Request for profile evaluation

[california9]

I'm a Caucasian male, 28 years old.
GMAT 760(Q48, V47) AWA - 6
Bay Area native / currently working in the bay area

Education
Business major - double majored in Finance and Accounting. Overall GPA of 3.5.
Played division 1 baseball at a top 25 school

I will have just over 6 years of work experience at the time of application. I worked for 3 years in investment banking and will have 3+ years at a middle market private equity firm.

I would like to stay in finance on the direct investing side of things (Private Equity or Venture Capital) with the end goal of doing something more entrepreneurial at some point – e.g. use VC or PE as a way to find an opportunity to get operational experience with a portfolio company.

I think I will apply to 6 schools in the upcoming first round.

My current list is:
Stanford (my first choice, by far)
Harvard
Wharton
MIT
Chicago or Columbia
Haas

I am set on going to school. I would really appreciate feedback on how realistic the above schools are for someone with my background, or other "safety" schools that should be added to the mix.

Thanks

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear california9,

Congratulations on your GMAT score! It certainly puts you in a competitive position for your top schools when combined with your GPA and professional work experience. I think you have a chance at any of your target schools if you submit a strong, overall application. Thus your essays, recommendations and interviews are going to be what gets you to the positive decision. As I suggest to anyone applying to business school, you should always apply to 1-2 safety schools as an insurance plan. Identify the 2-3 schools that have had strong placement in the VC/PE space and who are ranked outside the top 10 or 15.

Best of luck,
Lisa