Poets and Quants

Handicapping Your MBA Odds

by John A. Byrne

Mr. Valedictorian

  • 750 GMAT
  • 4.0 GPA
  • Undergraduate degree in science with first class honors and valedictorian at Kenyan University
  • 3.0 Graduate GPA
  • Master’s in medicine and surgery
  • Founded a company and grew it to more than 80 clients in two years
  • Extracurricular involvement as student leader in HIV/AIDS advocacy group
  • “Would like to get into healthcare venture capital for the developing markets”

Odds of Success:

Harvard Business School: 10%
Stanford: 10%
Wharton: -20%
Columbia: -20%
Kellogg: -30%
Cornell: 30%

Sandy’s Analysis: Dunno, need more info, and I may not fully understand your graduate degree? Is that a medical degree? Are you eligible to get certified to practice medicine in the U.S.? Have you ever practiced medicine? What kind of company did you found? And why, given apparent success, are you putting it on hiatus to attend MBA program.

Getting into venture capital in most cases requires prior experience in banking or VC itself, although sometimes a VC shop will make an exception for subject matter expert, and yes, doctors, which is why I ask.

Age?

Well, let’s start with the good stuff, 750 and the 4.0. That is great but what we expect to see next is some selective and classy job at a government agency or consulting company or, after your Bachelor of Medicine degree some alliance with an institution that business schools have experience with.

Lacking that, you really need to explain the reasons why you started a company and what it does. Schools are very skeptical of African credentials as a hangover from a raft of scandals involving false transcripts and invalidated standardized tests. I don’t have a handle on the current state of this, but I do know that makes it doubly important for African candidates to have established jobs, since the schools think the employers on the ground are best able to filter out credential irregularities in the first instance.

Without that, I am not seeing this as an HBS, Stanford, or Wharton admit unless you can convince them of bona fides of schooling, work, etc. and decision making processes. Other schools may require the same. That is a gateway issue for you. It just could be that your post was too terse on details. If so, pay attention to what I note above and adjust accordingly.

Handicapping Your MBA Odds–The Entire Series:

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6

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  • Government Work Experience

    Hey John & Sandy,

    I posted earlier, but didn’t have much detail. Really wanted to get my case reviewed so here’s the whole thing…

    Initially failed out my top state school with a GPA 1.5
    Turned things around:
    Got AA from Community College in Business: GPA 3.7
    Got BS from in Financial Economics from the second best state school in my state: GPA 3.7

    Went on to work for a mutual fund company managing over 20 billion dollars as a Financial Reporting Analyst aka Mutual Fund Accountant. Was really interested in Portfolio Management but after the market crashed the hopes of that were nill (While doing this I was taking math classes at school to strengthen my skills necessary for a financial background)
    Changed jobs, went to the federal government (Census Bureau) to work in the Economic Directorate as a Statistician.
    All the while, did a masters in Economics from Johns Hopkins with a 3.95. Specialized in Econometric methods, Finance and Macroecnomic theory.

    I am also vice president of my family business (construction management) where I have helped negotiate contracts, do budgeting, cost analysis, etc.

    Age: 28
    GMAT: 720
    Gender: Male

    Schools: Wharton, Chicago, NYU, Yale, UVA, Duke, Michigan, Cornell, Georgetown (in order of preference)

    Please review my case!!!! Thanks

  • http://studiobokeh.wordpress.com studiobokeh

    I know I had my profile evaluated already as Ms. Hospitality (http://poetsandquants.com/2011/07/01/part-ii-your-chances-of-getting-in/2/), but my GMAT score was an estimate of what I think I’d score (660) and I took it this week and got a 730.

    And to address Sandy’s questions, my firm doesn’t have a history of sending employees to business school because our core business is design services (which don’t need an MBA). I work in a support function on the corporate level for the world’s largest hospitality design firm. I know it’s not as selective as say, Google, but I would imagine it’s selective for the industry. I don’t know how that plays into things.

    Can you re-evaluate my chances for the same schools? Thank you!

  • havstar

    I’d like to see Sandy’s analysis of someone from a Big 10 public school who – according to a recent article on this site – has no chance of getting into a school like Wharton due purely to prestige.

    23 y/o “Non-Academic Minority” Male
    2 years (3 years upon matriculation) with Samsung in a purchasing – support, supply chain management – role , responsible for $40 million of annual spend.
    750 GMAT
    3.7 from Iowa State in an engineering program with a business specialization (general engineering with calculus), one of two in a class of 30 to graduate with honors
    Extras include leader in the fraternity in college, leader of employee group (200+ members) at work, leader at local american cancer society, leader in mentoring program for disadvantaged youth, bi-lingual in Mandarin, working now on Portuguese (will this even help?)
    I spent 4 years living overseas and studying abroad in Beijing for high school and have traveled overseas to Asia for work as well.

    Schools:
    - Harvard
    - Stanford
    - Wharton
    - MIT
    - Northwestern
    - Chicago
    - Duke

  • Andrew

    Can you do one for an very intelligent, but otherwise average Caucasian male? I go to a top 50 private school (not Ivy), have a 4.0 cumulative, and anticipate a high (720+) GMAT score. But I’m a white, male, finance/econ major with no incredible volunteer/entrepreuner accomplishments that lived a comfortable, stable childhood with well-to-do parents. Do I have any shot at M7?

  • womenentrepreneur

    Ran through all the profile analysis but couldn’t find one close to mine. So hoping you would pick my profile in your next analysis:

    GMAT : 710
    GPA : 3.7 ( from a non IIT engineering college ) BE Computer Science
    Nationality : Indian
    Gender : Female
    Age : 31 ( at Matriculation )
    WE: 6 yrs as a Software Engineer at an MNC
    2 yrs as an entrepreneur running an E-commerce venture ( profitable )
    EC : Head one of the city divisions of a Non-Profit working to promote entrepreneurship in India. Executed various programs under this community.
    Awards : Won various awards as a women entrepreneur, selected for Leadership Programs, covered in multiple online media, have a case study on my entrepreneurial journey covered in a book.

    Planning to apply to H/W/S this fall. Whats your take on my chances??

  • FingersCrossed

    John & Sandy:

    I would very much appreciate an analysis my potential candidacy for Business School. I am hoping to apply to Haas, Columbia, Stanford, and Yale this fall with the intention of tacking on an MPH in Family Planning between Yr 1 and 2 (unless the school has a joint-degree program e.g. Berkley). I’m so excited!

    GMAT: 720
    GPA: approx. 3.5 from Brown (Not calculated officially. Oh Brown.) Public Policy
    Gender: Female
    Age: 25 (at Matriculation)
    WE:
    - 1 + Years at Sport-for-Development (HIV-focused) organization in sub-Saharan Africa as the lead on development (helped secure over $1m) and as a project manager on UN and State Department-funded initiatives (managed over 20+ educators)
    - 2 Years at a large USG-funded International Global Health organization focusing on Pediatric HIV/AIDS as a member of the New Business Development Team
    EC: 4-year NCAA D1 athlete (team sport), CDC Certified HIV Counselor at D.C. Mobile Clinic, Grant writer for D.C.-based sport-for-development organization (HIV)

    Thank you, in advance, for your honesty and help!

  • Mr Engineer

    Forgot to mention interested schools. Also I am thinking about part time.

    1. Haas
    2. Booth
    3. McCombs

  • Alpinist

    I would really like my case reviewed:

    GMAT: 730

    Undergrad GPA: 2.8 – Finance at regionally respected state school

    Cisco Systems Strategic Planning Financial Analyst – 2 years

    Private Capital Underwriting Associate- Distressed Debt, Turnaround Mezzanine Debt, Turnaround / Growth Equity Investments – 3 years

    Extracurricular Activities: Leadership Volunteer for Technical Mountain Rescue / Flight for Life

    Age: 27

    Thanks

  • Alpinist

    - HBS
    - Chicago
    - Wharton
    - Northwestern
    - Stanford
    - Tuck

  • Alpinist

    Also, Lived in Hong Kong for 2 years during undergrad and climbed 7000+m peaks in the Himalaya and Andes Mountain Ranges several times.

  • PatrickA
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    I think  this  web site  has  very  superb   composed   subject material   articles .

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