Can You Get Into A Great B-School?

Mr. IT

710 GMAT
3.32 GPA
Undergraduate degree in marketing and finance at a top 60 regional university
Work experience as an analyst for the past three years at a Fortune 100 retailer and one year as a project manager in IT security. Have lots of project management experience, but no management of people.
“I was hired on to aid in a reporting process, and ended up revolutionizing the way we collect, report on, and manage data.”
Extracurricular involvement as a math tutor for two years, active in marketing and finance clubs and college radio as a DJ; helped fiancée launch a jewelry/photography business and active in my alumni association
Goal: “My dream would be to work either in market research or brand management in the northeast in consumer products or high tech or for a retailer or vendor in marketing research.”
Future goal: To start my own database marketing research company
27-year-old white male

Odds of Success:

Northwestern: 40%

Chicago: 20% to 40%

Duke: 40%

NYU: 50%

Virginia: 50+%

Michigan: 50+%

Cornell: 50%

Indiana: 50%

Wisconsin: 60+%

Sandy’s Analysis: This is a pretty simple story: a 27-year-old male from a Tier II/III school with a 710 GMAT and a 3.32 GPA, works in marketing for a Fortune 100 retailer. Your analytical bent on marketing is a real plus, since that is in demand, especially your ability to innovate and work with large databases, especially if that involves slicing-and-dicing data being harvested by social media (a very desirable expertise that seems to separate the hip kids from the older marketing types). So that will make you attractive to B-schools and also attractive to employers.

Guys like you sometimes get into Wharton with perfect execution and a bit of luck, and often get into Kellogg and Booth. You got solid stories, a solid goal path and acceptable extras. You say, “I was hired on to aid in a reporting process, and ended up revolutionizing the way we collect, report on, and manage data. Although I do not have anyone under me, I have trained many people on new tools and processes I’ve developed.”

Don’t worry about not having anyone under you (at work). Most applicants don’t either, but do stress how you have revolutionized the way you collect data. I think your chances at Duke, NYU, Darden, Michigan, Cornell are excellent. You are just the type of solid and employable guy those places look for.