MBA Handicapping: FAANG Applicants To Stanford & HBS Are Often Successful. This Guy Shows Why

Solomon graduated from the University of Michigan with a computer science degree last year, landing a plum job at Facebook in California in product management. At just 23 years of age, however, he’s looking ahead to the time he hopes to return to graduate school and earn an MBA.

He’s clearly off to a great start and not only because he is with a FAANG company (The acronym for the market’s five most popular and best-performing tech stocks: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet’s Google). He has a solid 3.62 grade point average and a 740 GMAT score.

Just as important, he has a story that takes him out of the typical pile of white male applicants. His Ethiopian grandfather was a key influence and he was largely raised by his mother who has had a successful career in the social sector. More than that, he has at least another two years or more to shape that personal narrative because he doesn’t intend to matriculate until he has close to three years of full-time work experience.

His target schools: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, and Berkeley. Does he have a shot?

In this Fridays With Sandy episode, HBSGuru.com founder Sandy Kreisberg assesses his odds and gives some valuable advice.

DON’T MISS PREVIOUS FRIDAYS WITH SANDY EPISODES

GROUPON TO HBS? THIS GUY MIGHT DO IT

WHAT IT TAKES FOR A NON-IIT FROM INDIA TO GET INTO HBS 2+2

OLD, WHITE MALES WITH A CHANCE AT HBS?

MBA MOCK INTERVIEW: A MORGAN STANLEY STAFFER GETS A DRILLING

GRE FOR 2+2 SUPERSTARS: HOW LOW CAN IT GO? 

SAY ‘YES’ TO SILVER OR ‘HOLD OUT’ FOR GOLD?

WHEN WHITE MALES SHOULD RETAKE THE GMAT

3.4 GPA, 700 GMAT & HISPANIC: CAN HE GET INTO HARVARD, MIT, KELLOGG?

CAN THIS LIFE SCIENCE CONSULTANT GET INTO COLUMBIA & KELLOGG? 

DO FEMALE INDIAN TECHIES HAVE AN EASIER TIME WITH THE HBS ADCOM?  

CAN THIS INDIAN IT MALE GET INTO HBS WITH A 3.4 GPA BUT A 750 GMAT?

WHERE RETAIL BUYERS & BRAND SPECIALISTS GET MBAs

CAN THIS EX-AIR FORCE OFFICER-TURNED-SOFTWARE-ENGINEER CRACK THE MBA CODE?

CAN THIS TARGET STAFFER GET INTO HARVARD OR STANFORD?

HOW PETRO ENGINEERS CAN GET INTO A TOP MBA PROGRAM

LONG DISTANCE CALL: HOW DOES AN AUSSIE TELECOM GUY GET INTO STANFORD?

IS THIS 30-YEAR-OLD ENERGY GUY HEADED FOR HBS?

GETTING IN IF YOUR STATS ARE BELOW THE MEDIAN

WHAT GMAT DOES THIS LATINA GOVERNMENT ANALYST NEED?

REAL GOOD ODDS FOR THIS INDIAN DO-GOODER. HERE’S WHY

MILITARY-BANKER-HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL?

HOW TO AVOID LANDMINES IN YOUR 2+2 INTERVIEW

THE REAL HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL 2+2 INTERVIEW