Handicapping Your MBA Odds

Mr. 2+2

• 720 GMAT (expected based on mock tests)
• 3.7 GPA
• Undergraduate degree from a low-tier European university (graduation delayed due to depression, thoroughly explained in essay and supported by recommenders)
• Admitted to a master’s program in public policy from a top 20 university in Europe
• Work experience includes founding two startups during his first year at university, one sold to a family friend and the other failed; an internship in finance in investment management; now working on another startup
• Extracurriculars include mentoring young people who are depressed; member of the LGBT community; fundraiser for an association in an African country
• Short-term Goal: To do a startup in the healthcare/pharmaceuticals in Africa
• Long-term Goal: To create startup incubators in Africa
• 23-year-old African male

Odds of Success:

2+2 Harvard: 10% to 20%

Sandy’s Analysis: Just for the record, I take it you are not a U.S. citizen. That is an important fact because you will not be considered as an “official” URM (under represented minority), since that category is limited to U.S. citizens. It’s a government reporting issue, not so much an adcom issue, but the admission officials keep track because they have to report URM numbers to the government and in their class profiles.  And people pay attention as this recent story from Poets&Quants shows. You will still be considered African, however, which is a diversity plus.

OK, as to you. This is an atypical 2+2 application, given your age and breaks in undergrad education.

It is also not clear to me what your employment history is. You say:

Started 2 startups during my first year at uni, one I sold to a family friend and the other failed;

– interned in finance in investment management

– working now on another startup before starting my masters next semester

GRRRRR, as often noted, start-ups are an iffy issue for adcoms to credit, since anyone can say they started a company (and can add, they sold to a family friend). Adcoms prefer bright line accomplishments like summer internships at Goldman or McKinsey or if you do a startup, investments by well known angel investors or VC firms.

You do have one gig in finance. The actual name of the company will help.

You are self-identifying as someone interested in finance pre-MBA, and that is a crowded box, with a lot of blue chip competition.

If your goals after getting the MBA are “entrepreneurship in healthcare/pharmaceuticals in Africa”

well, you might:

1. Make those pre-MBA goals, since that is a risk that 2+2 supports, and

2. It is more in line with what you seem to want to do.

Your current post is a bit two-minded. One part of you seems to want to make a lot of money as a banker and the other wants to be a do-gooder.

Here’s some tough love: Get your game face on, play the Africa card, and go all in on do-gooder jive in Africa.

All that said, 2+2 is going to be hard on these facts.