Julian Said:

Can I get my MBA at Harvard or MIT as a mediocre student?

We Answered:

I know guys with 780-790 GMAT that didn't get in. They only take the best of the best, and sadly, a GPA below 3.5 means you weren't the best in undergrad. I usually tell people to apply since you anything could happen, but sadly you won't make the first cutoff at any top ten MBA program as is. You do have an option though. If HBS or MIT is your dream I would recommend getting a master's in a quantitative field (math, stats, financial math, etc.) and doing well. Then you might be able to get the MBA program to ignore your undergrad GPA if you can prove you are good at school. For them to overlook a 2.5 undergrad GPA you are going to have to get almost perfect scores though... Best of luck!

Ricardo Said:

Cheapest accredited online university?

We Answered:

Depending on your state, your local community college is probably the least expensive online program possible.

If you're in one of the states with a relatively expensive community college system then try Clovis Community College (NM), Metropolitan Community College (NE), Arizona Western Community College (AZ), or San Juan College (NM) - all under $100 per hour.

If you have a bachelor's degree then there are some really inexpensive certificate programs at University of La Verne intended for teachers and not much real use to the rest of the world except that they're graduate level certificates and cost $285 per 3 hour course. http://www.pdcourses.net/certificates.ph…

Western New Mexico University has a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies online for under $1000 per semester for 6 hours and they offer a payment plan to run the fee over the course of the semester. http://www.wnmu.edu/VirtualCampus/Interd…

If you're going to spend the time and money on more education, you might as well get some education that can become a certificate or degree you might find beneficial. The community college route solves your problem but doesn't provide upward educational credentials.

"Least expensive" for online courses generally means <$100 per hour for a community college and <$300 per hour for a 4-year college. Grad courses under $300 per hour are pretty scarce.

The government recognizes DETC accreditation as valid. Check with your agency to be sure but it's very possible they will accept enrollment in a Penn-Foster or Ashworth certificate program as "accredited" and those are among some of the cheapest programs anywhere.