WE in relation to undergrad?

Question

Hi everyone,

First post but longtime lurker (and thank you for putting together and contributing to this excellent forum--it beats the pants off the BW forums any day of the week!), and very happy to be here. Anyways, it seems that most of the discussions concerning admissions chances put undergrad institution and WE into separate buckets. It seems to me, though, that for two super competitive pools (IB and MC, specifically), the two can hardly be taken as discrete variables. That is, it's impossible (or just about, at any rate) to get into McKinsey out of undergrad if you don't go to a school that McKinsey targets, right?

So how do Adcoms view the kid from Harvard who works at Accenture (despite presumably having had a shot at M/B/B) versus the kid who got into Deloitte from, say, Lehigh (which was pretty much the best he could do)? Do the schools really make a distinction based on the student's performance among his peers, or is it only against that applicant's bucket as a whole (thus making, ceteris paribus, the Bain consultant always better than the Deloitte consultant, regardless of their standing vis-a-vis other students from their undergrad)?

Also, to what extent can a high GPA and GMAT mitigate the effects of the not-quite-blue chip consulting firm, especially given the competitive nature of other applicants' gmats?

TFN · Answer

For top schools like Harvard/Wharton, it is always about the prestige factor. If you look at the stats of students accepted, the majority come from an Ivy league school and worked at a prestigious firms like Goldman Sachs or Bain.

cpgmba · Answer

I think you raise a good point. I don't know the answer but I'd be interested to hear feedback from others. Someone getting into a blue-chip company out of an "average" undergrad shows that they had something that impressed recruiters which is valuable for all b-schools.

Steel · Answer

I really don't think that linkage would be drawn, but who knows. People have a variety of reasons for choosing where they work after colleges and I wouldn't think the adcom is going to presume you "didn't cut it" because you went to Harvard and went to a small firm or a "second tier" firm (using generalities here based on what I interpret your thinking - not presuming what firms are in those categories).

What I think is most important is that you specifically call out your logic in choosing the path you chose. Your story for why business school can be strengthened if you can show that you have been pursuing this goal not just for the last year, but have been making logical decisions to put you nearer to your goals for awhile (especially if you believe that your job choice needs to be explained or bolstered).

riverripper · Answer

I would say your work experience is more important than your undergrad. Especially when you are more than two years out of college. The reason top undergrads dominate at schools is several reasons. 1) they had shots at the best jobs that feed into MBAs. 2) they THINK they have a good shot at a top tier MBA while a student from a lesser school may BELIEVE their crappy undergrad will keep them out. 3) they apply more often to top MBAs

Dont worry about your undergrad if your work experience is up to par you will get in. I know several people who are proof of that, they went to terrible schools for undergrad but had great work experience and managed to get into top schools.

Dont worry about your undergrad if your work experience is up to par you will get in. I know several people who are proof of that, they went to terrible schools for undergrad but had great work experience and managed to get into top schools.

sudden · Answer

There's definitely an element of double jeopardy here. If you don't go to a top undergrad, you can't get a top job after graduation. If you don't go to a top high school, it's hard to get into a top undergrad. Some of the people I work with spend their weekends helping their kids study for JUNIOR HIGH ENTRACE EXAMS (what the heck), so that they can get into the right top junior high schools and get on the track. It starts to get pretty ridiculous at some point.

Anyway, I think that's where the essays and ECs come in. You may not work at McKinsey, but you can show your value in other ways. If you can stand out, you might get selected, in addition to (but not in place of), some of the McKinsey guys.

I think if you're the guy from Harvard who is underperforming, then you are in a bad spot.

WE in relation to undergrad?

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