Do I need to explain my undergrad b/c of its ranking?

[jplats]

Hello,

I am applying this upcoming R1 to a few top-tier schools, including HBS and Stanford. My undergrad institution is a small liberal arts college that has a pretty good reputation -- ranked in the 40th to 50th range by US News -- but I fear that most of the other applicants to these MBA programs will be coming from Ivy league undergrad schools or Top 10 liberal arts colleges. I was a bit overqualified for the school I attended in undergrad, but did so in part b/c of the scholarship money I was offered. Should I explain this in my apps -- perhaps with the optional essay? Or am I overthinking the undergrad prestige issue?

At this point, this is really the only thing that concerns me in terms of my chances with these programs (beyond the fact that I'm a white male). I have strong GMAT, GPA, unique work experience/background, and am pretty confident that I will have strong recs and essays.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear jplats,

You are overthinking the prestige factor of your college. Admissions people are familiar with schools at all levels and in all regions. It is not so much where you went as how you did there. Also, the applicant pools to those schools are not just Ivy Leaguers; the majority of the pool is international applicants and non-Ivy graduates.

Good luck,
Lisa