<p>I had a friend who tried. Got his Aerospace Engineering degree in 3 years with a 3.8+. Had an Air Force internship and NASA research internship - also had a side computer consulting business during high school. I'm quite sure letters of rec were not a problem for him. He was rejected, unsurprisingly, from Harvard/Yale/Stanford.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Obviously, getting a C in Calculus or Economics won't help.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Hell, I thought economics was horrible boring; I received a C in both Micro and Macroeconomics. Failed math and retook it and got a B (it replaces the grade at my school but still shows a F for the first time around). Yeah I didnt do so hot my first semester but I corrected everything and have a 3.3+ GPA now, hope that doesnt hurt me too bad.</p>
<p>You'll be fine with the majority of the programs out there. If your first semester stunk and the rest of your semesters were 3.3+, MBA programs will figure that you were overwhelmed by your introduction to the college environment and that you ajusted and did well the rest of the way. Get good work experience, prepare well for the GMAT and write good essays and you should be alright.</p>
<p>okay so basically to get a job outta college... im going to the well publicized grade deflated BU by the way, .... im going to need a 3.0 plus gpa... soo noo pressure right?.. haha geez... it seems that if youre under the 3.0 mark... you're first job and future graduate school plans are screwed... now is this true.. ??</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm really skeptical when it comes to those reported GMAT averages.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah, maybe there's some subterfuge happening. But maybe there was also subterfuge happening in the past. I don't see any reason to believe that there would be any more such gamesmanship happening today than, say, 5 years ago. For example, one might say that B-schools might want to goose their GMAT averages to increase their rankings, but the problem with this logic is that B-schools ALWAYS want to increase their rankings, so it just begs the question of 'why now?'. </p>
<p>The central point is that Stanford GSB, at one time, had a clear lead in terms of average reported GMAT scores, but now they don't.</p>
<p>I've seen quite a few comments here concerning low math grades. Something that's been bothering me since I took interest in reading up on MBA programs, is the admissions committees interest in promoting a 'diverse' classroom setting for all MBA programs. This means that not only Engineering and Econ majors are enrolled, but English/History/Communications majors too. We all know liberal arts degrees, though challenging, don't require anything beyond Algebra/Trig II - so how would such a student deal with such a difficult courseload as an MBA studnet while lacking the mathematical background found with most engineering students? Do they generally take Calc as electives during their undergrad years?</p>
<p>nfl2k2, although MBA programs generally like diversity in terms of academic and professional backgrounds, it does not mean that they will accept liberal arts majors who did not at least demonstrate the ability to handle the minimum math requirements to complete the MBA requirements. So, it is true that many History and English majors do get into to MBA programs annually, but you can bet that the majority of those students probably took Calculus and statistics as part of their well-rounded liberal arts education.</p>
<p>
[quote]
but you can bet that the majority of those students probably took Calculus and statistics as part of their well-rounded liberal arts education.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>And even if they didn't, I suspect that those individuals who got in had relatively high quant scores on their GMATs (to demonstrate that they can handle the math) - further, at most b-schools many classes (some compulsory, some elective depending on school) involve, at the minimum, some level of math subject ranging from statistics (relatively easier) to advanced corporate finance (relatively harder).</p>
<p>"You'll be fine with the majority of the programs out there. If your first semester stunk and the rest of your semesters were 3.3+, MBA programs will figure that you were overwhelmed by your introduction to the college environment and that you ajusted and did well the rest of the way. Get good work experience, prepare well for the GMAT and write good essays and you should be alright."</p>
<p>So a overall gpa of 3.0 in freshmen year won't jeopardize my future career paths/b-school if I shape up, and quickly adjust myself to the college environment and begin earning better grades in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years? I got a C+ in econ 1 and I'm terribly shaken, first C ever.</p>
<p>And what if I I average a 3.3 in my lower division courses, but when I do very well in my upper division courses (for IEOR)?</p>
<p>
[quote]
We all know liberal arts degrees, though challenging, don't require anything beyond Algebra/Trig II - so how would such a student deal with such a difficult courseload as an MBA studnet while lacking the mathematical background found with most engineering students? Do they generally take Calc as electives during their undergrad years?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote]
So, it is true that many History and English majors do get into to MBA programs annually, but you can bet that the majority of those students probably took Calculus and statistics as part of their well-rounded liberal arts education
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Speaking of calculus, I'm racking my brain to try to think of exactly what required (hence non-elective) MBA courses actually require students to need to know calculus, and the truth is, I can't really come up with anything. The most mathematical of the required courses such as economics, accounting, and basic finance courses generally require nothing more than algebra. Calculus is useful, but I would strongly hesitate to say that you really need to know it. These classes tend to use lots of spreadsheet calculations (especially accounting), but very little actual calculus.</p>
<p>Now, don't get me wrong. There definitely are elective courses that can be extremely mathematical, and where you will want to have a math background that includes at least calculus, and perhaps beyond calculus, i.e. classes on advanced financial economics, data modeling, financial derivatives, and the like. But you don't have to take those courses. That's why they are electives. You can choose to take other things. </p>
<p>I know one girl who graduated from MIT who admitted she had always hated math and never studied math beyond the minimum required in high school. The conversation didn't make sense to me - a MIT grad who loathes math - until it dawned on me that she was a Sloan MBA grad, and I then realized that you really can get through the Sloan program knowing very little advanced math. You just take all of the fluffy electives on strategy, communication, organizational processes, marketing, etc. </p>
<p>Now, don't get me wrong. I think that calculus is useful, and certainly having strong calculus skills will help you to get into B-school. But it's hard for me to see how not having these skills would really hurt you that badly.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But it's hard for me to see how not having these skills would really hurt you that badly.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is my contention as well. I'm doing 'technology' as an undergrad at a Big 10 school; my required curriculum is -very- challenging, despite the mathematics course load ending at Trig II. I have the choice of taking upper level computer programming classes to replace Calculus, which for me only makes sense because of my general interest in technology, and my indifference to pure mathematics classes. From everything I've read over, a strong set of basic algebra and spreadsheet skills will prove more useful than upper level calc skills, unless you're planning on furthering education in some specialized Tech/Engineering field subsequent to graduation.</p>
<p><em>This is purely anecdotal speculation on my part, only from what I've read online</em></p>
<p>Am I doomed?!!</p>
<p>I know of one MBA program that requires you to have taken econ, accouting and statistics before starting the program. Supposedly you can get accepted without the prerequisites, but you have to take the classes and pass with a "B" before the program starts. It's BYU's Marriott School of Business. I think they will waive this though if you can provide sufficient evidence showing that you understand all three topics. There are probably other programs who require this as well, but I can't name any off of the top of my head. </p>
<p>Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the topic here, but I wouldn't lose too much sleep over worrying about your quantitative skills for B-school. </p>
<p>Do you need solid basic skills to do accounting, statistics, finance, for the GMAT, etc.? Of course. You will need those skills in your career. It's like knowing how to write. If you can't write adequately you might struggle to perform well and flourish in the Business world I'd imagine, espeically once you get into management positions, like MBAs are meant to fill. </p>
<p>Perhaps that's one of the purposes of the GMAT. It is a good indicator of how good you are at math, writing, reading comprehension, analytics and problem solving. You need these basic skills to get accepted to a good skill because you need them to function as a manger/leader when you graduate! So don't sweat it if you're not good at calculus or trigonometry, because you won't need it if you're not going to do engineering or something very quantitative. That's not to say that having calculus/advanced math skills won't be to your advantage, but it's not a prerequisite. My bet is that if you can handle the math on the GMAT then you'll be just fine, generally speaking.</p>
<p>i just graduated from college and got a job doing IT for a financial services company. I want to go to Bschool in about 3 years and change the direction of my career. I want to go either into management, strat consulting, or finance. </p>
<p>My work experience is going to be mostly technical and I am not sure if admissions officers will look at this as a plus. </p>
<p>Now lets say I get into a good Bschool and after my first year of classes, try to go out and get an internship in finance or strat consulting. How will I be able to get a job in that field if I have no work experience in that field and my undergrad background is engineer. What do you guys think of my situation? WIll I be able to make it work and what should I do to position myself as best as I can? </p>
<p>Is my case common?</p>
<p>That case is very common and is a situation why people go to business school to be able to change the direction of their career.</p>
<p>Harvard and Yale graduates with several years of business or entrepreneurial experience. Just look at the entering classes of these schools.</p>
<p>My older brother is going to Haas. I asked him what his stats like and this is what he said:</p>
<p>Undergrad: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Accountancy (5-yr program)
School: University of the Philippines (Diliman)
GPA: 1.42 (magna cum laude in a scale of 1 highest and 3 pass)
Member: IASEC UP, UP Fencing Club
GMAT: 740
Work Experience: 4 years at Toyota</p>
<p>He got admitted at: Wharton, Stanford, Michigan, NYU, Columbia, Sloan, Dartmouth, INSEAD (France)
turned down: Harvard, London Business School, Oxford-Said </p>
<p>He guessed there's really no assurance in applying to B-School.</p>
<p>Something else that helps: if your father is the admissions dean at Harvard Business School and can put in a good word, at least at HBS anyway.</p>
<p>Sansai, why Haas, if I may ask?</p>
<p>^ </p>
<p>I remember he once said to me that -- he felt there was a sense of belongingness right after he visited the campus and talked to some alumni and faculty members. He paid each and every campus a visit before he made up his decision. Harvard was his first choice but he did not get in. He also have wanted to go to Oxford-Said but he was turned down there too. He said the names are gloablly reputable and the faculty members are great (in those two business schools.) Minus Harvard and Oxford, that leaves him with a few choices to play with. Near the end of the process, it was Stanford vs Berkeley-Haas because he prefers to stay in California (the weather was an influencing factor too).</p>