MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Jan 2010
Status:Admissions Expert
Affiliations: Founder, Amerasia Consulting Group
Posts: 1081
Given Kudos: 264
Re: Evaluation request from China
[#permalink]
01 Dec 2010, 15:45
Vampire king,
Cool name, no idea how I missed this before Thanksgiving - my apologies.
I don't think your GMAT hurts you at all at Stanford or any other school. You can probably read my take on this all over these forums, but I see the GMAT as working in four quadrants, almost independent of school or individual context:
Below 660 - Danger zone.
660-690 - "Wish it was higher." What's important is that readers won't "let themselves off the hook" mentally and basically punt the file. They will truly read it, which is where a great application can win the day. When you hear people buck the odds, it is usually in this range and it is usually with perfect essays.
700-730 - "Check in the box." They really don't give your GMAT another thought if you are in this range.
740+ - Now you can start to actually gain points here. It helps their average, maybe it allows them to admit a 670 type by "packaging" the two applications. It can dictate scholarships. So make no mistake, it's a lot better, but not really because one school or another draws different cutoffs.
So with that out of the way, we can understand that your GMAT puts you in the hunt. Your age is probably more problematic at Stanford, but the truth is that GSB is unpredictable. We know they reward big brand PE applicants with monster GMAT scores, but that's a relatively small subset. Who makes up the rest of the class? Who knows! They are looking for "something" that people have a hard time pinning down. Do you look like a mismatch on paper, based on a few stats? Maybe, but you might be the exact piece they are looking for in shaping the class. My advice on throwing a flier at Stanford is to just that - sit down and crank out the essays from deep within, don't overly edit them, don't try to game it, just let it flow. Pouring out who you really are is the best chance to be that magic key that fits the lock.
Now, my advice for any other school is pretty much the opposite. You have to understand the DNA of the program, know what they care about, understand the priority of themes, focus on the professional progression that makes sense, all of it. Going at it cold, without an expert "chief of staff" type adviser is an uphill battle. That's the truth of the matter.
That said, I think you have the goods at those other schools IF you nail the apps. The age thing is overblown at schools not named HBS or Stanford and I think your experience is a big positive, not a negative. I would also absolutely put Haas and Kellogg on your list as those schools really prize both deep experience and also an innovative mentality.
PM me if you want to get into this via a free consultation. I think we can take these great raw materials and help you put the puzzle together.
Hope this helps!
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti