Safety School?

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Profile:

GMAT - 740 (48 quant / 42 verbal)
Work Exp - 3 yrs at Morgan Stanley in Trading Operations, One year as an associate supervising a few analysts
Master Arts Applied Economics Johns Hopkins with 3.7 gpa
B.S. University of Maryland Robert H Smith School of Business Finance and International Business with 3.5 gpa
Habitat for Humanity Involvement, including leading a trip to Honduras
Travel to over 23 Countries, including studying in Spain and knowledge of Spanish

I am applying to Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and Berkeley.

What level of a school is a safety for my profile?

Thank you,

Eric

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Eric,

I would think any school in the 15-30 range would be a good safety option for you. You might even be surprised at how great some of these programs are and find a few that are as good (or better!) match for you. I think it would be worth spending some time researching these possibilities and applying to one or two.

Good luck,
Lisa

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the quick reply...

One follow up question:

How many schools should I apply to? Do you feel 7 is too many (6 target and 1 safety)? I guess I am most concerned with recommenders having to complete sets of questions for 7 schools.

Thanks again,

Eric

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Eric,

Seven is a lot to manage, both for you and your recommenders. However, you should apply to as many as you feel comfortable with and want to apply to. Perhaps ask a couple of other folks to serve as recommenders to spread the workload? I would suggest preparing your recommenders for the number of schools. Thankfully, the recommendation forms are pretty similar, but you will want to stress the importance of submitting the right letter to the right school.

Good luck,
Lisa