MBA Handicapping: Harvard/Stanford/Wharton For This Silver, Not Gold Resume? by: John A. Byrne on June 19, 2020 | 11,312 Views June 19, 2020 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit A recruited athlete to Iowa State University, Robert left his home town of Boston to play division one football. But in his sophomore year, he decided to buckle down on the academics and his own startup that teaches financial modeling. He graduated with a major in finance and a 3.6 GPA and, more importantly, landed himself an i-banking analyst job with William Blair. Two years later, he leveraged that job into an opportunity to join a mid-market private equity firm where he has been an associate over the past two years. With an impressive 730 GMAT, he plans to apply to a half dozens leading business schools: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Berkeley Haas, Columbia, and Northwestern Kellogg. His post-MBA goal: To work at a consumer-growth equity fund. Robert is a gritty candidate. Neither of his parents has a four-year college degree. His dad drives a UPS truck. His mom is an aide to an elementary teacher. The big question: If you went to an undergraduate school that is not a feeder to H/S/W and gained jobs at a second-tier i-banking firm and a PE shop that is so new it has yet to send anyone to a top school, can you get accepted by the big three? In this Friday’s With Sandy video episode, HBSGuru.com founder Sandy Kreisberg and P&Q Founder and Editor John A. Byrne assess his chances. Sandy offers some unusual advice to Robert to increase his odds at Harvard and Wharton and counsels him on how to shape his story to gain an admit at Columbia, Berkeley and Kellogg. If you would like to participate in a future Fridays With Sandy webinar, you can contact Sandy and P&Q Founder John A Byrne here. DON’T MISS PREVIOUS FRIDAYS WITH SANDY EPISODES IS STANFORD AND HAAS A HAIL MARY FOR THIS 33-YEAR-OLD CANDIDATE? HOW DO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL & STANFORD GSB VIEW HR TYPES? IS THIS ENGINEER A FIT FOR BERKELEY HAAS & MIT SLOAN? IS 2+2 HBS POSSIBLE WITH A 680 GMAT HOW A WHITE MALE WITH LOWER STATS GETS INTO COLUMBIA & WHARTON CAN YOU GET INTO STANFORD FROM YOUR FOURTH JOB? WILL STANFORD & HARVARD BUY THIS STORY? FULLBRIGHT, FAMILY POULTRY BIZ, PAKISTAN + HBS? HOW TO EXPLAIN SIX JOBS IN FIVE YEARS TO A BUSINESS SCHOOL SHOULD SHE RUSH TO APPLY NOW OR WAIT FOR THE NEXT CYCLE? HOW TO GET INTO HBS WITH A 3.2 GPA WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HARVARD’S 2+2 DEFERRED ADMISSIONS PROGRAM GETTING INTO KELLOGG & MCCOMBS FROM PLUTO (NOT THE PLANET) HOW DOES THIS MCKINSEY ANALYST NOT GET INTO HBS & STANFORD? A HIGHLY RANKED MBA FOR THIS CONCERT PIANIST? SWIMMER, TECH FOUNDER, BANKER, COMEDIAN TRIES FOR H/S/W BAINIE, BYU ATHLETE = H/S/W? INTERVIEW ADVICE FOR MILITARY CANDIDATES — AND OTHERS A 770 GMAT & A 4.O FROM LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS — WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED FOR HARVARD’S 2+2 FAANG APPLICANTS TO STANFORD & HBS ARE OFTEN SUCCESSFUL. THIS GUY SHOWS WHY 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