Should I explain undergrad choice b/c of its ranking?

jplats

Hello,

I am applying this upcoming R1 to a few top-tier schools, including HBS and Stanford. My undergrad institution is a small liberal arts college that has a pretty good reputation -- ranked in the 40th to 50th range by US News -- but I fear that most of the other applicants to these MBA programs will be coming from Ivy league undergrad schools or Top 10 liberal arts colleges. I was a bit overqualified for the school I attended in undergrad, but did so in part b/c of the scholarship money I was offered. Should I explain this in my apps -- perhaps with the optional essay? Or am I overthinking the undergrad prestige issue?

At this point, this is really the only thing that concerns me in terms of my chances with these programs (beyond the fact that I'm a white male). I have strong GMAT, GPA, unique work experience/background, and am pretty confident that I will have strong recs and essays.

Thanks in advance for your help!

VP_MBA Expert · Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:30 pm Post subject:

Business schools admit applicants from a wide variety of undergraduate institutions. While having an Ivy league undergraduate transcript may get the attention of the adcom, it definitely does not guarantee acceptance. You will be fine as long you demonstrate that you excelled in undergrad and challenged yourself. Use your application (essays, LORs, interviews) to market yourself and deliver a consistent message of excellence.