MBA Programs

[Keno]

So I'm hopefully graduating this year from undergrad and I'm looking into applying to get my MBA somewhere. The problem is that I don't know which places offer good degree programs. Obviously places like MIT, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Harvard, etc. are going to offer great MBA programs, but I'm not sure I can get into those places. I haven't taken my GMAT's yet, but my GPA is only ~3.2, so unless I get stellar scores then I'm probably going to a second rate graduate school.

In any case, what places out there do you guys recommend? Any advice from current/past graduate students (MBA students) would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to stay on the West Coast if possible, but if the school is good enough then I'd be willing to move.

[Serif]

Just go to a lower level I guess program and get a 4.0 for your first semester and then transfer to another college that you would like to get into. That is what I have heard from my friend to do if your GPA isn't that great.

[Talus]

You may want to consider a few things:

1) Get work experience.
2) Take the GMAT when you are well-prepared for it.
3) A lot of programs are switching to 18 months instead of the typical two years, and some are even compressed down to one year. Bear in mind though, that the shorter programs commonly have no internship and are geared towards working adults, not freshly minted graduates.
4) Apply to schools in geographic areas you are considering living/working in. It's all about networking, and unless you go to one of the big schools (Kellogg, Wharton, Sloan, Harvard, Chicago, Stanford, etc), the contacts you make will more likely have more influence in the immediate local area and less so nationally. With a 3.2 though, you really need a good score, excellent essays, good recommendations AND strong soft factors to be a competitive applicant if your dream is to attend one of the top schools.

Good luck.