PhD in Organizational Behavior (profile evaluation request)

[Zeenia]

Hi..

I am planning to apply for a PhD program in Organizational Behaviour (2011- ) and need some guidance. I have received my BS Hons degree in Computer Science from one of the top universities of Pakistan. I have worked in the areas of IT, sustainable development etc mostly in an advisory capacity. Even though my initial degree is in computer science, I have taken a number of courses in the area of development studies at Masters level to help me in my work.

My Basic profile is:
BS GPA : 2.7/4
GMAT : 750
work exp: 3 yrs

I know that my CGPA is pretty pathetic but i have tried to make up for it by taking courses at the Masters level in which i have mostly scored A or A+. I was also a straight As student prior to my undergrad and was also involved in lots of extra curricular activities ( not that it matters when u r applying for a PhD).
I actually wanted to apply to Insead, France but guess my GPA would be a hindrance. My 2nd choice is McGill, Canada. I love both the programmes and have researched the faculty and their interests and am pretty positive that i can do well in both the schools but i have to be realistic too. Therefore i have to look in to other options as well. My preference would be to join a school primarily in UK, Canada and France but i am open to other options as well. So if you guys could suggest any good schools in these countries, for which i am eligible, then i would be really thankful. Also if u think that getting a Masters would help my chances then do let me know as well. I want to add that I am really not inclined to get a Masters because I really don't want to spend 2 yrs on it. But if it is the only option then i would go for it. Also tell me if i shud try to improve my GMAT too.

Hope to see a reply soon.

Zeenia.

[gregc1213]

You can't improve your GMAT much more and to try would be a waste of resources. 2.7/4 is pretty bad so I would make sure you had a good story to go with it but honestly I may look into talking with an admissions consultant to get more educated advice on how that and your efforts to take grad courses will be perceived and could be best framed (i.e. is taking a few grad courses enough). Good luck!

[Zeenia]

Thanks for replying..

Well i did talk to an academic advisor in my old university and he told me to keep my options open and look for other schools in case i don't get in to my preferred schools...he himself is a McGill alum and told me that i have a shot at getting in coz my GMAT and work experience is good..but i don't know what to do...my undergrad score is bad primarily because we had to declare our major in the beginning of our degree and i wanted a business major and a CS minor but instead i got a CS major and a business minor and there was nothing i could do about it except leave...and my interest in CS was very limited so that in turn resulted in a bad GPA but i would like to clarify one thing here..even with this GPA, my score was well above average...around 71%..and i was among the good students..its just that there was no relative marking in our univ at that time and a person could top the class with less than 3 GPA...infact in may batch only about 5/6 people had their GPAs above 3...so it's not that i was a really bad student or something..it's just that our marking was extremely tough...

[haread]

From looking at your profile, I have no doubt that you will get in somewhere.

The trick will be to find someplace that wants to have you, where your research interests align with the current faculty. You want to have someone in your corner that wants to work with you.

Also with applications increasing, take the number of schools you think it makes sense to apply to and double it (10 - 15 may be about right).

You have a good story that explains your grade issues, don't try to hide it, incorporate your answer into your SOP and other essays.

Good luck!

Haread