Handicapping Your Shot At A Top School

Mr. Do-Good

 

• 168V, 163M GRE
• 3.3 GPA
• Undergraduate degree in economics and computer science from a Top 14 private university
• “Somewhat dodgy grades (including 1 F) due to lack of passion for the subjects I studied, taking too many quant courses; internships in banking, with a U.S. Senator and with a tech firm
• Work experience includes two years at a boutique consulting firm focused on sales and marketing strategy in pharma; promoted after a year; and six months as an entrepreneur, working on an idea for an Internet startup. “We’ve raised some seed money and I’ve learned a ton, but I’m bailing because it’s not really for me. I suppose it’ll be a “failure’”; just started a five-month stint consulting with SME in Africa through TechnoServe
• “Will have outstanding recs from the University President (a respected Economist) as well as the Chair of the Econ department but mediocre recs from work unless I get someone to talk about what a great failed entrepreneur I am”
• Extracurricular involvement running the campus concert promoter (12-member board, 80 student staff, $500k budget), named to honorary society for leadership as one of the top 1% of senior-class leaders.
• Goal: To become a social entrepreneur and leader working on international development through Internet technology and American-style management, start a triple-bottom-line business or social enterprise that makes a difference in the developing world, and, long-term, think about going to the World Bank or State Dept.
• “I reached this do-gooding conclusion because of a girl I was dating, and I’m sure of my convictions, but I’m obviously completely lacking anything international or social enterprise-related in my own background”
• “I’m a working-class white kid with lower-middle-class parents who went to four-year schools but never did anything with their degrees. As such I’ve been very entrepreneurial throughout my life and haven’t had really any direction until now, aside from ‘make as much money as you can as soon as possible, while having as much fun as possible’”
• 24-year-old who plans to apply in the fall of 2014

Odds of Success:

Harvard: 10% to 20%

Stanford: 10%

Oxford: 40%+

Columbia: 30% to 35%

Yale: 30% to 40%

INSEAD: 40% to 50%

Northwestern: 40% to 50%

Sandy’s Analysis: “I reached this do-gooding conclusion because of a girl I was dating ….”

Leave the girlfriend as the “burning bush” out of the land of the corrupt acres of profit and into the promised land of the triple bottom line out of this personal Exodus story. I would also soft peddle the “white guy lower middle class story.” From an adcom’s POV, your parents went to college or they didn’t. Yours did.

Besides, you got lots of solid other things going for you, including a so-so GPA in a tough major from a Top-15 University (you need to explain the F) and a quanty-based consulting gig at “a boutique consulting firm focused on sales and marketing strategy in pharma” which is good, work with a Senator, a letter of rec from your college president, and lots of interesting extras, of the silver not golden variety (see explanation in profile above for the difference), and a projected  “five-month stint consulting with SME in Africa through TechnoServe . . . ”

It is really important that you do that, otherwise your do-gooder story is bogus. I cannot stress that enough. It would also help if you can get more than some, as you put it, “mediocre recs from work unless I get someone to talk about what a great failed entrepreneur I am… ”

Dude, drop the self-pity and faux Brando “working class” B.S. (You cudda been a triple-bottom line contender  . . . ) and just present this for what it is  as it is: a pretty solid story with some genuine entrepreneurship, lots of volunteer internships and jobs, including the U.S. Senate, a solid job at a well known consulting firm and a build out into TechnoServe–it is all a glide path, not a dramatic change in direction.

Stress that you were always interested in having an impact, and B-school is one more transition station, not a total body and soul makeover. An important issue for you becomes what you do after the gig at TechnoServe because my guess is, the TechnoServe job will be over or approaching its conclusion, at the time you do interviews for Round 1 next year. You really need to line something up.

HBS and Stanford are going to be hard with this story because of too many boo-boo’s, lowish grades (for them), silver-level job (not gold), and late-in-life conversion experience (not all that important but see next issue) and those places got too many white boys like you with higher grades, better jobs, better attitudes, and what could be better recommenders, although the president of your university, if he is willing to make a phone call, could put you in play at those schools. If that is a potential, dude, I would start scheming for that right now. It could trump much else. The fact that your GRE scores are solid is a good anchor amid a lot of turbulence, some of it commendable, but B-schools don’t like choppy waters.

Oxford, Columbia, Yale, INSEAD, Kellogg?

Hmmmm, the European schools should be doable on the basis of scores, work experience, and Yankee skin privilege alone. Columbia likes clarity so make your application clear (especially tracing your development as a glide path with transitions, and not a conversion experience), the bona fide strong stuff you offer, plus that, could be enough. Kellogg goes for mildly shaggy dogs like you. Yale might, too.