Hello! For reference, because I unfortunately did not do well in the medical school courses in third year, and because of my unique BS/MD program, my graduate school grades merged with my undergraduate grades and I ended up with a 3.2 GPA from a 3.9 GPA prior to the last year. I can get it up to a 3.5 GPA after talking to my school counselor by Summer 2024. Do you think I would even be competitive with a 3.5 GPA for top MBA programs at target schools, or realistically would I only be able to get into the lower and middle tier MBA programs?

Hello! For reference, because I unfortunately did not do well in the medical school courses in third year, and because of my unique BS/MD program, my graduate school grades merged with my undergraduate grades and I ended up with a 3.2 GPA from a 3.9 GPA prior to the last year. I can get it up to a 3.5 GPA after talking to my school counselor by Summer 2024. I am wondering if I would even be competitive with a 3.5 GPA for top MBA programs, if that is the recommended course of action. Would you recommend I get pro bono consulting experience and complete my Biology degree, then apply straight to the consulting firms? Or do you recommend first getting an MBA / an undergraduate business degree (ex: Finance)?

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Hello! For reference, because I unfortunately did not do well in the medical school courses in third year, and because of my unique BS/MD program, my graduate school grades merged with my undergraduate grades and I ended up with a 3.2 GPA from a 3.9 GPA prior to the last year. I can get it up to a 3.5 GPA after talking to my school counselor by Summer 2024. Do you think I would even be competitive with a 3.5 GPA for top MBA programs at target schools, or realistically would I only be able to get into the lower and middle tier MBA programs?

Hi there, in this case I would apply broadly so that you maximize your chances of getting into a top MBA program. The exact feasible options depend on the rest of your application/profile, so it is difficult to judge without more information. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your advice, I greatly appreciate it! For clarification, if my primary goal is to get placed into the best possible company and get as prepared as possible for long-term success in the job (not getting shuffled out within 2-3 years via "up-or-out"), out of the following options, which would you recommend if you were in my shoes and making money immediately was not a concern for my situation? 1) finishing my Biology degree and applying straight for consulting firms 2) applying for one of the target MBA programs right away (1 or 2 years) 3) go to UT Austin or University of Washington to pursue a 3/4 year bachelor's business degree (ex: Finance) while using those 3/4 years to get internships, work experience, and business related club leadership and participate in case competitions at the college level In the event you believe option 2 is the most recommended, but I end up not getting accepted into a target (top 30) MBA program, what would your alternate recommendation be? Should I still get an MBA at a non-top 30 school, or should I just get work experience with my BA Biology degree, or should I go back to UT Austin/UW for a new undergraduate degree?

Hi there, I would do 1 and if it doesn’t work, 2. I don’t think 3 makes much sense. I think if you work hard on 2, you should manage to get accepted in a top MBA, if not you could try 2 again the following year. Hope this helps

Hello! For reference, because I unfortunately did not do well in the medical school courses in third year, and because of my unique BS/MD program, my graduate school grades merged with my undergraduate grades and I ended up with a 3.2 GPA from a 3.9 GPA prior to the last year. I can get it up to a 3.5 GPA after talking to my school counselor by Summer 2024. I am wondering if I would even be competitive with a 3.5 GPA for top MBA programs, if that is the recommended course of action. Would you recommend I get pro bono consulting experience and complete my Biology degree, then apply straight to the consulting firms? Or do you recommend first getting an MBA / an undergraduate business degree (ex: Finance)?