MIT Sloan | Ms. Engineering + Extracurriculars
GMAT 695, GPA 3.45
Harvard | Ms. Impact Consultant
GRE 304 ( diagnostic test from ets) , GPA 7.41/10
Kellogg SOM | Mr. Fertilizer Financier
GMAT 735 GMAT Focus, GPA 3.85
Harvard | Ms. Indian Engineer
GMAT 760, GPA 3.5
Wharton | Mr. Private Equity
GMAT 730, GPA 3.2
HEC Paris | Ms. M&A Lawyer
GMAT 700, GPA 3.5
Stanford GSB | Ms. UK In the USA
GMAT 720, GPA 1st class (UK scoring)
Kenan-Flagler | Mr. Do I Have A Shot?
GMAT EA: 151, GPA 3.1
Chicago Booth | Ms. Tech4Good
GMAT 760, GPA 3.76
Columbia | Mr. Underdog
GMAT 695 GMAT Focus (750 Legacy GMAT equivalent), GPA 2.85
McCombs School of Business | Mr. Big Pharma
GRE N/A, GPA 3.1
Kenan-Flagler | Mr. Non-Traditional Undergrad
GMAT 660, GPA 2.9
Kellogg SOM | Ms. Talent Acquisition
GRE 316, GPA 3.6
Ross | Mr. Tax Accountant
GMAT N/A, GPA 3.3
Tuck | Mr. Nothing Is Perma
GMAT 760, GPA 7/10

MBA Handicapping: How To Max Out An Application From An Underrepresented Country

by: John A. Byrne on May 22, 2023 | 921 Views

Hizbawi has more than three years of experience, with more than a couple of years as general manager of his own liquid detergent company with more than 100 employees until it ceased operations due to the war in Ethiopia. Since then, he has been working as an English interpreter.

While he has yet to take the GMAT or GRE, Hizbawi graduated in the top 20% of his college class with a 3.43 undergraduate GPA in mechanical engineering from Mekelle University. He is hoping an MBA will allow him to work as a production manager or in finance for at least five years, after which he expects to do his own startup.

Hizbawi is targeting a range of reach and safety schools from the M7 Harvard Business School, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Kellogg, Chicago Booth and MIT Sloan to Yale, Babson College and Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management.

In this Friday’s With Sandy episode, HBSGuru.com Founder Sandy Kreisberg and Poets&Quants Editor John A. Byrne assess his chances and provide some valuable advice to increase his odds of admission.

If you would like to participate in a future Fridays With Sandy webinar, you can contact Sandy and Poets&Quants John here.

DON’T MISS PREVIOUS FRIDAYS WITH SANDY EPISODES

B-SCHOOL TIPS FOR CONSULTING TYPES OUTSIDE THE U.S.

APPLYING FROM BRAZIL, SPAIN & PORTUGAL

2+2 IS HARD — WILL LOW GRE STOP THIS SPANISH SUPERSTAR? 

FORMER PRO GOLFER PARS & BOGIES SOME HBS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS  

BREAKING OUT OF THE PACK: APPLYING FROM FIDELITY & OTHER MONEY MANAGERS

HOW TO BREAK OUT OF THE DESI MALE COHORT

APPLICANTS FROM WELL-KNOWN ‘BRAND-COMPANIES: WHAT B-SCHOOL INTERVIEWERS EXPECT YOU TO KNOW  

IB STAR IN GHANA — LOW GRADES, GREAT EVERYTHING ELSE. WHADDA WE GOT?

APPLYING FROM LESS-REPRESENTED COUNTRIES

ARMY CAPTAIN WITH A GREAT STORY & LOW STATS. HERE’S WHAT YOU DO 

INDIAN APPLICANTS NOT FROM IIT

THIS INDIAN MALE BREAKS WITH THE STEREOTYPE: WILL H/S/W BE IMPRESSED?

INDISPENSABLE ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL MBA APPLICANTS 

IMPACT INVESTOR WITH A GREAT STORY SO FAR 

MBA MOCK INTERVIEW:20 FUNDAMENTAL  INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ASKED & ANSWERED IN THIS ROCKING MOCK  

MBA MOCK INTERVIEW: COKE, PEPSI & OTHER BIG CONSUMER BRANDS TO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

BLOWING AN HBS INTERVIEW: SANDY POINTS OUT SEVERAL WAYS IT CAN HAPPEN

HBS INTERVIEW TRAPS FOR THIS 780 GMAT TYPES

3.2 GPA — HOW DAMAGING FOR THIS MEXICAN STAR (740 GMAT!)?

THIS SUPERSTAR APPLICANT NEEDS TO POLISH HIS STORY

IF THIS DING, DING, DING RE-APPLICANT CAN GET AN 80/80 GRE, HE IS GOLD 

CAN A ‘BIG FOOT’ MENTOR HELP YOU OVERCOME A 2.9 GPA?

HOW DOES A GREAT MBA APPLICANT OVERCOME A 3.2 GPA?

IS WORKING FOR TOBACCO & BOOZE COMPANIES A BLOT ON YOUR MBA APP?

MOCK INTERVIEW: HOW TO ANSWER THE MOST COMMON MBA INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

HOW THIS CONSULTANT BATS ABOVE HIS SO-SO STATS

SUPER-STAR AFRICAN WITH A 630 GMAT–HSW???

30-YEAR-OLD, AFRO-AMERICAN, NAIROBI-BASED, 5 JOBS — SANDY SAYS TOP 10 CAN HAPPEN

APPLYING TO B-SCHOOL FROM BIG ENERGY

MINORITY CANDIDATE, 550 GMAT, WAIT LIST AT MIT — ADVICE ON SEVERAL FRONTS 

APPLYING FROM MYANMAR WITH A 3.26 FROM San JOSE STATE

BIG 4 CONSULTANT: 33, 2.9 PGA….KEEP READING\]\

HBS WITH A 2.9 & AN INDIAN MALE? WHY THIS GUY COULD BE THE ONE  

DOA? DOES THIS TED TALK SUPERSTAR SOUND SCRIPTED?

DO WHITE MALES NEED BETTER STATS THAN SCHOOL AVERAGES TO GET IN?  

HOW TO USE YOUR INTERNATIONAL BACKGROUND TO GET INTO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

YOU WANT TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS AFTER B-SCHOOL: SOME GREAT TIPS 

HOW TO OPTIMIZE A ‘WOMEN IN TECH’ STORY FOR B-SCHOOLS

SURGEON JOINS FAMILY BUSINESS — BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN WHY

WHY HARVARD, STANFORD & WHARTON LIKE PILOTS

HBS INTERVIEW TIPS FOR NON-LIBERAL ARTS MAJORS 

EGYPTIAN VC GUY — GREAT START FOR H/S/W . . . AND THERE IS MORE

CORE ANSWERS FOR COMMON B-SCHOOL QUESTIONS

WHEN DOES A 710 vs. A 730 GMAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, MARINES: HOW TO EXPLAIN TRANSITIONS IN YOUR B-SCHOOL INTERVIEWS

SANDY TRIES TO FLUSTER THIS SUPER START 3.9/770 CHINESE PR WOMAN WHILE JOHN GOES GA-GA

H/S/W ADMIT TIPS FOR FINANCIAL GUYS 

2+2 SUPER APPLICANT — CAN HE GET AROUND A LOW GRE

H/S/W TIPS FROM THIS DESAI AT EXXONMOBIL 

SANDY’S TOUGH LOVE FOR A SUPER STAR WITH A 650 GMAT

HOW TECHIES & ENGINEERS BEAT OUT THEIR PEERS AT TOP MBA PROGRAMS 

HOW DO ACCENTURE CONSULTANTS GET INTO WHARTON?

APPLYING FOR HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL’S 2+2 FROM ABROAD

HBS WITH A 3.4 & A 770? WHARTON?

5 YEARS OF FINANCE + 4 YEARS OF MARINES = HBS?

APPLYING AFTER 30: DO’S & DON’TS

MOCK HARVARD 2+2 MBA INTERVIEW: SANDY GRILLS THIS GUY (FOR HIS OWN GOOD)

HBS WITH A 3.2 GPA??? IT COULD HAPPEN.

CAN THIS INDIAN MALE WITH A 3.4/710 LEAPFROG HIS COHORT?  

CAN THIS PGA ANALYST LAND AT HBS?

HOW TO MOVE FROM PURE TECH TO STRATEGY CONSULTING

THREE ODDBALL JOBS NEED EXPLAINING, INCLUDING DOG DNA

WITH INTERNSHIPS AT TESLA, TWITTER, SPACEX & THE CIA, DOES HE HAVE A SHOT AT HBS?  

WHICH LATIN AMERICAN PASSPORT HELPS THE MOST AT HBS?

GREAT STATS, PUBLIC IVY DEGREE & FANG JOB. WHY HE’S GOING TO GET DINGED ANYWAY

2+2 WITH LOW STATS: SANDY SAYS IT COULD HAPPEN

SUMMA, 780: HBS LIKES THAT, WHARTON LOVES THAT, DOES STANFORD WANT MORE? 

ARE ALL OF INDIA’S ITT’S CREATED EQUALY?  MAYBE NOT FOR ELITE MBA ADMISSIONS

BIG 4 — LAUNCH PAD FOR H/S/W?

HOW THIS POWERFUL CANDIDATE SCREWED UP HIS FIRST HBS APP

4.0/760, CALTECH: MINEFIELDS FOR 2+2

YES AT HBS WITH A 3.0 & A 680 — THIS GUY’S ‘TWIN’ DID IT

2+2 POSITIONING FOR FINANCE TYPES

40% QUANT YET HIGH ODDS FOR HBS 2+2. FIND OUT WHY 

SALES GUY, 31. HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL? HERE’S HOW

THE BASICS OF GETTING AN MD-MBA

CAN THIS BAND LEADER JAZZ HIS 3.3 GPA INTO HBS 2+2? WORKING AT MCKINSEY HELPS

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL WITH A 670? HERE’S HOW

TOO YOUNG FOR HBS, EVEN WITH A 750 GMAT?

MEXICO, MASTERCARD, MAESTRO: 3 HOOKS FOR AN M7 ADMIT?

AVERAGE GMAT & GPA? CHECK. SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BUST INTO BOOTH & KELLOGG? 

OVERCOMING TWO STRIKES: A LOW GPA & A LOW GMAT

720 VS. 740 GMAT: THE SLIM DIFFERENCE CAN BE HUGE 

HOW TO MAXIMIZE A 320 GRE AND A 3.4 GPA

HOW ASIAN IB/PE APPLICANTS SHOULD PRESENT THEIR STORY TO H/S/W

CAN THIS WHITE SOUTH AFRICAN GUY CRACK STANFORD & HARVARD?

APPLYING TO H/S/MIT FROM LATIN AMERICA WITH A 770

WHERE SHOULD THIS BMW ROCK ‘N’ ROLLER GO TO B-SCHOOL?

CIAO!!! EURO ADMISSIONS FOR BIG 4 TYPES 

DON’T SCREW YOURSELF IN THE FIRST TWO MINUTES OF AN ADCOM INTERVIEW

CAN THIS MULTI-RACIAL MAP MAKER FIND HER WAY TO AN ELITE MBA?

UNEMPLOYED POT EXEC GOES FOR TOP MBA. WE SAY MAYBE. ARE WE SMOKING SOMETHING?

A 770 GMAT & TWO NO-NAME EMPLOYERS EQUALS WHAT?

CAN THIS INDIAN MALE GET INTO HARVARD IF HE DID NOT DO HIS UNDERGRAD AT IIT?  

WILL THIS GUY’S FAST FOOD EXPERIENCE GET HIM BLACKBALLED AT HBS DESPITE A 770 GMAT & 4.0 GPA?

CAN THIS BLACK FIRST-GEN ENGINEER GET INTO HARVARD OR STANFORD?

GETTING INTO WHARTON & HARVARD WITH A 720 GMAT & A 3.6 GPA 

WHAT ENGINEERS NEED TO DO TO GET IN

HOW DOES AN INDIAN APPLICANT STAND OUT AT THE M7?

CAN SHE TURN SILVER INTO GOLD FOR WHARTON & COLUMBIA?

CAN THIS 32-YEAR-OLD FORMER PRO RUGBY PLAYER GET INTO H/S/W?

AN HBS MOCK INTERVIEW WITH A UNICORN TECH GUY

HARVARD/STANFORD/WHARTON FOR THIS SILVER, NOT GOLD RESUME?

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