Mr. Diversity Finance

2+2 at Harvard is hard and the fact that you are getting your degree at Florida State doesn’t help you. That’s because MBA admissions policies at the very best schools are pretty elitist. If I asked you to tell me how many Florida State undergrads were in Harvard Business School’s Class of 2020, what do you think the answer might be? Let me tell you. It was one out of roughly 940 people. That’s better than none but it is nowhere near the 46 from Harvard, 39 from Penn, 35 from Stanford, 31 from Yale, 24 from Princeton, 23 from Duke, 20 from Dartmouth, 18 from Cornell and Notre Dame. In other words, Almost 1 in 5 HBS admits did their undergraduate at five schools: Harvard, U Penn, Stanford, Yale or Princeton. Some 24 undergrad institutions had 10 or more admits, accounting for 49% of total admits to the class. I mention these stats not to discourage or depress you or any other applicant to HBS from a non-Ivy or near-Ivy school but to show you how important one’s undergraduate institution can be in an admissions decision. That said, you are a superb candidate, with a super impressive 750 GMAT a 3.65 GPA in a double major, a keen and passionate interest in diversity demonstrated by your actions, not merely your words, you had an internship at a top-tier i-banking firm, and you are an undrerepresented minority. That last piece of info is essential because it provides some explanation for why you are at Florida State and can allow you to overcome the inherent bias for Ivy, Near-Ivy and Public Ivy applicants. That’s why I am enthusiastic about you and your potential. I think HBS will be, too.