Handicapping Your MBA Odds: Ms. Pre-Med, Mr. Ad Agency, Ms. Silicon Valley, Mr. General Motors, Mr. Fortune 50

Mr. Fortune 50

3.7 GPA
Undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard/Yale/Princeton
Master’s in industrial engineering from top state tech school
Work experience includes stint as project manager at a Fortune 50 semiconductor company, with good performance reviews and promotions
Goal: To transition into prestigious consulting or banking job
Dinged from Harvard & Stanford last year
“I’m not sure what happened last year; Maybe it was a combination of having only two years of work experience and having a job that sounded a little too “operations” for their taste. Or maybe someone in the admissions office spilled coffee on the application and they had to toss it…who knows?”
“I’m looking to add a school in the 5-15 range, but I’m not sure which ones make sense for me”
28-year-old white male, first generation college

Odds of Success:

Wharton: 30%

Chicago: 30% to 40%

Columbia: 30% to 40%

MIT: 30%

Northwestern: 30% to 40%

Duke: 40% to 50%

Virginia: 40% to 50%

Sandy’s Analysis: Your turndowns at Harvard and Stanford surprise me, given your powerful profile. Did you even get interviewed at H or S? If so, the interview is what probably screwed you over, especially at Harvard.

One potential issue: I do not fully understand why, after earning a 3.7 at HYP, you then went to state school for an MS degree.

Anyway, with serviceable execution, you should be a strong candidate at Wharton, Chicago, and Columbia, all of which will go big time for your super impressive 780 GMAT score. Also think about MIT and Kellogg, both of which are good bets to land a job at McKinsey, Bain or BCG, which you seem to cherish.

if you are looking for “safe” schools, try Duke and Darden, NYU UC-Berkeley and USC. Darden’s new dean is a former McKinsey partner and the firm is taking a harder look at Darden graduates as a result.

Anyway, with a 780 GMAT, 3.7 in econ from HYP and a solid job, you should be a REAL strong candidate.