My Chances at Harvard - Post All Profile Evaluation Requests Here!

Hi everyone,

GMAT - 750
Work Experience - 2.5 years (Cyber Security Consultant)
Indian Female

Engineering major - Information Science (8.40 CGPA)

Extra Curriculars :
* One amongst the 16 students selected out of 300+ students who applied to attend an exchange program at UMass Lowell and study a credit course on Global Immersion in Innovation and entrepreneurship.
A program which had students participate from 6 countries.
* Debate team captain( won inter collegiate championship)
* Also won Inter department dance competition two years in a row
*Part of the college editorial team
*Habitat for humanity volunteer for over a year
*CSR core member for 2 years.


I would love to hear your feedback and/or any suggestions to improve my chances of getting an admit.

HBS, Stanford , MIT Sloan and Wharton are the schools I'm trying to get into

Posted from my mobile device

Hi sanchak,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your profile. You have strong academics and an equally strong GMAT (congrats on 750!). You also seem to have been very involved in the university community, which is great. I didn't quite catch if you have done/are working with any community organization (extracurricular) in post-university. Can you share a bit about that? Also, can you speak about your role as a Cyber Security Consultant as well as your leadership experience within the organization? Finally, what are your post MBA goals?

As I am sure you are aware, a student's admission to top MBA programs is dependent on a holistic review of their profile, the student's fit in the program (EQ + IQ), academic abilities, their leadership experience, and the student's goals in relation to the school's ability to place them post-MBA. I do require more information to adequately evaluate your profile for the M7s you are targetting. If you prefer to have a phone conversation and discuss your profile, I am happy to discuss. If interested, please fill out this form so we can coordinate a call.

Good luck!






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Hi Everyone,

Hoping to get some realistic advice from all of the experts here on whether or not I actually have a chance to get into my dream school!.

Ethnicity/Nationality: Male, Holder of both Philippines and Canadian Nationalities
29 years old
710 GMAT
3.45 GPA in Business Administration from a top business school in Canada (Schulich/Ivey/Queens).
Chartered Accountant
Worked 3.5 years at Big 4 firm in Toronto in Assurance and Advisory
1.5 years in a different Big 4 firm in New York Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory
2 years in Equity Research at a Bulge Bracket firm (BAML/Credit Suisse etc), I was a Research Associate for only year (people usually stay 5-8 years in the role before becoming the lead analyst) and then I got promoted to lead analyst covering several stocks in Toronto.

Extras:
I was an elected member (Director) of the undergraduate business society (student council)
Editor in Chief of the Yearbook Association
Journalist at school news paper
Competed and won several case competitions
Finance Director of youth outreach organization since high school, we have since raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to distribute to other youth groups.

Thanks!

Hi markmba1990,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your profile. Can you tell us a bit more about you post-MBA goals? Also, have you done any community work post undergad?

As to your profile, you have strong professional experiences. I particularly like that you have international experience. I also like that you have been promoted. Areas that maybe you should consider is retaking the GMAT and trying to increase your score by 10+ points. Also, you want to pay close attention to your story (marketing of yourself) - your story is very important in the admissions process to top programs. I would like to learn more about your profile. If interested, please click here.

Good luck!




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Hoping to get some realistic advice from you guys to know what my chances are

Ethnicity/Nationality: Male, Vietnamese American. Immigrated to the U.S in high school
29 years old
700 GMAT
3.90 cumulative GPA. Double major in Economics and honors Finance from a top 50 undergrad business school located in the Rocky Mountain area. Phi Beta Kappa
2 years as Investment Banking Analyst at a top 5 elite boutique bank ( think Jefferies, Guggenheim, RBC) in NY
4 years U.S Navy Officer SWO

Extras:
I was involved in student government throughout undergrad. Got elected and served as senator and my party leader in the student senate.
Avid Hip-Hop dancer. Lead choreographer of my school hip-hop team. Have won some city competitions and awards.
Toastmaster competitor. Have won some local speaking competitions.

Looking to apply for H/S/W/Columbia. Also interested in a joint degree with HKS

Post MBA plan, I want to go into VC/Growth Equity. Long term goal is to run my own company.

How can I improve my application ? What are the strengths/weaknesses of my profile ?

Thank you !

Hi pokemanga,


Thank you for your post. You have strong academics and equally strong professional experiences in IB and Navy. I also like that you have sought personal growth through Toastmasters and have been engaged in college. I think there is a deeper story to your life and therefore to your goals than what's described in these few lines of text. As you prepare your applications, I recommend you tap into your personal history and demonstrate your character and ambitions to pursue VC/Growth Equity and later grow your own business. Be sure that you really understand what each target institution offers in relation to your professional growth that goes deeper than ranking.

If there are any areas that you should work on, it would be your GMAT. I recommend trying to increase your overall score to be in-line with the schools' averages.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!




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Deleted

I think you should take the GMAT at least 2 more times to see if you can increase your score. You would want at least a 70th percentile on the quant score as well. Right now, your GMAT score and your lower-than-average GPA from a non-feeder school are two things that immediately are working against you. You can't do anything about your GPA, but you can and should do as much as you can about your GMAT. Taking the test a few more times will show them that you recognize you're not at the level you need to be.

Aside from that, HBS is looking for people who have gone above and beyond in some way -- be it at work or in a volunteer capacity or a personal situation -- that their classmates can learn from. They are looking to understand what you are passionate about and what drives you. That's the kind of stuff I spend a few months working with my clients on so it's nothing you could list out here, but that's what you should keep in mind as you write your essay.

Hope this helps!


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Hi

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

Hi everyone,

Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

Applying to:
• Harvard | Stanford GSB | Wharton

Profile:
• 24 year old Indian male.
• Top Engineering college (and consistently top 10 globally in overall rankings) in the UK (integrated masters: Bachelors + Masters in 4 years. This is common in the UK). Masters in Economics & Finance at Oxford/Cambridge.
• Top 20% of my class at Engineering school (First Class Honours - equivalent to 3.8+ GPA)
• GMAT 750 (Q50V41)
• Summer internships: 1 in the technology division of an American bank; 1 on the the trading floor of a bulge bracket investment bank. Both in London.
• Will be joining Bain London office as a pre-MBA hire. (SO WILL APPLY TO HSW IN 2-3 YEARS)

Extracurriculars:
• Took a year off before starting work at Bain London to go climb some of the highest mountains across the Himalayas and Andes (not trekking - actual climbing from bottom to the top). Here, I climbed with and met strangers from all over the world (America, Canada, Nepal, UK, Argentina, Brazil). I was trained by the Indian Army Mountaineering team for a month long course at Asia's #1 mountaineering institute where I received an 'A' grade (top of my class). Also, one of the youngest Indian's to climb the highest mountain outside Asia and was selected as the youngest member of a joint Indian-Canadian expedition to Mt. Everest until I got injured during training prior to the climb and had to pull out.

• Recently co-founded a social venture which provides a platform to pair students looking for help with jobs/college admissions with mentors in universities/jobs they want in exchange for donations to charity. Have raised $20,000 for mental health & education charities.

• Additionally, I mentored 15+ URM college applicants from Europe, India, & the US for undergraduate college admissions & internships in finance/consulting. Over 90% of them received offers to top 5 UK universities, & their top-choice internships.

• Board member (youngest) of a non-profit that offers free STEM education to 100,000+ young people that were denied access to education due to war, poverty, disability or gender.

Awards & Honours:
• Won 3-4 "Young leader" type awards. One of them was for being in the top 100 future leaders from British universities (100 out of 1000+ nominations UK wide); Another was Top 100 future UK leaders out of 7000+ nominations from over 150 UK colleges.

Post-MBA goal: Return to Bain for 2 years then move into VC analysing investments in the EdTech space in India.

Other factors: I've applied twice for the 2+2/Stanford Deferred programs unsuccessfully (no interviews). Once in my final year of undergrad, once right after that during my 1-year masters. Will this go against me in 2-3 years when I apply as a regular applicant?

Thank you for your time.

SBCErikaOlson MBAPrepCoach

Hi rs5713,

Thank you for sharing your profile. You have a really interesting and competitive profile for the target schools. I recommend that while you gain knowledge and exposure in leadership in the next 2-3 years at Bain, that you continue in this upward trajectory of diverse experiences that make you such a well-rounded and interesting candidate.

As to your prior applications to the deferred and 2+2 programs, they will not hinder your re-application. However, I recommend you re-evaluate the content of your applications. You can reference this article.

Once you are preparing your applications, you want to share with the admissions committees your drive that spills into your interests in making the world a better place. You also want to present clear goals and why the target institutions are the logical next step in your career development. Happy to continue the conversation. If interested, please reach out.

Good luck at Bain and with your other ventures!
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**Commentary
Struggling a lot with this process, I know I have some very strong elements of my profile, but they're also very traditional - and I have no wow factors in leadership, diversity etc.

I've spoken to a couple of people about my application, most recently an admission consultant - and have been given a very negative perspective of my chances at Harvard. It's quite discouraging. Essentially - over-represented / no diversity, no wow factor, and an increasingly less favorable background (top consulting). Looking for other opinions, are year 2/3 applicants from this space doing worse?

*Background and nationality:
24 years old; United States; Male; White

*Undergrad Information:
Economics and Mathematics at top 5 US liberal arts college; GPA: 3.5/4.0

*GMAT:
760; A little heavier on verbal but good quant

*Work experience:
+/-MBB or MBB tier consulting - generalist industry and practice area, but some really interesting engagements; Promoted to post MBA level; Strong performer - with recognized / tangible awards & recognition by the firm (e.g., part of selective internal program)

*Leadership:
A bit weak here...
-- Currently: President of a community education group - mostly at my firm, executive committee in an office program - organize a number of things / events
-- College: VP in my college investment fund, president of a school club, student government representative

*Community and other:
Community teaching thing above, guide at local museum, volunteer with an NGO, and did a lot in undergrad and highschool (e.g., tutoring, etc.)

*Applying to:
H/S/W, Maybe Booth - focusing on H/W

*Post MBA goals:
Will likely start by going back to my firm - but my story will focus on my interest in entrepreneurial / business ventures in a specific sector I'm interested in

I'll answer your broader question first: Yes, in my opinion, from what I have observed as an admissions consultant for the past 10 years, applicants from consulting and banking are having a much tougher time now.

I see the top programs shifting the make-up of their classes to include those from cybersecurity, edtech, education consulting, healthcare/healthcare-consulting and social entrepreneurship backgrounds, as these are newer/emerging "buzzy" industries, and the programs always want to have people who can speak to issues that are making headlines. Of course those from general management consulting and all different areas of fin services will still be represented, but they are shifting away from being the dominant forces in the make-up of any graduating class.

It is also no secret that programs are striving to be more diverse -- not just in male/female terms, but also in ethnicity, country of origin and industry/role buckets.

Honestly, I think it's an important thing when someone who is experienced in this process gives you realistic feedback. The last thing you should want is someone giving you unrealistic expectations about your odds.

I spend about a month ensuring I know absolutely everything there is to know about my clients before we begin the process of thinking about positioning and essays, so I wouldn't have enough to go on from what you've written in this post, but my knee-jerk reaction is that you will really have to have a solid story about what you bring to the table that is going to benefit your classmates, and right now I am not seeing what that story would be. I think a lot of applicants assume the GMAT is a deciding factor or a factor that weighs more heavily than it does. What matters most is what others will learn from you. So as a younger applicant you have even more of an uphill battle to prove your worth.

I truly hope this helps! Best of luck.



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timtim12 I'm somewhat inclined to agree, but it's difficult to say just from the surface level facts. Is there some type of exciting leadership story from your involvement in the investment club? Or anything else? It’s all about the details and how they communicate your brand. Some of these things could look a lot more interesting once we bring color to them and find out how do you do what you do to be successful.

What kind of stories do you have that speak to leadership, teamwork, and problem solving? Innovation?

I will say on the whole you do look like a pretty vanilla candidate. Their looking for a pattern of leadership from diverse, well rounded movers and shakers who are interested in lots of different things and led by a vision to improve the world in some way. what is this special sector you are interested in?

I think it's best to just put this whole school selection part to the side…it's important to do the introspection and really take full stock of what you have to bring to the table first. I like to do the school selection once I understand which essay prompts and applications leverage the strengths of my clients.

You definitely don’t have to go to GSB or HBS to have a great experience in b-school and leverage the investment.


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timtim12,

You have a competitive profile for your target programs. However you, like every competitive applicant, needs to show that you are going to contribute you to your class and community, add something distinctive. Since you come from a fairly common cohort in the applicant pool, that might be more difficult for you, but it isn't necessarily impossible because you are a little younger, male, and a consultant.

That's something we work hard with our clients to do.

We also have a free resource, that can give you a little guidance in both showing fit and that ability to contribute: Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions. As you and others have the challenge for you will be more about standing out than fitting in.

Best,
Linda
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Just took my GMAT today and considering if I should retake given I'm targeting GSB/HBS. I know it's on the border of even having a shot but I'm hoping that with strong resume/recs I'll still have a decent shot. Additionally, most of my firm went to either GSB/HBS and I'm fortunate enough to be able to get some pretty stellar recs from well known alumni of both schools (trustee/advisor board members). Am I dreaming or should I retake and target a 740+?

Background and nationality: Asian-American

Undergrad Information: NYU/3.8 (Cum Laude)

GMAT: 700 (Q44/V42)

Work experience and leadership:
- Vice President at well-known venture capital firm; promoted early from associate to senior associate then to VP
- Have led a few of my own investments that have done well and take board seats on companies
- Before that, 1 year management consulting and 1 year PM at startup which was acquired

Community service and awards:
- Executive/Board member of a thousands+ member non-profit
- Forbes 30 under 30

Thanks!

Hi belami1991,

My short answer to your question (Am I dreaming or should I retake and target a 740+?) is No (you're not dreaming) but Why Not?

Of course you're not dreaming. All top business schools evaluate your application "holistically," which means your GMAT is one factor among many factors and they take them all into consideration. Your background is clearly impressive. Your work history/track record, your employer, and strong recommendations all matter a lot. They'll notice the 30 Under 30. Your GPA is also good (we don't know what it's in, but hopefully you'll have some quant courses in there) so academically, you should look fine. They should like the board membership on the nonprofit too, especially if you have meaningful involvement there and a personal connection.

What we don't know from the below is what your personal qualities are, what your "story" is, and where you're going. All those also matter. Tons of awesome stats won't help if you come across poorly in the essay or interview. So, assuming you can deliver there - you'll absolutely have a legitimate shot.

That said, why would you take the GMAT only once? It's a tricky test, most people don't get their best scores the first time. It's early in the season - HBS just released their (same) essay question this week, and Stanford hasn't confirmed their essays for the year yet. You have time to retake it, why wouldn't you? I would wonder about that. Also, tbh - a 700 doesn't tell me everything. Is it evenly split or is one side much lower than the other? What do your IR and AWA look like? What was the test like for you? Did you prep for it? Do you struggle in general with standardized tests? I'd take it again! If it doesn't go up, no harm, no foul - it shows you tried. If it does - awesome, every little jump can help at these elite schools.

When you submit your application, you want to feel like you gave the process your all. The level of competition is stiff, and the process unpredictable. So, yeah, I'd take it again. Another option is switching to the GRE - it's becoming increasingly popular (15% of HBS's 2020 class submitted GRE scores) and some candidates just tend to do better on that test. You can always try an online practice test to see if you "click" with it better. But I think I'd rather just see how you do with a 2nd GMAT so you can show resilience and effort to score better.

Best of luck!

Warmly,
Julie-Anne Heafey
mbaMission

quote="belami1991"]Just took my GMAT today and considering if I should retake given I'm targeting GSB/HBS. I know it's on the border of even having a shot but I'm hoping that with strong resume/recs I'll still have a decent shot. Additionally, most of my firm went to either GSB/HBS and I'm fortunate enough to be able to get some pretty stellar recs from well known alumni of both schools (trustee/advisor board members). Am I dreaming or should I retake and target a 740+?

Background and nationality: Asian-American

Undergrad Information: NYU/3.8 (Cum Laude)

GMAT: 700 (Q44/V42)

Work experience and leadership:
- Vice President at well-known venture capital firm; promoted early from associate to senior associate then to VP
- Have led a few of my own investments that have done well and take board seats on companies
- Before that, 1 year management consulting and 1 year PM at startup which was acquired

Community service and awards:
- Executive/Board member of a thousands+ member non-profit
- Forbes 30 under 30

Thanks![/quote]
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Hi Everyone,

I am not your typical FT MBA applicant. My Work exp is more aligned with EMBA. However, Harvard and Stanford do not offer EMBA.

Following are my stats:

1) UG from India (Non-IIT) - 3.6 GPA
2) MS from NYU - 3.7 GPA
3) GMAT - 740
4) Machine Learning professional in a top consulting firm.
5) Total Work Exp will be 9 years by admission time
6) Technology Certifications (25+)
7) 2 Research papers in Technology
8) Seasoned Marathon Runner
9) Experience in mentoring underprivileged kids with their education and aspirations

I'll be thankful if you could provide me an insight on my chances.

Thanks for your time.

I would recommend retaking. If you don't, the adcom might wonder why you didn't. To retake -- even if you don't get a better score -- conveys persistence in addition to showing that you're aware of how competitive this process is and that a 700 is below the HBS/GSB average. I would try the GMAT two more times, and if you can't move the needle then you might want to consider the GRE.

Otherwise I think from what you've shared of your background -- especially the Forbes mention -- it sounds like you've got a compelling story to tell.

Best of luck!



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I think for all applicants who are over the average student age, the first question you need to answer in your materials is: Why now? Why did you wait so long to apply or realize you need an MBA to accomplish your goals? And what did you achieve/experience during that extra time that is so unique that they would want you in their class in order to have your classmates learn from you?

The older students in any given class tend to be those who have had military careers, or started their own firms, or had medical careers, or did something that justifies their delayed entry. It is unclear to me what that reason might be for you. The last thing you want them to think is that you don't know what you want to do with your life or that you're stuck in your career and so you're applying to business school.

You are also coming from the most overrepresented demographic bucket -- Indian male. So while your GPAs and GMAT are fine, you are going to need to have something from your experience (professional or personal) that really, really stands out and shows leadership. Machine learning is a buzzy area, so that might work to your advantage. But I would widen your net outside HBS and GSB -- and I would say this to most applicants who want an MBA.

Hope this helps and best of luck.


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