EVGal

06-02-2006, 06:24 PM

I don't think Junior High will come up in your interview but don't sweat it - we were all future butterflies once, and with a little bit of ingenuity maybe we can always continue to be. Anyway, you sound really defeated. Sell your strengths, don't just apologize for your (perceived) weaknesses. There are no perfect applicants.

I guess you're not really asking what GMAT score you need; youre asking if NYU is a total lost cause. I dunno, it costs $500 (or so - GMAT, App, etc) for the peace of mind to know that you at least tried. My guess is you have a shot. Unless you vote yourself out.

But you have to take the GMAT to apply, so you might as well do your best.

Just saying.

m

I appreciate the encouraging words. I do plan to take the GMAT and I plan to do my best, however, I really want if my score will qualify me to NYU. You don't have to sugar coat for me...

Bad sentences... I meant to say, "I really want to know what score would make me a worthy applicant for NYU."

You might want to check in with the Business Week forums. They have a handful of admissions consultants each with a few (or more) years of experience; they would be better able to answer your question (and perhaps with more diplomacy). I'm sure one of the clear admit folks will chime in to this post on Monday. The BW Forums should also have some Stern-focused forums.

For what its worth, I still don't see it as a strictly GMAT question - there are a number of ways to answer the gpa question (which may not be such a tragedy if you finished strong and/or with very difficult classes). This notwithstanding, I think you'll have trouble nailing down a number in black and white because admission is a fuzzy target, especially toward the top of the B-school food chain.

Best of luck,

While getting a good GMAT score will be important (perhaps better than 700) I think you should also plan to take a couple of night classes to start building an alternative transcript. You need to demonstrate academic aptitude (GMAT can do that) AND motivation (high GMAT and low GPA does not do that, but additional coursework can help with the fix).

cheers, alex

you wrote:

I would like to apply to NYU's part-time MBA program next year but I would like to know if I'm dreaming or if its within my reach considering my background. In brief, I finished calculus II in junior high, top 5% of highschool class, SAT was 1370, and I received my BSB from University of Minnesota business school with a triple major and a triple minor. My problem is that my GPA is a dismal 2.7. There are a few reasons but the mine one is that I screwed up my freshman/sophomore years. I had an undiagnosed health problem that caused me to lose focus (similar to ADHD). After I was diagnosed in my sophomore year I got back on track. For the rest of my academics I had nothing but A's or high B's.

Now I'm working for an investment firm in NYC. I have about 4+ years of work experience. I think my work experience at this firm has been nothing but great and truly informative.

So I'm worried that my GPA is too low. I haven't taken the GMAT yet but if I have any chance of getting into this program what score would make me a potential candidate? Perfect 800?

I am also studying for the CFA, which I find pretty interesting anyways... I can guess that passing the CFA exam can only help my chances but you night clases? Are you talking about alternative/elective classes? For example, I've taken clases/seminars about Project Management but they were not graded. If you are talking about graded classes, any recommendations as to what courses or where I should start looking?

either repeat classes that you did not do well, or take a class or two that you would find useful, independent of gaining the MBA (you may then be able to waive classes in the MBA). The classes should be for credit (so you can get As). cheers, alex