Hi Guys.

I want to know my chances of getting into a decent MBA. I am a Chartered Accountant from South Africa (C.A. SA), CFA Level 1 as well CAIA. I was an Equity Sales trader at BNP Paribas, and have private equity experience as an Investment Analyst at a large PE firm in South Africa. I want to do my MBA in the US, and have a GMAT of 730, but am worried that my low GPA will hurt my chances. What schools do you think I can get into, I would ideally like NYU, McDonough, Ross, Fuqua etc. My GPA is 2.6/4

A low GPA is not necessarily a dealbreaker. B-schools will understand that a 2.6/4 GPA in one country - or at a particularly competitive school - won't be comparable to the exact same grade in the US or UK system.

From what I know about the grading system in South Africa, it's fairly stringent.

Also, GPA becomes less important the farther you are out from your studies. How long have you been in the workplace?

Hi Razors Edge. I have been working for about 7 years. 3.5 years to complete my articles and the remainder in Sales Trading and Private Equity. I was also thinking a MFin in the States. Is that possible. And also which schools do you think I can apply to? I know Harvard, Wharton and some of those Ivy Leagues are out. I was thinking maybe CBS, Johnson, Darden, McDonough, Stern and those schools. I want to work in hedge funds in the US, obviously in NYC. So those are my long term goals, number of years of experience etc. I was at EY for a while as well

[Edited by MBA Ambitions on Jul 17, 2018]

I would say contact the schools you're looking at and ask them if they have any concerns about your GPA.

You also have a bit of time even before round 1 application deadlines, if you wanted to get your GMAT score up.

Yes, an MFin is a possibility. I'd say research the career outcomes of graduates from strong MFin programs and see if they compare to your expectations. I'd imagine that an MBA from Columbia for example might actually be better for working in hedge funds than an MFin.

My GPA converts to around 2.6, do you know if I can still apply to top MBA programs in the US? I am worried that there is a cut off for the best programs.

Of course you can apply, 3% of US schools have an average GPA under 2.6, and that is a very low score. You should not convert your own grade into a GPA.

Thank you.