MBA Admissions Consultant
Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 2457
Given Kudos: 2
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Re: Profile Evaluation
[#permalink]
18 Jun 2012, 17:31
First, I don't know what's in the air in the last 2 years, but I've encountered more applicants who've had one parent pass away than ever before in years' past (in other words, it's sadly not that uncommon).
Anyhow, it's a wide range of schools.
Babson (or any school outside the top 16) you shouldn't have any issues getting in.
Sloan would be a good fit given your entrepreneurial background. What makes it hard to get into is that it's so damn small of a school, and admissions can become even more of a crapshoot because of it. What helps you is that your background and goals fit what Sloan is really after (trying to distance themselves away from their parent university - an engineering school; and yet, Sloan still gets a ton of Asian/Asian-American engineers, so being a white guy who is entrepreneurial certainly is the kind of thing they are hoping to see more of so that can splash your mug on their website when you're a student). Sloan is a crapshoot for anyone, but you're in range that it's worth at least applying.
HBS is a stretch, but hey, if you want to go, go for it. Biggest issue is pedigree. You have known names (top 25 college, F100 company) but you're up against folks who have that AND who are likely at more exclusive places (i.e. firms that are harder to get a job, or that are far more selective) - and in a way, yes, HBS adcoms are as shallow as TMZ in that they care about sex appeal and glamour (i.e. working at Facebook is sexy for them; insurance not so much). Also, GPA is an issue as HBS loves those high GPAs. Yes, taking some additional coursework can help as does your upward trend, but you're also up against enough other blue chip white guys who won't have the same GPA issues (and who may not have the same resume as you, but who is more or less of the same overall caliber). Again there's guys like you at HBS, but you're not the bread-and-butter.
Other than maybe taking a few courses to build an alternate transcript, it's a matter of just focusing on the written applications and interviews if you're applying this year.
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