Handicapping Your B-School Odds

Mr. Sports Franchise

  • 690 GMAT (Should I retake?)
  • 3.5 Grade Point Average
  • Undergraduate degree in international affairs and international economics from a private university perennially ranked between 40 and 60
  • Work experience includes four years as an assistant to the owner of a large-market, Big-Three pro sports franchise, splitting time as an accountant in the finance department
  • Extracurricular involvement includes Intramural soccer (5x soccer champ), dorm president senior year, fraternity member, Habitat for Humanity volunteer, spent one Spring Break in the Everglades on a program helping with wildlife/environment conservation
  • Interests: Sports franchise/enterprise transactions, valuations, M&A
  • 26-year old white male

Odds of Success:

Harvard Business School: 20%

Stanford: 20%

Chicago Booth: 20% to 50%

Kellogg: 20% to 50%

UCLA: 30% to 60%+

Columbia: 30% to 40%

New York University: 30% to 55%

Sandy’s Analysis: Hmmmm, close but I don’t think you are breaking into the majors (H/S/W) with those stats. All schools like big time media/entertainment companies, and a Big-3 sports franchise qualifies. We are just not sure here what you do, how you got this gig, and what it means to be part-time accountant in the finance department while also being the assistant to the owner. I’d go light on the accounting, actually. This smells like an inside-job, where the owner is a family member or friend, so if that is NOT the case, be at real pains to make that clear. Extras are okay, and in line for a jock-type.

Chances at Booth and Kellogg and maybe Columbia are better, just based on them taking dudes like you with regular jobs. I also think you got a problem with stated goals: “Sports franchise/enterprise transactions, valuations, M&A . . .” That might be a niche industry, but if so, you need to be at some pains to define it. Someone tells me who handles the sale of a major sports franchise? If a regular bank like Citi or Goldman, I don’t think you are getting a job there after B-school based on this background.

The fact is, you may have never done a model of any business, although I apologize if wrong. UCLA, I think, has some sports track, and NYU might go for a guy like you, well, because you seem like a fun character to have around and are smart enough.  I’ve worked with kids who got into Harvard and Stanford, but their families owned major sports franchises (or parts thereof) and they had better schooling, jobs and stats. They did not work for the family business but offered advice to their families based on their standard investment banking and private equity jobs.

If could retake the GMAT and get 700+, that could help. (See note on the next page on the most important 20 GMAT points.)