Handicapping Your B-School Chances

Ms. Sorority

  • 720 GMAT
  • 3.2 GPA
  • Undergraduate degrees in microbiology and the history of art from a Big 10 university (some C grades on transcript)
  • Work experience includes three years working in the food industry and a short stint in clinical research understanding children’s inner ear infections,
  • Extracurricular involvement on board of directors for a non-profit throughout college, student government senator, sorority chair, active fundraiser and volunteer for various political organizations and non-profits
  • 25-year-old female, who is 1/4 Hispanic and would be first-generation to go to grad school

Odds of Success

Kellogg: 30+%

NYU: 30%

Chicago: 30+%

Georgetown: 40% to 50%

Virginia: 40%

Texas-Austin: 50%

Michigan: 50%

Sandy’s Analysis: I’m not seeing this at Kellogg or Chicago, everything is too confused and low grades are the final straw, unless you can somehow put what you say is “three years working in the food industry” into some career path, or combine it with what seem to be strong extras (again, not specified).  What does ‘work in food industry’ mean exactly?

Don’t tell me, just a suggestion to other kids who want their profiles done, the less I know, the less good my advice is. I don’t think the 1/4 Hispanic is going to open any doors either, unless you have a Hispanic surname, and maybe some connections to Hispanic community groups. What schools care about more than actual diversity is the government form they have to fill out which list the number of minorities by type, and Hispanic surname one type (along with lives in Puerto Rico), along with Native American, African-American. I don’t know what happens if you are 9/10 Hispanic if your last name just happens to be O’Brien.

Darden just might bite here, if you get your story and motives straight, although I’d say odds there are 40 percent and sinking. Phew, I’m not sure this makes much sense at NYU because if they want to swallow a 3.2 GPA they may find a more tasty version than facts we see above, which, could be a lot better than your post. UT, GT, Michigan all take seriously packaged versions of you, so my parting words are SERIOUSLY PACKAGE yourself, we just don’t see any motive for B-school in the above.

I could upgrade your chances everywhere if current job is serious, such as marketing at Nabisco, and you have goals which directly emerge from that experience.

Handicapping Your MBA Odds–The Entire Series:

Part I: Handicapping Your Shot At a Top Business School

Part II: Your Chances of Getting In

Part III: Your Chances of Getting In

Part IV: Handicapping Your Odds of Getting In

Part V: Can You Get Into HBS, Stanford or Wharton?

Part VI: Handicapping Your Dream School Odds

Part VII: Handicapping Your MBA Odds

Part VIII: Getting Through The Elite B-School Screen