aezgar wrote:
Hi:
As you probably guessed from the subject of this thread, I'm in a quandry on deciding on whether or not to apply early decision. Does early decision really increase the odds of getting in? I would love to go to Columbia, and possibly apply early decision, but I don't want to suboptimize by applying to only one school. However, I don't like the idea of getting in with early decision and not getting in without it, the thought of not getting into one of my target schools when I could have otherwise is beginning to drive me crazy. Also, any feedback you could provide about my profile/chances would be extremely appreciated. Anyways here is some more information about my background:
Age: 24
Target Schools: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, University of Chicago, Columbia.
GMAT Score: 690, 96% verbal, 66% english
Undergrad GPA: 3.83, University of Nevada, Reno, majors in accounting/economics/finance, magna cum laude
Certifications: Ceritified in Financial Management, Certified Management Accountant, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Valuation Analyst, completed Lvl 3 Chartered Financial Analyst, will receive charter in January.
Work Experience: In college worked at a small venture fund, after graduation worked at Deloitte & Touche as an auditor for ~ 18mos., now working at a botique finance firm in Reno valuing private companies/derivatives/intangible assets.
Thanks!
The ED program at Columbia is for people for whom Columbia is a first choice. That's the target market. If Columbia is your first choice, then you can apply safely ED. If it's not your first choice, and you don't want to have a very difficult and potentially expensive decision to make, then apply after the ED deadline.
You also asked for an assessment of your chances. I don't like to be discouraging but I see most of the schools as stretch schools for you: HBS, Stanford, Wharton and Columbia. You have a competitive profile for Chicago. I think you need to apply to additional schools that are slighly less competitive, but still strong in finance. Check out NYU, Michigan, Duke, UT, Yale, and Cornell. (I'm assuming that you want to remain in a finance-related field.)
Good luck!