I forgot to mention that I'm worried about my Q score because my 45 translates into a 78% percentile and I've read that schools want your score in the 80th percentile. As I mentioned in the original post I had a rough freshman year, ending up with a 2.7GPA, including 2.0 in both Calculus 1 and 2 and a 2.5 in intro to microeconomics and in intro to macro. The reason for these grades was the fact that school was not my priority, had a hard time getting to class(I was young and immature). Since I received 3.8 and above for all of my advance econ courses(during my last 2 years of school) I'm hoping that the schools can see that my lower GPA in these math classes was not the result of not being able to cut it. My lower grades in these calculus classes are in fact my biggest worry. Should I be worried about this? If so, is there anything I can do offset these low grades? Thanks!

Hi Linda,

Thanks for the quick response, just one follow up question. I'm looking for schools with good general management and/or international business programs. Based on my qualifications: 710/ 3.4GPA, etc what schools can I consider safety schools? Thanks again!


Crsierra

Look into USC, UT, Georgetown, UNC for safeties. These are not safeties, but they are excellent GM schools: Darden and Tuck.

Good luck!
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Bravo for sticking to the programs that genuinely interest you. If you are going to spend 50k+ on something it might as well be what you really want.

Hjort

Hi,

Two questions:

1) How many schools truly interest you?

2) Can you assign an approximate percentage to your willingness to be without any acceptances in your portfolio in the admission year? (i.e. a 10% chance of nonacceptance, 20% chance etc.)

Hjort

Thanks for your response.

I think I need to clarify what a "safety school" is and isn't. It is not a school that you don't want to attend. Applying to such a school is simply a waste of time and money.

A safety school is a school where your qualifications indicate you have a good chance to gain admission AND its strengths support your goals, even if its overall ranking is not your ideal. When looking at qualifications I seek a school where your GPA is roughly .2 above the school's average and your GMAT is roughly 30 points above the school's average. THose number are not rigid, but they give a range.

USC, UT, UNC, and Georgetown are strong in your areas of interest and their averages are such that you have a good chance of getting in.

HOwever, if you want to "go for the gold," are willing to risk rejection at all the schools you apply to and reapply next year -- a perfectly acceptable admissions strategy especially if you are a younger applicant -- then you should not apply to safety schools. Furthermore, if you are in a position where only an MBA from a top-ranked program will provide professional advantage, then you should not apply to a safety program. But if you are one of the many applicants who does not want to go through this process a second time if at all possible and needs an MBA to accomplish his or her goals -- even if the sheepskin doesn't have Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, et.al. on it -- then you should apply to a safety school.

I hope you hear good news from Insead.

Good luck!
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Linda Abraham
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310-815-9553

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Hi,

Have you actively evaluated Stanford and Duke?

If so, what was your rationale for rejection in each case?

Hjort

I know I said one more question but another question just came up. Based on what I've read you shouldn't include extracurricular activities from back in highschool but one of the things that I'm most proud of happened in the summer prior to starting college and I don't know if I should use it.

Back in Honduras, during the summer prior to beginning college I volunteered(well over 125 hours) at a halfway house for homeless kids, it was a real drab place especially since these kinds of homes are completely underfunded by the state. I was involved in painting, cleaning, and just making the place hospitable for these kids. What I'm most proud of though was the fact that I (there were a few other people that raised money as well) approached several big companies back in Honduras in order to raise money for the work. We were able to raise thousands of dollars which in a third world country can do wonders. This was enough to buy paint, cement and furniture(among other things) By the time the summer was over the place looked completely different. I know that this happened a long time ago but it is something that I'm still proud of since it affected so many kids(over a 100, some as young as 5).

Thanks guys, sorry for so many questions(don't want to bother you, especially since you have been so patient reading through all these questions).

Thanks Hjort, yes that would not be the only example of community service but in terms of sheer impact that is the best example I have.

I agree with your assessment but based on the schools I'm looking to apply to there is no school in my portfolio in which acceptance is highly probable. The other thing is that if I decide to apply to Stanford I would have to drop another school's application(probably one where I might have a better chance of acceptance). It goes back to the question of how many schools to apply to. Hjort, I really appreciate all your feedback, both you and Linda have been very helpful.

Crsierra

That is a good idea, I will consider doing that. I just felt that applying to both Stanford and Harvard might be a waste of time since my chances are slim but I can guess that you never know unless you try. That 8% acceptance rate does seem very daunting though. Hjort, how come you are so familiar with this process? I'm guessing that you are either going through it yourself or did so in the past.