gr8two is *right* on the money -- consider the scenario of the son (daughter?) of a huge family-run business that is not based in an English-speaking country -- the heir apparent to a company that is a global household name (e.g., Samsung or LG, both of which I believe are still heavily family-owned). The lack of English fluency alone could account for the overall "low" score (the quant could have been 99%!)...and it is clear that they will have a job -- a VERY BIG job -- waiting for them at the end (so, no need to care what Goldman / McK think of them -- if anything, the bankers and consultants would be wooing this person to HIRE *them* later on down the road).
gr8wo observantly wrote:
"
Let's say now that you have a billionaire's son who wants to get into HBS but who is a bit retarded. HBS would normally not consider an idiot like that. BUT HBS knows that this guy will be taking over his father's group of companies employing thousands of people and will need at some point to make decisions that will be affecting thousands of lives."
George W Bush, anyone?
(seriously though -- there is a perfect example of someone who was, through family, destined to eventually do SOMETHING major...regardless of his past academic performance.) Perfect example. If your family isn't one of the most powerful, well-connected, wealthy ones on earth, then....yeah. You probably need to break the high-600s. Back to studying you go!
While I'm at it, I know this topic is a few years old, but for the people on this board complaining about W's assistant getting in a few years ago sans college degree...as much as I think that W was one of the worst things that could have happened to the USA,
ever, I actually think the case for his assistant to get in is extremely compelling:
- First of all, Claremont-McKenna is a very, very good college (he would not have gotten in in the first place if he weren't bright) (Has it occurred to you that maybe
HIS GMAT might have been 750+ ? )
- He didn't drop out due to poor grades or laziness; he dropped out to witness, first-hand and up close, how one of the most powerful countries (could you call the Federal government an "organization"?) on earth is run. BTW, dropping out of college to pursue this opportunity could be seen as the sort of gutsy risk-taking behavior the top schools love.
- While it's fun to talk about trivial tasks like making W a peanut-butter sandwich, the fact is that as Deputy Chief of Staff this guy probably was privy to some Heavy Stuff; seeing significant leadership at its highest form (if not from the President himself, then via people like the Joints Chief of Staff, Dr. Condoleeza Rice, etc.)
- With the connections he made from his time at the White House, HBS rightfully assumed that he could write his own ticket -- and hey! He's now a successful big-shot at a PE firm. And while I surely disagree with his political views, my hope would be that he's mingling his White House connections with his HBS connections and therefore contributing to the alumni community as a whole (e.g. hooking his classmates up with government contacts if needed). In sum, it looks like he's doing
precisely what schools like HBS hope their graduates do.
To summarize:
- The occasional lone person who DOES get in to HBS with a sub-600 or sub-500 score (1 out of 1,000! 0.1%! ) is probably such a super-star (business or political scion; possibly military hero or impressive do-gooder?), possibly a non-native English speaker (so some forgiveness on the verbal section is possible), and probably able to easily prove that they will put the HBS degree to work in a SIGNIFICANT way almost immediately upon graduation and also help out the alumni community in a Major Way. In sum, under no circumstances should just about ANYONE on this board assume that they are in the same boat and therefore think that there is "hope" for their lower score. Sorry.
- Complain all you want about it being unfair that HBS bent the rules for the former Deputy Chief of Staff, but...I'd have placed my bets on him too. HBS et al don't want to grant one of their few, precious spots to someone who's just going to become a middle-tier project manager....remember, an acceptance is a bet: they're placing bets on which people will eventually have significant impacts on society (for-profit, non-profit, government), and they don't want to squander one of those bets. Someone with enough smarts, drive, and stamina to have worked for the White House, under any administration, surely was a safe bet.