HBS 2+2 Chances

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HBS 2+2 Chances

by fin94 » Sun May 10, 2015 11:15 am
Hi everyone,

I'm hoping a few of you can comment on my chances of getting into (or getting an interview for) the HBS 2+2 program. I'm planning to apply in Round 1 or 2 of the next academic year.

As it stands, my stats will be as follows at the time of application:

Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Vancouver, Canada
Citizenship: US and Canadian (and therefore will not be an international applicant)
Ethnicity: African-American

Undergraduate Education:
- Three years of a business program at a large theory-based university in British Columbia; two years of general business; one year as a finance major. I transferred out of this school in 2014 with a GPA of 3.3.
- In the midst of completing my degree at a case-based school in Ontario, which is arguably the top undergraduate school for business/finance in Canada. GPA of 3.7.
- the latter is a two-year program, so I will have spent a total of five years completing my undergraduate degree.

GMAT Score: 740 (Verbal-98th Percentile; Quant-76th Percentile)
- I am hoping that the low quant score will be less of a red flag since my educational background and work experience are highly quantitative. I also have time to rewrite the GMAT, if necessary. I've written practice tests as high as 760 (Verbal-98th percentile; Quant-98th percentile) but unfortunately was unable to duplicate this performance on test day.

Work Experience:
2015 - Summer Analyst at the Toronto office of Canada's largest investment bank (and hopefully I will have earned a full-time offer by the time I apply to 2+2)
2014 - Summer Analyst at a small investment banking firm in Vancouver
2013 - Summer Analyst at a private equity firm in Vancouver

Extracurriculars:
- plenty of exec positions within finance-related clubs
- participation in selective extracurricular programs (e.g. mentorship programs, technical skill-building programs)
- orphanage volunteer experience (in 2011 so somewhat outdated, but still on my resume)
- lots of sports, but nothing highly competitive after high school

Recommendations:
- Should be strong. The only issue is that I probably won't be able to ask my summer employer/supervisor for a recommendation because most investment banks are not necessarily supportive of analysts leaving to pursue an MBA.

Comments on my chances are appreciated, as is any advice since I still have several months to enhance my application in advance of the deadline.

Thanks!

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by CriticalSquareMBA » Mon May 11, 2015 1:02 pm
You, my friend, are in a really good spot! Great uni? Check. Strong GPA? Check. Rockstar GMAT? Yup. Underrepresented minority? Yup. Diverse internship experience with a clear theme (finance)? Double check. Big companies? Yup. Prestigious post grad opp? Yup. Leadership positions and involvement? Yessir. While your recommendation might be an issue you'll need to overcome, I think you can do it. What it will really come down to for you is a story. Why you need that HBS MBA. Why 2+2. But you, my friend, are in a really strong position! In terms of what you should be doing for the next few months - it's all about research. Your profile is strong enough. So get to talking to students and alumni. If you can visit, visit! Learn everything there is to learn about HBS and the 2+2 program!

If you have specific questions, let me know. If you want to chat, we can hop on Skype - just sign up for a free consultation.

Good luck!

Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services

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