During the time I was diagnosed with illness and I was in a limbo state due to my visa/GC status my grades fell and my current gpa is around 3.2 ( Computer Science/Math ) but a while ago I took the GMAT and Scored 760. I am wondering how much the low gpa will affect my future MBA or top Mfin chances ?
Thank
How much time is left in your program? Is it possible to take some extra classes to try to pull the GPA up? Might want to retake some as well.
Keep in mind if you want a good M-Fin you should have a strong programming base plus Calc 1-4 (or 3 depending on how its structured), ODE, Linear Alg 1-2, Probability and Real Analysis 1-2.
With some decent work experience you could probably do an MBA program ranked in the 10-15 range, particularly if you write your essays well and incorporate those challenges into the broader storyline while working the cultural angle. Done right you could maybe break into a Top 10 MBA but it would be a reach, require very strong recommendations and some good work experience which would be key.
The more I think about it the Iranian angle could really work for you if you got your storyline down and the rec’s / work experience.
About a year and a half. I will probably be able to pull my GPA up to a 3.4 but not any more than that since the classes I am taking are hard and I am trying to be realistic. As for the MFin requirements, I have all the required math classes down except for ODE which is ok since I took some advanced linear algebra classes that dealt with solving them so I don’t think I am at a disadvantage.
To be honest the only reason I want to do a Finance Masters instead of an MBA is I don’t want to spend two years not working.
Well, there’s lots of good Mfin programs out there and a few other interesting 1 year options (NYU, Princeton, Duke come to mind among a bunch of others).
https://econ.duke.edu/masters-programs/degree-programs/mqfe
Yale has a one year International and Development Economics program that I though would be interesting, especially given your international background and potential foreign language skills.
I think most people would recommend that you not do an MBA without working here for a few years first and I agree with that.
If you can realistically get your GPA back up to a 3.4 or possibly 3.5 I think it won’t hold you back too much. You have a lot of good unique traits including your experience growing up in Iran that will be great assets to am MBA student body. People will probably be sympathetic to your narrative, particularly in this political environment, just try to spin it constructively with so it sounds like an additive experience from which you learned something. But your deficiencies are probably more on not having direct work experience here and getting good letters of recommendation. To that end I would make a concerted effort to try to form personal relationships with your professors over this last year.
Additionally, consider slowing down your coursework and spreading those hard courses over a longer period (maybe 2 years?) and throwing in a few easier electives to so you can raise your GPA.