Predicting Your Odds of Getting In

Mr. Portfolio

• 730 GMAT
• 3.76 GPA
• Undergraduate degree in economics
• Work experience includes six months at small financial services consulting firm; 1.5 years in sales and trading at an industry firm; and currently a portfolio management associate at a large firm.
• Extracurricular activity includes traveling a year in the Middle East and current board member of Pediatric Cancer Foundation
• Goal: To move up the ranks of portfolio management, build my network and finance skills”
• 25-year-old male

Odds of Success:

Harvard: 20%

Stanford: 10%

Wharton: 35%

Chicago: 40%

Northwestern: 35%

Columbia: 35%

MIT: 30%

Dartmouth: 30%

New York: 40%

Sandy’s Analysis: Real solid stats, as noted many times. HBS and Stanford are not in love with Port Managers since they don’t believe you need an MBA to do what your goal is, viz “move up in the ranks of portfolio management, build my network and finance skills.”

That, plus two mildly grease ball early jobs (TO THEM) in sales and trading (might as well say “jails and hating”) make you not their type. Pediatric Cancer Foundation is fine by me, but it won’t wash you clean to them.  Wharton is where guys like you wind up—portfolio management not two dirty words over there, and given solid stats, and all around good guy-ness, that is a real possibility.

Other top schools will fall into place so long as you don’t run into an asset-management hater and also convince them of why you need the MBA. NYU and Columbia programs you mention should be totally in-line.

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

Part IX: Handicapping Your B-School Chances

Part X: What Are Your Odds of Getting In?

Part XI: Breaking Through the Elite B-School Screen

Part XII: Handicapping Your B-School Odds

Part XIII: Predicting Your Odds of Getting In

Part XIV: Handicapping Your MBA Odds

Part XV: Assessing Your Odds of Getting In

Part XVI: Handicapping Your Odds of Getting In

Part XVII: What Are Your Odds of Getting In

Part XVIII: Assessing Your Odds of Getting In

Part XIX: Handicapping Your MBA Odds

Part XX: What Are Your Odds Of Getting In

Part XXI: Handicapping Your Odds of Acceptance

Part XXII: Handicapping Your Shot At A Top MBA