I am extremely impressed with your GPA at Penn, and it's great you have done consulting internships.
Definitely good for the employers to provide letters! Think about anecdotes they could share that would demonstrate a "habit of leadership and/or "leadership without authority" which are 2 big deals for HBS. So yes, those are honestly better than academic recs if they know you well and can tell good stories about you and what you contributed there. I see this as an advantage you might have over others.
I will say, I am a bit worried abut the special sauce factor for you. HBS really wants to see a habit of leadership and this means EC involvement, community involvement, getting out there and solving big problems. I worked with one 2+2 applicant who invented blockchain tech to prevent the trafficking of fake drugs in India. So that is kind of who you are going up against.
Have you made a positive impact on a committee or board, do you have some leadership stories to tell from ways you contributed at Penn? This will be important because you really need to work to distinguish yourself from other Indians, no matter where they live. And for the GMAT, I am so sorry to tell you its maniacally competitive for Indian males and Indians in general. So strive to get something like 750+. It stinks I know but these are the facts.
For the essay, hoping you can narrate a story that demonstrates leadership but also well-roundedness ad a certain universality. Or, a way you want to make an impact on the world, where it might leverage some aspect of your background.
Hope this helps and good luck! Please apply to other deferred programs as well, 2+2 is amazing but not the only path
Cheers,
Farrell
bluetiger7
Hi,
Would love for some feedback on my chances/application!
Background and nationality: Indian citizen but grew up in the US for the last 15 years
Undergrad Information: University of Pennsylvania, Wharton Undergrad with 3.9+ GPA
GMAT: Still haven’t taken the GMAT officially but scored around 680 (Q44, V37) on a baseline test. I would really love some insight into what my target score or score range should be, so I have something to work towards before I take the exam.
Work experience and leadership: Will be working in consulting for MBB post graduation. Have a couple leadership positions in clubs on campus.
Hobbies: Really enjoy playing tennis and dancing.
Post MBA goals: Will most likely continue consulting for a bit. Might pivot to management at a company or explore entrepreneurship.
I had one other question and was hoping you could answer it:
I have minimal work experience as I’m still completing my undergrad and will be applying for 2+2 in the spring. However, I do have two letters of recommendations I can get from past employers I interned for. Would this work? Or would you suggest I get recommendations from at least one professor instead? Due to COVID, I wasn’t able to get as close to professors as I had hoped so I was hoping I could get 2 recommendations from employers but wanted your advice on this as well.
Looking forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance!
