The Application Process

Hi all,

I am a 22 year old female from Canada. I recently graduated from undergrad at University of Waterloo. I had some time between end of school and beginning of my job, so I took the GMAT. I am hoping to apply to top MBA schools (Harvard, Wharton, and Columbia are my top 3) in 3-4 years. I'd love to hear you guys' opinion regarding my chances. Should I dream big or not even think about going to any of the aforementioned places? Here is some basic information about me:

GMAT Score: 760, 50 for Quant and 42 for Verbal. However, I only got a 5.5 for the essay. I don't know if this will negatively impact my chances
GPA: 92/100, on a 4.0 scale, I think it's somewhere at 3.99
Work experience: Will begin as an investment banking analyst in August for one of Canada's biggest banks
Leadership experience: Chair of the Board for student organization back in University, starting a volunteer organization with my friend to help kids with learning disabilities

My main concern is my essay score. English is not my first language, so I don't know if this will look especially bad on me. Another area of worry is my overall package. I feel that my experiences and credentials are fairly generic; there is nothing wrong with them, but also nothing that really stands out (like doing a study at the north pole or something). Do you also think these two factors will negatively impact my chances? What can I do to mitigate their effect on my application?

Thank you guys in advance for your advice.

Best wishes,
The Girl With Big Dreams

I'm no expert, but I don't think you're being unrealistic about wanting to attend a top-5 program given your stats. As far as your concern about being fairly generic goes, the good news is that you have plenty of time! This would be the great time to really commit yourself to that really unique hobby you have! For example, you already know two languages, so why not learn a third and take a week to vacation (or volunteer) in that country or region to broaden your horizons? By the way, your English is great, so don't sweat it. The only other thing I'd suggest is to take a look into the TOEFL to see if you need to take it.

Your GMAT and GPA are great!
and you can work on improving your English.

I agree:) You are good to go.. all you need to do is convince them of your uniqueness through effective and persuasive essays.

I think your dream is totally real, you need to emphasize your strength (your GMT and GPA are above average for top schools) and work on your weaknesses. Think what can you do to now to improve your candidacy - maybe improve your work experience or community service.

Big Dreamer,

A 5.5 is not a liability on that section. I would be concerned had you scored a 4.5

What you need to be focused on is doing very well in your job (taking initiative when you can to lead or project manage), networking with superiors for your eventual letters of recommendation, and continuing to deepen your extracurricular commitments.

Your profile is not the issue, so keep working on the above so you can elaborate on them in your essays and interviews.

Good luck in the years to come!