MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 2457
Given Kudos: 2
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Profile evaluation please.
[#permalink]
12 Jun 2011, 08:58
Harvard is going to be a stretch given your age (less than 5% are 29 or older, and of those who are older they tend to be special cases i.e. they have an inside track into the school administration, they are non-corporate/non-traditional candidates, etc.).
You have a strong profile, and you seem to have a realistic grasp of where you stand:
Stretch: HBS, Wharton
Sweet spot: NYU, Duke, Cornell
Safety: Tepper, Georgia Tech
With that list, if you have time to apply to HBS, then go for it since you have enough schools on your list that if you don't get in there, you at least will get in somewhere.
As for the China story you mentioned, it really depends on the context and nature of the essay - it could work, it could not.