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my chances of getting into harvard or stanford

by hanylabieb24 » Fri Apr 16, 2010 4:24 am
i am a 30 year old Egyptian. i have a GPA of 3.65. i work a full time job as a stock trader and i have a part time job as a consultant to the family business. i don't do alot of extra curriculum activities. i am involved with some colleagues in buying and distributing food to the less fortunate in Egypt, but it is not an official organization.

i took a first gmat sitting and i didn't do good i wasn't prepared planning on a retake after enough preparation, i hope to score above 700
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:03 am
I would love to be more helpful but it is difficult to evaluate your candidacy based on the limited information in your post. However, in general, it would be incredibly difficult to gain acceptance to HBS or Stanford without impressive extracurricular activities and volunteer work. HBS and Stanford are very competitive (as are all top 10 schools). A 3.6 is great for GPA, something over 700 would be good for GMAT. Family jobs aren't all that helpful (because a family member as a recommender isn't given a great deal of weight). Getting strong recommendations as a trader may also be challenging as it is a very individual job (usually). As a 30 year old, you are slightly older than the average applicant so your work experience will be given more weight than your GPA. However, you will need a compelling reason as to why it makes sense for you to go back to school at this point in your career.

Good luck. I hope this helps!
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by hanylabieb24 » Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:18 am
thank you so much. can u pls give me a narrower definition at what type of extra curriculum activities they want
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by Jessica@VeritasPrep » Fri Apr 16, 2010 12:14 pm
It generally doesn't matter what the activity is, it is just important that you have been involved in activities outside of work (and preferably involved for a length of time and involved deeply - meaning a leadership role). An Adcom will look at the number of hours and length of time, etc. but it is also important that it is something that you are passionate about because generally at least one essay is written about something outside of work. But, again, many activities work - it is great if you can show you are socially minded (helping those less fortunate) but there are various activities (sports, mentoring, religious groups or political involvement) that can potentially show the skills and commitment that an Adcom is looking for. Basically, schools want well-rounded individuals who are leaders (and team players) in all areas of life.
Jessica
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Veritas Prep

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