From Aringo: *Awesome* Application Self-Assessment Tool

I thought this test was worth doing just to see where I stood with the top five schools.. These are the best schools and the hardest to get in to, so I wanted to see if I could give myself a boost before applying to them. I wanted to know if I could apply to Harvard and MIT knowing I had a hope in hell. I looked at it as a learning experience and found it very helpful.

It's a decent tool, but of course, guarantees nothing. I just did it for the hell of it, and I think it oversimplifies the GMAT/GPA section. It doesn't account for Quant %ile, nor does it ask what you studied in college - those are two things adcoms look at. Also, not all adcoms are going to "weight" each aspect of your profile and application like this - each adcom takes a holistic view and comes to its own conclusions.

For the record - my score was a ~55 when I rated my essays/application/recommendation/resume as "medium" and ~62 when I rated them as "strong"...I'm sure I fell somewhere in between.

The schools I applied to:
Kellogg - 72: Stretch. I got dinged, so I guess this was accurate.
Tuck - 68: Closer to Stretch than competitive. WL, so result TBD I guess.
Darden - 65: Close to being competitive than to being a stretch. WL - again, TBD.
Johnson - 65: Close to being competitive than to being a stretch. Accepted, awarded full-tuition fellowship.

Bottom line, this tool made me look like crap, but it's the Adcoms that decide if you'll get in, not a tool. Personally, I think this is just something Aringo uses to drum up business because it says "If you worked with Aringo, mark your essays/resume/recommendations as 'Strong'" which earns you a few more points on this assessment, giving the nervous applicant peace of mind, etc, etc.

Of course it doesn't guarantee anything and it doesn't cover everything that the adcoms look at, but because the adcoms do take a 'holistic' approach it's important that all aspects of the application be good. Your GMAT's a given, recommendations are a guess and everything else is highly open to improvement, by experts. That might make the difference between 'accepted' and 'wait-listed', and ultimately give you a choice of schools (the optimum situation). Congrats on being accepted to Johnson and the tuition fellowship!

Haha.. I liked how I had to deduct one point for being Indian...

That's terrible. What's the explanation for that? ... Someone?

It means that if you are Indian the competition is extremely tough as compared to other nationalities...

It's supposed to normalize the distribution of applicants across countries of origin/nationality.

Correct.

this tool sucks big time if you come from a non traditional background (ie entrepreneurship). My score was a 55.2. At least 10 points below what's needed for Duke and Ross.

OK so now I understand its a quota thing and for Indians, as ever, the numbers are working against you. With such sizable competition you should seriously consider getting help from one of the Acceptance Consultants, if you can. I'm trying to imagine what extraordinary qualities you can dangle before the eyes of the adcoms but there must be a key there somewhere and a good consultant would be able to help you find it. Maybe. Possibly. Probably. Damn.

What traditional background? I scored myself strong enough to consider Wharton and MIT, which is what I want, on the basis of my entrepreneurial experience. After I left the Airforce I opened up an after-hours bar/party venue, with no partners, and it was profitable for three years. That's the sum total of my work experience and I figure its worth MORE than a company job. Of course its not what I want to do with my life - now I want to start making some real money. I'm still working on my applications, but I feel confident with my management skills. Give yourself a break and go for the good schools....

Can someone tell me what being wait-listed really means? I'm WL for my first choice (Sloan). What are my chances, and is there anything more I can do at this point.? The Aringo test showed it was a reach for me but it was close so I applied. Now this WL - very frustrating.

As a fellow WLer, I feel your pain. IMO, being WL'd means that the school views you as qualified for admission to their program, but you failed to "wow" them the way the admitted applicants did. Also understand you may have been victim to a numbers game, especially at a school like Sloan where ~4500 applicants are competing for ~400 seats. Unfortunately being on the WL means you're at the mercy of the school's yield, and if you're willing to stay flexible, some spots could open up in the summer if deposited students are removed from HBS, Wharton, etc, waitlists, leaving Sloan with a seat to fill. No one can comment on your "chances" since it's all dependant on the actions of Sloan admits.

The dominoes are yet to fall.

Thanks Cobra, that's what I thought. Willing to be flexible? Can't afford to wait, really, for a big 'maybe'. Now if I could get an interview, I could wow them. Maybe. Who knows? These adcoms are like gods to which we are .... flies.

Judging from some of the Accepted cases on this post I'd say this test is a fair indication of ones chances for the top 12 schools. Maybe not the top three, depending on your score, but certainly the rest. I mean if you don't have an exceptional application your not going to get in to HBS or Sloan or Wharton. But the others are up for grabs. If you feel like you have to go to Harvard or Wharton then working with an Acceptance Consulting org. would be worth the money. But the rest of the schools are all great so I would look for four or five that fit your needs and not waste my efforts on the top two or three. How many schools can one apply to? May as well give yourself a sporting chance with an excellent school that's not HBS. Am I being cynical?

So, 007 - were you able to figure out how to make improvements in your app and, if so, where did you apply?

I wasn't going to do this test and get discouraged about my chances but in the end I couldn't resist. My score put me competitive with some schools and a stretch for the obvious ones like HBS, which is more or less what I suspected. And I'm not discouraged. I chose the schools I want for their programs, not their rep. But I am curious whether some people have been pleasantly surprised to get in to a school they didn't think they were up for according to this test.