Assessing Your Odds Of Getting In

Ms. Social Entrepreneur

  • 750 GMAT
  • 3.9 GPA
  • Undergraduate degree in history and near east studies from a top 15 university
  • Work Experience includes three years at a non-profit that designs and evaluates social programs; working on a social entrepreneurship/juvenile justice project, but also do development and some budgeting/finance work
  • Extracurricular involvement as editor of a history journal; tutored low-income kids
  • Goal: To pursue a career in social entrepreneurship
  • “Potential weaknesses: Lack of quant background, on the young side. Do you think it would make a difference if I waited another year to apply? How about if I took some calc or stat classes?”
  • 24-year-old white female

Odds of Success:

Stanford: 30%

Harvard: 30% to 50%

Northwestern: 50+%

Chicago: 50+%

Berkeley: 50+%

Sandy’s Analysis: As to your question, “How about if I took some calc or stat classes?” Here is my answer: What was your Q score part of that 750 GMAT? That would answer the question easily, although you might want to take calculus or stats anyway, for your own good, and just to shore this up. Often B-schools (HBS and Wharton, for example) put people like you into math boot camp after you’re admitted (summer before matriculation), so that is another option.

I don’t believe the lack of a quant background is going to impede your admission (not with a 3.9 and 750 GMAT). You are not applying to the Physics Department of Cal Tech.  As to waiting another year, if I read this correctly, you will be applying from year four of your current job with “a non-profit that designs and evaluates social programs” where you “work on a social entrepreneurship/juvenile justice project” and do “development  . . . and some budgeting/ finance work.”

Phew, I’d say four years of that is enough. If I misread this and you meant three years of work experience at matriculation, well, three years of that is also enough, especially since the job so clearly synchs with your goals. Bite the bullet sister, the time for you to apply is now.

Folks like you get admitted and dinged at H and S, depending on luck, execution, contacts, and not blowing interview at HBS. I’d say you’d make a strong candidate at other schools you mention with serviceable execution and some spit on the ball as to why you want to go there.

“Extracurricular involvement as editor of a history journal . . .” Phew, I’d go light on that one, your total story is teetering on misplaced academic (see first profile here, where that woman went all in,  and see how happy she is) and that is not what schools are looking for, per se.

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

Part XXIII: Predicting Your Odds of Getting In

Part XXIV: Do You Have The Right Stuff To Get In

Part XXV: Your Odds of Getting Into A Top MBA Program

Part XXVI: Calculating Your Odds of Getting In

Part XXVII: Breaking Through The Elite MBA Screen

Part XXVIII: Handicapping Your Shot At A Top School

Part XXIX: Can You Get Into A Great B-School

Part XXX: Handicapping Your Odds of Getting In

Part XXXI: Calculating Your Odds of Admission

Part XXXII: Handicapping Your Elite MBA Chances

Part XXXIII: Getting Into Your Dream School

Part XXXIV: Handicapping Your Shot At A Top School

Part XXXV: Calculating Your Odds of Getting In

Part XXXVI: What Are Your Chances Of Getting In

Part XXXVII: Handicapping Your Business School Odds

Part XXXVIII: Assessing Your B-School Odds Of Making It

Part XXXIX: Handicapping MBA Applicant Odds

Part XL: What Are Your Odds of Getting In

Part XLI: Handicapping Your Odds of MBA Success

Part XLII: What Are Your Chances Of Getting In

Part XLIII: Handicapping Your MBA Odds

Part XLIV: Can You Get Into A Top MBA Program

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