Predicting Your Chances Of Admission

Mr. Poker Player

• 710 GMAT
• 2.7 GPA
• Undergraduate degree in biology from UC-San Diego
• “Played poker to support self through undergrad to pay for schooling, thus low grades”
• Work experience includes four years at a biotech company, having transitioned from R&D to business development
• Extracurricular involvement coaching Pop Warner football for four years, three years on non-profit research foundation for an incurable children’s heart disease
• Goal: To use the MBA to get into a business development role in Big Pharma, then move back into leading my own BD group in biotech
• Chinese-American born in Shanghai, came to U.S. at age of 4

Odds of Success:

Harvard: -10%

Stanford: -10%

Wharton: -15%

Sandy’s Analysis: The 2.7 is going to be hard to live down, I just don’t see this happening at Harvard or Stanford with low GPA, so-so jobs, and no gold dust. Wharton is not likely either, to be frank. Guys like you go to Chicago or Kellogg on a long shot, and maybe schools that U.S. News would rank 8th to 15^th where with this background, your dreams can come true anyway.

Your extras are good, but not going to tilt this in any meaningful way at H/S/W.  Poker as reason for low grades will not cut much slack. An amazing number of applicants play Poker, some kids with stints as pros, and they often have good grades. How did you get hired as a “researcher” at a bio-tech firm with a 2.7? No offense, but scary. Aren’t there a surplus of dudes with MA’s and Ph.D’s  in bio?

I might change my mind if your biotech company is a “blue-chip” type shop and has a history of sending its business development people to top business schools.