Ask an MBA Admissions Consultant

White Male

ACADEMICS:

Stanford
Economics
3.64 GPA
760 GMAT (50Q, 44V), 6.0 AWA

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Founded social enterprise that offers 5-week college prep programs for 300 low-income students at 7 program sites. Raised $50,000 for the program. Also generated $100,000 in program revenue. Newspaper coverage in Stanford Daily, Orange County Register, and Businessweek.

Intern at U.S. Department of Education.

Raised $15,000 for China's orphanages in high school.


ACTIVITIES:

Co-Director of Stanford Dance Marathon (last year's event raised $140k).
Consulting projects for The College Board and Google Inc.
Research Assistant at Stanford's Hoover Institution and Econ Department.
Board Observer at 4 non-profits.
Student Rep on Stanford Board of Trustees.
Student Rep on Stanford Public Service Advisory Board.
Attended 7 expenses-paid leadership conferences across U.S.

RECOGNITION:

Finalist in Stanford's social venture business plan competition (highest performing undergraduate-led team in competition's 9 year history). Tied with an Echoing Green Fellow who is a Harvard MBA-MPP grad.

5 public service leadership fellowships

Stanford Nominee for major scholarships (Truman, Goldman Sachs, etc)

Hi,

Ok, so this looks like a post where you mentioned your resume, knowing you are getting in to the HBS 2+2 Because we think you would.

All aspects of your application are stellar. The GPA might be a little low, but being from Stanford and that too the Economics Deptt. this should actually be seen as positive. The GMAT is excellent, the extra currics are good, achievements and leadership is excellent.

All in all you make a perfect HBS 2+2 applicant. make sure you don't go overboard in bringing to notice of the adcom these accomplishments. The scrutinize each application carefully and are able to judge your potential accurately. You jump off the page, as the guy says in the movie 21. So let it be like that. If you try too hard to justify your accomplishments, your personality may be seen as pompous and brash and that would affect you negatively.

Hope this helps. All the best with your application.

Regards,
Ankit
Founder - AppReview

I've got similar numbers but virtually no real ECs...

Hi! I'm thinking of applying to Harvard 2+2 and the Yale Young Talent Program. Do you think I have a shot (even it if's a small one)?

White female (German)
Chemistry at target UK uni
high first class in my first year - GPA should be around 3.8-4.0.
GMAT 720
Scholar of German Foundation

Work Exp:
part-time job as Research Assistant at consultancy, summer associate at this company as first and only first year to be accepted as intern. Was part of the initiation team of a consulting for charities - program during the internship. Market Research internship at unknown company before uni.

EC:
Initiated and led a one week climate change conference for around 250 international students in school. Was sent by my school to several MUNs and Natural Science conferences across Europe. Won a best design award from NASA and a russion diploma for an engineering project in school.
Scout and youth group leader with a lot of community service. Headgirl at school.
At uni I'm the director of a business competition, overheading production teams of musicals and am currently founding a chemists without borders society. Leading the UK body of an inventors club which concentrates on creating biodiesel in rural areas in indonesia.
I'm bilingual, speak two more european languages quite well and am currently starting with mandarin.

Still, I have not found my own company nor raised a ridiculous amount of money for charity.
Do you think I still have a shot? Will my work in a consultancy hurt me?
Thanks for your help!

You definitely have a shot. No, your consultancy will not hurt you. Optimize how you present your candidacy and do not worry about what you don't have.

You seem to have broad accomplishments to emphasize on HBS' signature accomplishment essay and choose setbacks (which ultimately led to greater successes): charity, NASA, business competition and you have founded a chemists without borders society.

Go for it and don't look back,

Thanks for your help!
I've read a couple of times that Harvard 2+2 primarily looks for students who wouldn't normally consider business - my work in the consultancy however does imply that I have already thought about going into business or doing an MBA. What do you think about that?

Thanks again!!

HBS selects a significant portion of the class with engineering or science backgrounds. So, you can argue that you fill both buckets of having a science background but still being well-versed in business.

Do not worry about the competition. Just prepare the best application possible.