zuperman wrote:
I have started getting a feel of things but one information that still eludes me is what kind of profile do these colleges want... I know that these colleges always look at the 'complete package' rather than just one aspect of it but somehow my gut feeling is that the decision criteria is generally based on your acads & recommendation....which is what discourages me from applying. Not that I have bad acads but was not a merit ranker or something nor I have a backing of some LBS or Harvard alumni. Do we have someone in this forum who's got an admit but doesn't agree to the same?
I concur with bsd_lover on this. My recommendations were pretty standard -- both of my recommenders had never heard of LBS previously, and I don't know any alums or current students. Furthermore, my academics were subpar (GPA barely above 3.00), though I think my GMAT counteracted that.
Thus, I do believe that work experience and essays can play a major factor in your candidacy -- especially if it can compensate for other areas. As mentioned, LBS has been known to invite candidates to retake the GMAT if the rest of their profile was impressive -- so it sounds like they really will evaluate the "complete package."
This site has been very inspiring & am really motivated to give the entire application my best shot without an iota of pessimism.