of the top business schools. This is significantly in your favor. In addition, although you had a 2.85 undergrad, it was from a strong university - also in your favor.
What have you been doing since graduation? If you have strong work experience, that's going to help you immensely.
You also write well, so I have hope for your essay. Work that essay.
The F, then on retake the C, is an issue. But it can be overcome. You have the above factors in your favor. If you can write a strong application - essays, etc. - and have strong references, plus strong work experience, you may do better than you think re: MBA admissions.
What I normally recommend in a case like yours is that you think about taking an advanced (upper tier) course in accounting, and getting an A in it. You could do this via continuing ed... or did you already do this at Cornell? If you've already taken an upper division accounting course, and did well on it, that helps balance out the F-then-C in Managerial Accounting. Do NOT do this if you in any way suspect that you wouldn't ace that class. Only do this if you strongly believe you'll do very well in it. And make sure that you call out that you aced this class in your application.
And when you apply to MBA programs, apply to reach/fit/backup, just as you likely did for undergrad. But in this case, follow this pattern:
- Reach - schools where your GMAT is solidly in their averages (not on the low side, please - so probably not Wharton, but the other top schools... maybe possibles), but your GPA is low. You're going to try to get into these schools based on your GMAT, work experience, and the strength of the rest of your application.
- Fit - schools where your GMAT is on the high side for them, and your GPA is likely going to be a bit low for them.
- Backup - schools where your GMAT is very high for them, but your GPA is closer to a fit. Your GPA will still be on the low side for these schools, but your GMAT is going to be well above their averages.
You'll very likely get into some of these schools. You may even get into a reach school. Do your research on the schools. Pick carefully.
The admission officer will look at three things: Your GPA, your GMAT score, and your work experience. A low GPA can be offset by the other two. With a GMAT above 700 you can get into excellent MBA programs. Presumably you have been working the past three years. Consult the Official MBA Guide. It's a comprehensive free public service with more than 2,000 MBA programs listed worldwide. It allows you to search for programs by location (US, Europe, Far East, etc.), by concentration (finance, marketing, aviation management, health management, accounting, etc.), by type of program (full-time, distance learning, part-time, etc), and by listing your own criteria and preferences to get a list of universities that satisfy your needs. Schools report their accreditation status, tuition cost, number of students, class sizes, program length, and a lot of other data. Schools provide data on entrance requirements, program costs, program characteristics, and much more. You can use the Guide to contact schools of your choice, examine their data, visit their web site, and send them pre applications. You can see lists of top 40 schools ranked by starting salaries of graduates, GMAT scores, and other criteria. It's the best service available at http://officialmbaguide.org./
If you went to Cornell, then you are already at an advantage for graduate school! If this is the only course you had trouble with, then I do not see any reason why they would not accept you.