Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about applying to some business schools as a college senior. I went to an HBS information session and they seemed to really play up the idea of applying as a senior if you know you want to sometime.

Basically, do I have any sort of shot at being admitted to the three schools that supposedly accept some college seniors, HBS, Stanford, and Columbia? Would I be better off getting a job and applying after 2-3 years work experience? What do they look for in college senior applicants -- people who have started their own business and had 3 solid internships (neither of which I have)?

My stats are below:

GPA: 3.99 at a top 10 US school
Major: Psychology, coursework in physics, chemistry, multivariable calculus, and economics. Lots of independent research and coursework in statistics
GMAT: 770 (balanced)
Leadership Experience: Paid Lab Manager, VP of a business-related student group on campus, leadership board of freshman and sophomore year dormitory. Independent research project (won grant to fund it) and presentation at professional conference.
Other Experience: Have worked part-time beginning middle of freshman year of college: teaching assistant for gifted children's classes, clinical psychology research assistant. University orchestra freshman year. One internship -- at a well-known media agency.
Honors: PBK, merit scholarship, dean's list, faculty-nominated award.

Career Path: I am very interested in public policy. Eventually, I would like to create a "center for collaborative policy development" that brings together academics, lawyers, and practitioners in specific fields (e.g., doctors and nurses for healthcare, etc...) in order to truly synthesize and combine information related to public policy. In the short term, I would like to begin a career in consulting to gain hands-on experience with business.

Thanks for the help,
T

tkherrmann wrote:Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about applying to some business schools as a college senior. I went to an HBS information session and they seemed to really play up the idea of applying as a senior if you know you want to sometime.

Basically, do I have any sort of shot at being admitted to the three schools that supposedly accept some college seniors, HBS, Stanford, and Columbia? Would I be better off getting a job and applying after 2-3 years work experience? What do they look for in college senior applicants -- people who have started their own business and had 3 solid internships (neither of which I have)?

My stats are below:

GPA: 3.99 at a top 10 US school
Major: Psychology, coursework in physics, chemistry, multivariable calculus, and economics. Lots of independent research and coursework in statistics
GMAT: 770 (balanced)
Leadership Experience: Paid Lab Manager, VP of a business-related student group on campus, leadership board of freshman and sophomore year dormitory. Independent research project (won grant to fund it) and presentation at professional conference.
Other Experience: Have worked part-time beginning middle of freshman year of college: teaching assistant for gifted children's classes, clinical psychology research assistant. University orchestra freshman year. One internship -- at a well-known media agency.
Honors: PBK, merit scholarship, dean's list, faculty-nominated award.

Career Path: I am very interested in public policy. Eventually, I would like to create a "center for collaborative policy development" that brings together academics, lawyers, and practitioners in specific fields (e.g., doctors and nurses for healthcare, etc...) in order to truly synthesize and combine information related to public policy. In the short term, I would like to begin a career in consulting to gain hands-on experience with business.

Thanks for the help,
T

You have a very impressive profile and when schools are going to take a college senior it will be someone with a profile like yours.

That being said there are a few issues that you have to sort through:

1) Is this the best time for you to pursue your MBA. Many (me included) believe that you will get more out of the MBA experience if you have a couple of years of full-time work experience under your belt. I can be convinced that there are exceptions to that, but there aren't many.
2) Will schools accept you? How much of the recruiting of ECC's is at attempt to jack up application numbers and decrease acceptance rates more than a real appeal to college seniors? I happen to be a little cynical and skeptical of recruiting directed to college seniors. While yes, the exception a senior does have a chance, the data doesn't look good. I don't have similar stats for Stanford and Columbia. I know that both schools do admit straight from college, but the numbers are small.
3) Will you be at a competitive disadvantage when you finish your MBA without prior full-time work experience. You might be, but you may also be more flexible in terms of salary because you don't have prior work experience and your opportunity cost is lower so that might be a wash.

What do schools look for?
* A superior record of achievement -- you have it.
* Impressive leadership experience and internships. You have it.
* Maturity. You probably have that too, but I can't tell from the post.

You might be interested in "MBA Admissions: Application Advice for Younger Applicants"

Best,
Linda

Hi Linda,

Thank you for your reply! It's definitely helpful.

As per your concerns -- I largely agree. If I were admitted, I would likely defer for 2 years to gain experience.

But, as you mentioned, it is very questionable how likely getting admitted is in the first place. It's so easy to hear an admissions officer tell you to apply as a senior and believe that they might accept you when in reality, they're probably just trying to improve their numbers.

You've given me some food for thought -- thank you!

Cheers,
Tim

tkherrmann wrote:Hi Linda,

Thank you for your reply! It's definitely helpful.

As per your concerns -- I largely agree. If I were admitted, I would likely defer for 2 years to gain experience.

But, as you mentioned, it is very questionable how likely getting admitted is in the first place. It's so easy to hear an admissions officer tell you to apply as a senior and believe that they might except you when in reality, they're probably just trying to improve their numbers.

You've given me some food for thought -- thank you!

Cheers,
Tim

Tim,

You're most welcome.

Linda