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I want harvard!!! But... am I worth it??

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I want harvard!!! But... am I worth it??

by harvard_girl » Thu Sep 23, 2010 8:13 pm
Thank you BTG for all of the information you provide!! I got to thank you first before I ask for more...

As my name states, I really REALLY want to go to Harvard...
Problem is....


3.2 gpa from a 3rd tier mid west University in biology

around 3.6 from a upper level university for a masters in healthcare management (bocconi University in Italy)

Starting my work as a implementer consultant in Cerner Corp. (in like 10 days)

GMAT 600 (took it a year ago for my grad school)

I plan to get 2-3 years of work experience, while doing so, I am also planning to bump my gmat score to a 750.
(and I am going to break my back doing so!!)

Can someone give me some advice on this?? I will really appreciate it.
I been really excited with the concept of going to a great b-school!! :)
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:17 am
I think it is wonderful that you are excited about attending business school and it is great that you have a school you are excited about. As you will learn when you research schools, there are many great places to get an MBA and it is most important that you find one that fits with your background, learning style, and future goals. HBS is a fantastic school but I would ask you to think about what it is that you like about Harvard. There may be other schools with similar attributes that would be a better fit for you.

Your first step is to build up wonderful professional experience so that you will have fabulous letters of recommendation and a strong resume. After that, you can worry about the GMAT score. In the meantime, you should also think about your extracurricular activities (volunteer work and community involvement) as these are also important parts of your candidacy.

While it would be great to get a 750 on the GMAT, I want you to realize that this is a very large point climb from a 600. We usually advise that 100 points could be realistic with proper preparation but 150 points is a lot!! Furthermore, if you need to "kill yourself" to get to that score then it might mean that a program isn't the right fit for you. You want to be challenged but you also want to be careful not to get in over your head. It is encouraging that you did well in graduate school. I would also suggest taking a few finance or statistics courses right now to help show that you can get good grades in business classes.

Good luck to you!
Jessica
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by harvard_girl » Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:26 am
Thank you very much Jessica!!

Yes, you are right. There are so many good schools out there, and I should first focus on building a professional career for my self...
My gmat must be something later I can worry about. :)

May I ask you a question?

I have a job offer from Cerner as an implementer consultant in Kansas city

HOWEVER, I have an interview offer from

Pfizer, Japan, Medical representative

Covidien, Japan Product Researcher/engineering

I was wondering which positions will help me more for getting into a top tier MBA school. I ralize Pfizer and Covidien is known more for their names... (compared to Cerner) but the positions are a less related to business. They are both in Japan, and since most b-schools are into diversifying, I thought it might give me more of an edge...

I hope I can hear back from you!! I will re-evaluate my strategies!! (because I have more than one!!)
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by Kaneisha Grayson » Wed Sep 29, 2010 1:22 pm
Hi Harvard Girl!

Jessica gave you some great advice. I don't know what my other admissions expert colleagues would say about this, but I am adamant about this with my clients:

CHOOSE THE JOB YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO DO!

Why? Because you will perform better, enjoy yourself, and have authentic, interesting essays to write after spending several years at a place you actually want to be. You will have a better idea of your strengths and areas for improvement, and you will not have spent 2-3 years of your life wishing you were doing something else.

It is AWESOME that you have several jobs to choose from--and pretty cool that two of them are in Japan!--but I can guarantee you that you will have a much easier time writing stellar essays for the HBS AdCom if you take a job you truly enjoy. I know getting into Harvard or other top b-schools seems highly strategic, but it truly is an art and not a science (thus the name of my company "The Art of Applying".)

Don't turn your life into a science experiment by making choice after choice to get to that one precious place (Harvard or anywhere else). Make each choice along the way based on what you really know you want to do in your heart and you will end up exactly where you are supposed to be.

This was quite a "soft" answer for an MBA forum, but it's the advice I give my clients--and you just got it for free!

Good luck on your journey!
Kaneisha
Harvard Business School MBA 2010, Harvard Kennedy School MPA 2010
Founder, The Art of Applying
Admissions Consulting for MBA, MPP, Joint Degrees, and Fellowships
https://theartofapplying.com

Want free advice that actually works? Sign up for my weekly MBA, MPP, and JD newsletter here: https://theartofapplying.com/newsletter/


My clients have earned over $3.1 million in fellowships from Harvard and other top MBA, MPP, and JD programs since 2010.
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by farrokh.sh.a » Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:52 am
thank you three!
that was an extremely nice discussion.
good luck much more than this!
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by Tanya16 » Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:20 am
I'm currently in the 1st year of my BBM (Bachelor of Business Management) Degree in India, which is of a total duration of 3 years. I scored 92.8% in 10th grade and topped my stated in 12th grade with 95.2%. I am a part of the National Social Service through college. I will be starting internships from the 2nd year and plan to work for a year after graduating. Is this enough to get me admission in a reputed US University for MBA? If not, what more do you suggest I do?
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