kryzak wrote:
Where's the best place to ask about getting into a specific school? The school profile threads are pretty old (2005, 2006) and no one seems to respond to those.
As for getting into specific schools - that's a hard one to answer. The concrete factors are pretty easy: check out each school's average work experience, GMAT, GPA, etc. You can easily see how you rate. You definitely want to be in the mid-80% range. Being above the mean is dandy. Being in the top is even better.
Next, you can read the web sites and get an idea for the more touchy-feely stuff: Duke loves team. Tuck loves community. Stanford likes young odd-balls. If you match these characteristics and/or can emphasize them in your essays, that'll help.
Finally, you can talk to folks who know the school well and might be able to enlighten you on (real or perceived - it's hard to say) idiosyncracies for a given school. Maybe school X is really a GMAT whore. Maybe school Y is trying to get away from its reputation as an engineering school.
This isn't an easy answer because it's not a straight-forward situation. Formulas don't seem to apply. So much of what really matters -- good essays, leadership experience, maturity and introspection -- are hard-to-define-&-compare intangibles. We all know of admits at an ultra-elite who didn't get into an elite. Volatility reigns.
I think your best bet is to apply to a range of schools (stretches, possibles, probables) that you'd be willing to attend and that make sense for your preferences and goals. Follow best practices for applying, as discussed on this board, on the school's admissions site, and in book's such as Bodine's and Montauk's.
Good luck. It's quite the ride.
cheers
AAu