Admission to the Harvard Business School

[Fred_Jackson]

Hello - I would really appreciate other opinions on whether I would have a shot at being accepted into HBS.

GMAT - 690
Undergrad GPA - 3.77 (from the University of Florida)
Grad GPA - 3.3 (received my Master of Accountancy also from UF)

I am a Certified Public Accountant and currently work for a big 4 accounting firm. I will be promoted to manager in a few months (five years work experience) and have had various experiences working on Fortune 500 companies throughout my career, such as working on an IPO and other large debt transactions. I also was selected to do an international rotation in Europe to serve as the US GAAP expert at another large client. I also compete in full triathlons and volunteer at a few nonprofits.

Any insight would be appreciated! What am I missing most?

[adelhelm]

I think you should #1 focus on improving your GMAT score. You are well below the average at HBS and similar top 10 schools now. Improve extra-curriculars to demonstrate leadership. Perhaps take classes and earn A's now to demonstrate that you are strong academically despite a low graduate school GPA and attending U of F.

[InterviewBay2]

You have a below average score but your undergrad GPA is decent. I think you would be able to make up for your low score.
You have an appreciable work experience. This is your star selling point. Highlight your leadership and team skills through it. Explain about your accelerated growth rate in the organization, and any awards won by you from your employers.
Your Extracurricular activities don't sound much exciting. Mere participation or volunteer work is not going to make any impact on the admission committees.

You may have a good shot at HBS. A lot depends on the application essays. You should focus all your energies on this to write excellent essays. Think in detail about your work experience, your career progression and extracurricular activities. Get your application essays reviewed and re-reviewed from alumni of HBS. Good luck!

www.InterviewBay.com

[CriticalSquareMBA]

Hi Fred,

To a certain extent, I agree with the other posters when they raise concern with your GMAT. It isn't a terrible score by any means but it is well below their average.

However, to raise your GMAT at this point would either defer you to R2 apps or next year. If it's next year, that pushes your age up so the advantages gained from a (presumably) higher GMAT may be negated by another notch on the belt of time.

Your work experience is definitely a strong point but your extracurriculars were vague. When you say you volunteer for non profits, what do you actually do? It comes down to impact for a school like HBS>

With your current profile, HBS is a significant stretch. I don't want to lie to you about that. Even with a higher GMAT, that doesn't improve your chances drastically.

However - if you believe you have a lot to offer your fellow classmates at HBS, then you should still consider applying. It comes down to articulation! Besides, if you're really set on HBS, you'd probably regret not applying. Just be realistic and make sure you apply to some more aligned and safety programs to round out your applications.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Bhavik