Profile eval (Accy)

I am currently in the admissions process (which is probably about 3/4 done) for fall 2011, and am applying for many of the same schools you listed, so I am somewhat aware of what these programs are looking for and what it takes to get admitted. While some of my comments might seem kind of harsh, I hope you don't take it the wrong way. These are just my honest opinion as someone who is currently going through the process.

A few notes about your profile:

Your undergraduate GPA is very low for the schools you listed, which I would say have a target of 3.7+ GPA or so. Also, to answer your other question, your age is going to be an added negative at most programs, although probably not as bad as if you were 35+, so not a total deal breaker, but definitely a negative. In order to make up for this, you will need some other significant things to make yourself stand out, which in my opinion, you may not have.

Your graduate GPA is good, but a 3.8-3.9 is considered about target range for those schools, so it doesn't set your profile apart from anyone else that will be seriously considered at those schools. Your GMAT score is again probably on target (for about half those programs you listed), but will not make you stand out. Your work experience both in industry, and as a graduate assistant, are good, but again, I don't know if that is going to be any better than most applicants who are competitive for spots at those programs. I have the same comment regarding letters of recommendation, which are generally good to great for almost every competitive applicant. The fact that you took all the math classes as a grad student and received a 3.9 tells me that you probably did well in those courses, which is good, but this is again expected for a competitive applicant. I think that the level of math coursework you completed is probably actually slightly more than the average candidate at at least some of the programs you listed (but certainly not all), but only by a little. Your Chinese minor and proficiency, though interesting, will not be of interest to PhD programs, who only care about your potential to produce publishable research at the top journals.

All in all, I am going to have to disagree with cabro here, and say that I think that every one of the programs you listed above will be in the "reach" category given your profile. I would also say that applying to Wharton/HBS/Booth would be a waste of an application fee and time (time that is better spent improving ones chances at realistic schools), but you can apply there just so you can know you tried. I would encourage you to shoot for schools that are more in the range of Michigan State, Texas A&M, Missouri, etc, as those are probably your target range schools. These are still very respectable programs that have placed their candidates well over the years.

Another thing that I noted is that your list of schools does not correspond with the type of research you say you are interested in. You are not going to find much behavioral research being done at Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, Rochester, Wharton, HBS, Booth, Northwestern (in other words, nearly every school you listed). You are definitely going to want to square this away before you apply because one of the many ways that schools weed candidates out is by looking at their research interests and if they don't align to the school, the school knows you didn't do your homework.

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Hmm, well if you'd like to really discuss it further shoot me a PM, and I can share my experience. I have a profile somewhat similar to yours, and based on my experience with this application season, I can tell you that it might be more competitive than you imagine.

Keep in mind that the schools you listed are top schools, and people who end up getting admitted generally have nearly flawless profiles (I think that your undergraduate GPA is especially going to hurt you). At some of the (slightly) lesser programs like the ones I mentioned above, they *may* be more willing to overlook flaws in a profile, such as a low undergraduate GPA, if the rest of the application looks great. However, at top programs, they are unlikely to do this. Think of the school accepting 2 or 3 applicants out of maybe 100. There are going to be at least 3 applicants (and probably a lot more) that have at least an equivalent profile with respect to many of the positives in your profile, but also a good undergraduate GPA and younger, with relevant work experience, etc. I do think that if you apply to a large number of schools, you may end up getting some interviews from a few good schools (which may not necessarily mean acceptance), but I think each one of the programs you mentioned above are definitely reaches more than targets.

This is really just based on my experience, but PM me if you'd like to hear more about it.

I think Cornell is going to be very hard for you to get into. Their program is just so small.

I agree. Most Accy PhD programs are small, however, Cornell's is just so small it makes it seem ultra selective.

I believe that you have optimistic chances, especially about schools you mentioned other than HBS, Booth and Kellog. I don't weight your undergrad GPA as badly as risys82 did. grad is much more important than undergrad. You can imagine your grad and undergrad GPAs average is 3.7 (instead of 3.5). The story was totally different if your GPAs were in opposite locations, 3.9 for undergrad and 3.1 for grad.