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First off, I understand that MBA/MPP admissions (or some other such things) care about work experience and essays quite a bit.
I kept hearing that MBA admissions care little, if at all, about graduate grades. Yet I would have expected high graduate grades to offset a lesser undergraduate GPA. I mean, there are people who started working with an advanced degree in hand, and, after 3-5 years or more in the workforce, end up applying to business school.
But really, are there schools that actually seem to place some importance on graduate (PhD even) grades?
First off, I understand that MBA/MPP admissions (or some other such things) care about work experience and essays quite a bit.
I kept hearing that MBA admissions care little, if at all, about graduate grades. Yet I would have expected high graduate grades to offset a lesser undergraduate GPA. I mean, there are people who started working with an advanced degree in hand, and, after 3-5 years or more in the workforce, end up applying to business school.
But really, are there schools that actually seem to place some importance on graduate (PhD even) grades?
Not really. Most grad. schools, especially those that don't have hundreds of students in each class year (which is the vast majority of them), have rampant grade inflation and an insufficient class size to make meaningful distinction from one program to another. Essentially, it seems everyone is like a A- to A student in these programs.
As undergraduates, the class sizes are much larger and the range of GPAs is bigger, so it is easier to distinguish students.
Not really. Most grad. schools, especially those that don't have hundreds of students in each class year (which is the vast majority of them), have rampant grade inflation and an insufficient class size to make meaningful distinction from one program to another. Essentially, it seems everyone is like a A- to A student in these programs.
As undergraduates, the class sizes are much larger and the range of GPAs is bigger, so it is easier to distinguish students.
Yet there are students who had a 3-3.2 GPA as undergraduates who would think a 3.8-4.0 GPA in a PhD program would at least show the admissions committee that they are capable of handling the rigors of graduate school.
I knew that, if I applied to law or med school in my home province (for law school, only civil-law schools will actually put any significant stock on graduate grades; McGill, which is common-law, does not) the better among undergraduate GPA and graduate GPA will be used after all adjustments for field difficulty are made. Because these schools assign a difficulty index to each major; basically the higher the difficulty index, the lower the required GPA will be in absolute terms. However, due to the grade inflation in graduate coursework, despite the higher difficulty of the material, the difficulty indices are the same whether you talk about undergrad or graduate school.
I wouldn't be surprised if business schools at home will take that into account (both difficulty and graduate grades, in which case GPA is not a problem for me at this point), but I cannot, at this point, say for sure that I will return home for work or even if I needed to go to business school, and hence I cannot say that I would attend business school, at home or otherwise.
I knew US law schools (other than Northwestern and maybe Boalt Hall) usually don't put any weight on graduate GPA at all. Med schools seem to care about it more than law schools.
Grad schools don't really have grade inflation. Not STEM programs, anyway.
You have to learn the material quite well to get an A. It just so happens that admissions are tougher, and applicants are more self-selective, so you don't get mediocre students dragging averages down. Grad students usually have high GPAs because they're the best of the best, not because their grades are easier to earn.
Easy A courses don't happen until students are already done with the coursework and exam requirements, but that happens when it's time to buckle down and focus on research. That's harder than coursework, anyway, so the students are still earning their GPAs. They're just too busy solving problems no one has ever solved before to bother with solving problems that have already made their way into textbooks.
It's not really harder to get a C in a grad course than in an undergrad course, but at that point, but getting a C in grad school is considered failing, and you can be kicked out of your program for doing so.
Let me say that WHERE you get your MBA will matter a WHOLE LOT unless you are getting funded(i.e. it's free and paid for by your company) to go back through your company.
In any case, to get into a decent/respectable MBA program it's a combination of good grades, good GMAT score(650+ atleast), work experience (2-3 years atleast), and letters of recommendation
Now... I say that getting into a "good" MBA program is important for a variety of reasons(unless it's funded through your company):
1. An MBA program will cost more(generally) as it will be more money out of your pocket
2. If you get an MBA program and can't land a good job it will be an entire waste of money
3. I've seen people go into MBA programs(not good ones) and get entry level position jobs at around 50k a year
Just that better safe than sorry. I'm perhaps too cautious
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Man74
Honestly,
For an MBA... it's a variety of factors
Let me say that WHERE you get your MBA will matter a WHOLE LOT unless you are getting funded(i.e. it's free and paid for by your company) to go back through your company.
At this point, it is useless for me to apply now. Better wait until I have 5-7 years of work experience...
Especially since I'd consider applying at UChicago Booth and MIT Sloan, which I think are the top MBA programs that best fit my style of learning and personality, if I ever get in position to consider earning a MBA. They are more theoretical/quantitative in nature.
Quote:
In any case, to get into a decent/respectable MBA program it's a combination of good grades, good GMAT score(650+ atleast), work experience (2-3 years atleast), and letters of recommendation
The only thing that I currently have covered is the grades. I do not think a 3.7-3.8 in physics (undergrad and masters respectively) will keep me out of UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan (their averages are ~3.5-3.6). And UChicago Booth likes peer-reviewed publications; I have one at present (but by the time I could get in position to apply to UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan, then I'll likely have more than one)
Only perhaps I am overconfident about GMAT because my past GRE scores (V162, Q167, AW4.0 or, in percentile terms, Q87, V89, AW54) would indicate I could do well on the GMAT, perhaps even good enough for a UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan...
Just that better safe than sorry. I'm perhaps too cautious
At this point, it is useless for me to apply now. Better wait until I have 5-7 years of work experience...
Especially since I'd consider applying at UChicago Booth and MIT Sloan, which I think are the top MBA programs that best fit my style of learning and personality, if I ever get in position to consider earning a MBA. They are more theoretical/quantitative in nature.
The only thing that I currently have covered is the grades. I do not think a 3.7-3.8 in physics (undergrad and masters respectively) will keep me out of UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan (their averages are ~3.5-3.6). And UChicago Booth likes peer-reviewed publications; I have one at present (but by the time I could get in position to apply to UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan, then I'll likely have more than one)
Only perhaps I am overconfident about GMAT because my past GRE scores (V162, Q167, AW4.0 or, in percentile terms, Q87, V89, AW54) would indicate I could do well on the GMAT, perhaps even good enough for a UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan...
yes
UChicago and MIT are both excellent schools
Your job market will vary by region of course, so it depends on where you want to live but you should get a good job going through both.
Also your grades are good so that isn't a problem, Physics is a good degree too. However, like i said, an MBA is almost worthless(generally) without experience. I mean it's a Masters in Business Administration. It's not really a "technical" type of Masters
*** I forgot for the TOP/GOOD ones, like the ones you are applying too, there IS an interview process, so that may play a role with no experience.
I'm suprised you didn't consider an MSF or MS in Applied Math
*** I forgot for the TOP/GOOD ones, like the ones you are applying too, there IS an interview process, so that may play a role with no experience.
As I said, I am not applying this year; I was just asking for information "in case". I just feel it was responsible for me to plan ahead. Just that I knew that UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan (and Wharton, HBS, Columbia, Stanford GSB, and so on, so forth) successful applicants planned for that years in advance.
But now I have a much deeper understanding of what this process actually means.
As I said, I am not applying this year; I was just asking for information "in case". I just feel it was responsible for me to plan ahead. Just that I knew that UChicago Booth or MIT Sloan (and Wharton, HBS, Columbia, Stanford GSB, and so on, so forth) successful applicants planned for that years in advance.
But now I have a much deeper understanding of what this process actually means.
ok good perfect
Shoot as high as you can for the GMAT(~700 will be very competitive anywhere) and good luck!
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