Calculating Your Odds of Admission

Mr. Tax Prep

• 
750 GMAT
• 3.95 GPA
• Undergraduate degree in economics from a top 15 U.S. News University
• Work Experience includes three years in management consulting at a firm slightly outside the top tier (i.e. Deloitte, Oliver Wyman, L.E.K)
• Extracurricular involvement as president of the consulting club and treasurer of a fraternity as an undergrad; currently active in recruiting with my firm and volunteer with a local charity that helps lower income families with tax preparation and legal issues
• Goal: “To return to my firm or pursue a position with McKinsey, Bain or BCG
• 25-year-old white male

Odds of Success:

Harvard: 25% to 30%

Stanford: 20%

Wharton: 30% to 45+%

Northwestern:  40% to 50%

Chicago: 40% to 50%

Dartmouth: 40+%

Columbia: 40+%

Sandy’s Analysis: Read my analysis of the guy right above you, with the 3.8 from BYU and the 740 GMAT. You are him with 15 basis points of better GPA (been hanging around with too many bond traders), 10 points of increased GMAT, and no  added X-chromosome or added X-factor in terms of extras, firm prestige, or ‘stardust.’ Another words both you are two high-scoring white guys doing OK but not exciting things.

What could make the difference for you  is that folks from LEK, Oliver, and Deloitte DO get into HBS, and if so, why not you, given your very strong stats? I think your extras, especially volunteer tax prep for lower income families, and some service work for the firm are marginal but they might be enough, if your firm really gets behind you in terms of both formal recommendations and possibly a phone call or tete-a-tete with Dee (be still my heart). This is a case where your recs will need to be super powerful.

Jeepers, saying you want to return to your firm or go for McKinsey, Bain, or BCG is a little unexciting. You need to develop a shtick about what kind of consulting you want to do, even if it is an artifact based on bread crumbs in your past life. Once again, see above profile, where I suggest that guy combines his mission to Chile and a finance major into a job in finance consulting with a possible Latin American focus. That would help.