MBA, GMAT, life goals - and I'd perfer not to be an assistant for life.....

If you're thinking that your GPA will hold you back from getting into prestigious programs you're interested in, one strategy might be to take a class or two at a local school as a non-enrolled student. You could take classes in math or some subject that would improve your test scores and make you a better candidate, and many of the schools you might be interested in attending may allow you to take classes without enrolling. In Boston, check out the Harvard Extension School. If you can get As in a couple of post-undergrad classes, grad programs will look favorably on that and may overlook a less-than-stellar undergrad GPA, figuring that your more recent academic performance is a better indicator of your likely grad performance.

Oh, and the GMAT tests basic, basic math. You won't need calculus or the like for the test, and unless you want to study derivative pricing or something related, you won't need it in business school (past taking very easy first derivatives in economics courses, from time to time). Also, to extend my previous comment, if your numbers work out, you may wish to consider leaving your firm to attend B-school on a full-time basis. When I attended scholarship receptions at school, 90% of the attendees were women. I'm not editorializing, here-- I'm merely stating that part-time programs make people miserable, and that you may not have to pay anything remotely approaching full-freight as a full-time female student.

I agree with all of the answers so far. First, for most part-time programs (even at good schools) your GMAT score is not nearly as important as it is if you were applying to the full-time program. Evening, or executive MBA programs are cash cows for business schools and the main criteria is getting people who can pay the high prices. Generally I tell people to only do an evening or an executive MBA program if it is specifically rewarded within their organization. If your goal is to change careers or employers, then I would strongly recommend trying to get into a full-time program. Along those lines, as Kwantsar said, getting in to a prestigious MBA program is as much about your work experience as it is about your undergrad GPA. As long as you score highly on the GMAT, if you have high quality work experience (which it sounds like you do) you should be able to get into a quality program.

I will be starting a full-time MBA program in August. My situation was very similar to yours: comparable GPA, company that would have paid for a part-time program, uncertainty about my next career move. I took three quantitative courses at a local state university to supplement my undergraduate English major. I think this was an important step because it proved my analytical capabilities to the admissions committees and demonstrated my intent to pursue further studies. I first took the GMAT using only self-study to prepare. I did well, but knew that I could do better. I paid up for Princeton Review and raised my score to ~90 percentile. Again, I think this helped a lot with the admissions committees in light of my below average GPA. However, before pursuing any coursework or GMAT preparation, I would talk to people within your firm who have jobs that interest you. See what path they took to get there. An MBA might be the answer, but there could be a much more direct route. Good luck!