Is my ship sunk before leaving harbor?

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by wigintonb, Oct 25, 2011.

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  1. wigintonb

    wigintonb New Member

    its time to start considering master's work to enhance vocational opportunities. My next advancement opportunity with my current employer requires a master's degree.
    What I'm now worried about is my GPA. Its been twenty years since I was in school, and my GPA is around a 2.5. Do I stand a chance to be accepted into an online grad program?
     
  2. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    What fields of study are you considering?
     
  3. wigintonb

    wigintonb New Member

    Master's in Operations Management fits the career I'm in the best.
     
  4. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I can't say I'm familiar with that particular field, but there are some schools that are flexible in regards to undergrad GPA, especially the proprietary schools. The beauty of e-mail and the telephone is that it costs nothing to ask, and you lose nothing if they won't budge.

    I would start looking for schools with DL grad programs, and asking them point-blank if your GPA is a deal breaker. Just don't expect Harvard or Yale, and I think you'll find a hole for your peg
     
  5. wigintonb

    wigintonb New Member

    Okay, good info. Any chance you could direct me to the best place to search for online grad schools? A google search really can be over whelming.
     
  6. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

  7. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    A terrific place to start is the comprehensive list maintained by Jonnie Liu, which includes pretty nearly all of the 250+ US and non-US (but in English) MBA programs, with links.
    AggieTechie

    John Bear
    Co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best MBAs by Distance Learning
    (out of print, alas, but there's a new edition in the works)
     
  8. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    You stand a very good chance. If a program is doubtful about you, many will allow you to be conditionally admitted. In other words, let you try a class or two first to see how you do. If you get a B or better, you are usually granted full admission. Of course, a strong GRE or GMAT goes a long way too.

    Since you mentioned Operations Management, you might want to check out University of Arkansas' program: Operations Management .
     
  9. wigintonb

    wigintonb New Member

    Thanks for all the help!
     
  10. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    My favorite start point for online degrees is Get Educated.com

    GetEducated.com | Review, Rate, Rank & Compare Online Colleges & Degrees

    You can sort degrees by cost :)

    Don't sweat the low GPA - I had a 2.3 undergrad GPA, but eventually was admitted into the MBA program at The University of Akron...
     
  11. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    I agree with others about your GPA. It is important, but not really....due to Military Deployment and Training I was not able to drop 3 classes on-time at Troy University, I received F's. My GPA was 2.75, but I was able to attend George Washington University, SMU, Georgetown University, and etc. Sometimes your experiences play an important role in admission as well.
     
  12. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Because of deployment, I forgot to drop a class in my Associate's program (I had other things on my mind, such as having 1 free day before reporting for active duty), and subsequently received an "F".

    I was told later by the President of the school that I could petition to have it changed to a "W", but it didn't really matter at that point, as I still finished my B.A. with a 3.55 GPA, but if I had 3 "F's", I think I might file the petition.

    Something to think about.
     
  13. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Well, Troy University had no petition policy; but one time (1 F) given to be removed from the transcript. However, I have no idea why it is still in my transcript to accumulate the GPA.
     
  14. ryoder

    ryoder New Member

  15. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I'm thinking of the section of Bears' Guide titles "Bending the Rules".

    Certainly can't hurt to ask, especially with a military-friendly school like Troy.
     
  16. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    You're worrying WAAAY too much. Many DL programs are open admission. Not so hard to get in but be prepared to work your butt off once you're enrolled. Just pick your top 3 programs and apply. Most of these programs are self-correcting. If you can do the work then you're all good. If not then you'll be out fast.
     
  17. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I was referring to TEKMAN possibly getting the 3 F's changed to W's on his undergrad transcript.
     
  18. Jonathan Liu

    Jonathan Liu Member

    Dr. Bear, you still remember my site after all these years. Thanks. The site is kind of out of date because google sites are blocked access from China. I will try to give the site an update in the next two months. Have a nice thanksgiving holiday.

     
  19. With extensive experience and a good application you should have no problem getting at least conditional acceptance - such as getting a minimum of a 3.0 GPA for your first 6 to 9 credit hours.

    Do you have a time frame and target amount to spend?
     
  20. Gau555

    Gau555 New Member

    My undergrad GPA is 2.27. I graduated over 10 years ago. I was an idiot as an undergrad, because I didn't study to learn. I only studied to get onto the next class. Anyhoo, I completed an MBA program with a 3.75 GPA this past May. I wouldn't worry too much about GPA if you have some work experience and you write a admissions essay. They'll either let you in like everyone else, give you a provisioning status, or deny you. It's not going to be the end of the world with all of the options available right now. I hesitated for years because of my low GPA, but then finally decided to give it a shot and was surprised how many schools (state schools and other not-for profit schools) accepted my application.

    Good luck!
     

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