Handicapping Your Odds of MBA Success

Mr. Immelt Jr.

660 GMAT (Q: 71%, V: 74%) (plan to retake)
3.66 GPA
Undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin
Work experience for a year and one-half in General Electric’s Healthcare Financial Management Program and moving to Brazil for a rotation assignment; first analyst to be nominated for GE Healthcare Olympic award given every four years to top employees,
Extracurricular involvement as elected co-chair of the GEHC philanthropy committee and professional development committee
Goal: To get into the healthcare consulting practice at either McKinsey or Bain

Odds of Success:

Harvard: 20% to 30%

Columbia: 30% to 40%

Wharton: 30%

NYU: 40+%

Chicago: 30% to 40+%

Northwestern: 30% to 40+%

Sandy’s Analysis: Well, HBS takes peeps with 660 GMATs, but before our general readership gets too intoxicated with that fact, note, that they are usually people like you, to wit: People with solid grades in an undergraduate major like finance. People who get the 660 in a balanced way, the way you have (Q-71%, V-74%, which is actually near an 80/80 split); and most importantly, people with a genuinely distinguished and celebrated career at a deeply respected Blue Chip program like the GE Healthcare Financial Management Program, where you apparently have distinguished yourself.

Your recommendations will be real important and it would help if you had some “anchor rec” from a leader of that program who can list your accomplishments (Brazil gig and nomination for GE “Olympics” award) and comment on their rarity and selectivity. That, along with serviceable execution on the rest, could get you in the running at HBS, and also Chicago and Kellogg. Oddly, Wharton (and Columbia, and also MIT although you did not ask) might have a harder time swallowing a 660 GMAT score from a white guy — those schools are flexible to some degree but 660 is getting to the edge of the envelope.

The exact size of the white, male cohort with a 660 GMAT at Wharton and Columbia would be a very interesting stat, after you further subtracted legacies/donor pals etc. I realize you are taking the GMAT over, which is a good move. Even if the score does not improve, it shows the schools you are serious.

Also, as noted several times, the M/B/B consulting firms you are desirous of joining post-grad often ask for your GMATs as part of their hiring process, and they are well-rumored to have a sweet spot (and possibly unofficial cut-off) at 720. That could be a matter of concern for you. Adcoms know this, so if your score does not go up, I would not specifically say that M/B/B are firms you want to join, but rather say, “I want to join a leading consulting firm active in healthcare” and name a bunch as examples, including some boutiques and larger non-M/B/B players. If any readers who do hiring or recruiting for M/B/B have any refinements on the lore that they look for 720+ GMATs from B-school grads, please share.

LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: What Are Your Odds Of Getting In?

Handicapping Your MBA Odds–The Entire Series