Any chance at top 10 US MBA?

Question

Hey guys- Huge fan of the site! Wanted to post to get thoughts on my viability of getting into a top ~10 school. Stats are below:

Age: 28, American 
Undergrad: Neuroscience at a top public school (top 25 overall)
GPA: 2.8 (No real excuse, I slacked off A LOT in college) 
GMAT: 690 (43Q /42V), 710 (48Q / 39V), 700 (49Q / 36V) 
Work ex: 5+ years at 2 F200 FinTech companies in the Bay Area in Corporate Strategy and product roles with multiple promotions; was given opportunity to spend 2019 working abroad in Singapore
Extracurricular: Spent 3 years as an academic mentor for a non-profit org; applying for an Associate Board member position with same org for 2020-2021

Schools I'm looking to apply to (only considering East Coast schools):
Harvard (it's a reach I know)
MIT
Columbia 
NYU 
Darden (Maybe)

Do you guys think I have any shot at these? I will have very strong LOR and have confidence in my ability to write a strong personal statement

Appreciate any thoughts, thanks!

TheUltimateWinner · Answer

umbz Ask your query in the following link, please. You might get better response there, probably. https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admissio ... 4/?fl=menu Thanks__

pd2pmm · Answer

Its gonna be tough for those Top 12 schools even with a transcendent personal story. I think maybe you could have a slightly better chance at Duke

What is your post-MBA goal (industry and locale)? Depending on these, UCLA, USC, Foster, McCombs, Emory would be solid options for you with better admission chances

Raxit85 · Answer

Looking at profile, the chances of admission acceptance to other 4 b schools, as you mentioned, are bright. But, to get into harvard, you need to demonstrate leadership skills in your application. It all depends on your application. Best of luck for the same.

souvik101990 · Answer

Well, I think your work experience is solid and that should get you there. But to offset your GPA (which you sort of need to do unless you have a really compelling story), you need a higher GMAT and/or excellent essays and recs. Can things still happen for the schools you mentioned without those things? But we are all about increasing the likelihood here.

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

Hey umbz! Based on your post, I'd say you top out at the Duke/UCLA. You generally need a strong GPA or GMAT as an American (Caucasian male I'm assuming?) to give yourself the best chance to crack the top 10...being weak in both isn't great. That being said, 710 isn't bad, but the 2.8 will require an additional essay to explain. Your application will come down to your story and ability to articulate your work impact and progression. With stellar recommendations and essays I could see you garnering an interview with a school like Columbia, but it will be difficult - they are focused on numbers. Feel free to reach out to scott@personalmbacoach.com to discuss your profile in more depth! Regards, Scott

Any chance at top 10 US MBA?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards