Mr. 770 Dreamer

Well, as you know, a 770 GMAT score speaks loudly. So do your excellent grades. You noted that you helped your father in setting up the family business right after undergrad when your family was going through financial distress. That should make for a strong essay and may explain why you apparently did not get a job straight off with what might be called a gold-plated company. Given the fact that you have an MBA already, you are a male engineer from a non-IIT school, you are working at what I presume is an unknown startup, and are in the most over-represented part of the elite MBA applicant pool, I’m not sure that even a 770 overcomes that at schools like Kellogg, Yale and Chicago Booth. It’s a plus that you got yourself into a finance job and out of the engineering/IT pool but this isn’t the slam-dunk that it could be if you went to an IIT, didn’t have an MBA already and worked for a well-known, highly selective company.

Hi Mr. 770 Dreamer! This is Talon Rindels, Sr. Admission Consultant at the MBA Exchange and proud Kellogg alum. While your quantitative stats (770 GMAT, strong GPA, and other certifications) may initially make you stand out against even the more competitive pool you are up against as an Indian applicant, your qualitative story isn’t quite as straight forward… And that piece is especially important to a ‘well-rounded’ school like Kellogg. As crazy as this may sound, already having an MBA likely works against you in applying to US business schools, as it can make a candidate appear as he doesn’t know what he wants (i.e. why get an MBA from a smaller school, only to turn around and apply to a top global program later?)… I know, kind of cruel for an ambitious guy like you, right? Given you don’t have the luxury of a well-renown company on your resume, you’ll have to ‘prove’ to adcom through essays, recommendations, and interviews that you have unique experiences that will allow you to contribute meaningfully to the Kellogg community. I’m sure you have some solid learnings from your family’s start-up that, if positioned in the right way, could really make you stand out against those with the solid brand on their resume. When I applied (and was accepted) to Kellogg years ago, it was my well-crafted qualitative story that got me in, as my sub-700 GMAT certainly wasn’t doing me any favors. While I hope you are happily enrolled this fall, if you should find yourself looking to reapply next year, working with myself or another qualified admissions consultant could likely increase your odds of acceptance by 3-4x. There are encouraging aspects of your profile that, if communicated in the right way, could make you a top candidate. We also offer interview prep support if you are interested in that for your upcoming Kellogg interview. Best of luck, my fingers (and toes!) are crossed for you!

Hi Mr. 770 Dreamer. This is Kate Richardson, Senior Admissions Consultant. It would be easy to see your impressive GMAT and GPA stats (plus certifications) and think you’re a lock at a school like Kellogg, but I think there is more under the surface that is creating challenges for your profile. I think your work experience may be perceived as jumpy — having moved from the family business to an MNC and a startup, and now looking to make another move to investing banking. I also think having your MBA already is a big challenge, and while schools may see you as competitive, they may just prefer to admit folks who haven’t had that shot already. Booth’s decision is also a pretty good predictor of your chances at Kellogg, since the program is very much on par with Kellogg (22% vs. 26% acceptance rate), and the fact that you were interviewed at Kellogg doesn’t signal much, since Kellogg has open interviews for all applicants. If you knocked your application and interview out of the park, an acceptance is possible, but I’d still encourage you to consider a wider range of schools (like Cornell, NYU, or UNC / Rotman as another expert suggested). Good luck!

Hi Mr. 770 Dreamer, this is Donna Bauman, Senior MBA Admissions Counselor with Stratus Admissions. First of all congratulations on your 770 GMAT! That’s an impressive score and while there are some challenges you face in already having an MBA—I have a different approach for you to consider. Apply to Kellogg and Yale if these are your dream programs but also look at programs where your 770 GMAT is going to help you stand out more. If investment banking is your goal, look at programs with strong experiential learning to give you the hands on investment banking experience you need to make this transition. A school like UNC Kenan-Flagler that has a Capital Markets lab and lots of connections within investment banking might be willing to overlook some parts of your profile to have the 770 GMAT score. Or consider programs like Owen Vanderbilt or Emory—also with strong connections and resources around investment banking—where your 770 GMAT might get you a nice scholarship and some extra benefits of being in a high prestige and connection fellowship program. Or look at a program like Rotman in Toronto where you bypass potential visa issues and you can connect in the very strong finance community in Toronto with the Rotman network. These other options give you the potential to be successful for your post MBA goal—with potentially less financial and visa issue stress. Your profile hits right into the Stratus sweet spot with our 4 school guarantee. When people work with Stratus on Round 1, they can shoot as high as they want and give their application the best shot possible. For you to be successful at Kellogg or Yale—that means demonstrating the impact you had in guiding your family business through financial distress and having solid reasons why the first MBA was not enough (perhaps you now see you got that degree too early and now see the need for additional leadership and international exposure?). But if you are not successful in R1 at your dream schools, we can then help you quickly to tee up and be ready to submit 2 more applications (for free) in Round 2 at programs where you have greater odds for success and potentially scholarships. So dream away Mr. Dreamer—and know that if you truly want to gain this second MBA there is likely a way if you open your mind to possibilities that you might not have previously considered!