Mr. Failed Startup Founder

Hi Mr. Failed Startup Founder, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. Sometimes our failures teach us the most – and it seems as though your start up experience has helped you articulate what you need from an MBA – which is an important part in the process. So obviously your stats look pretty strong and if tech law is where you want to end up long term, I like that you’ve had big firm experience as well as start up experience – it’s not clear by the entry what your side gig has you doing. So what are your opportunities? I see 2 – one more in your control than the other. The first (in your control) is more clearly articulating your short and long term goals. Is LexisNexis your immediate short term? Entrepreneurial long term? And for Stanford specifically, how do you plan to change the world – what larger impact are you trying to make with your tech law start up. Accessibility? Facilitating research? And the other opportunity is your years of work experience. From what is listed in your profile, it seems you only have 1½ years of work experience. I’m sure you know the average is 4.7 and mid 80% tends to be between 3-8 years. You will need to explain why now is the right time for you to get an MBA. And how your start up venture has given you enough experience to add to classroom discussions. I think you’d have an interesting viewpoint as I do not hear much about the tech law space – so this this is a benefit to you having a unique story that will stand out. You have 3 top schools with the lowest admit rates on your list here. If this is the best year for your to attend, I would suggest looking at a wider list that can help you get to a similar role post-MBA – maybe Carnegie Mellon, Foster or Kellogg. With the right story I think your chances are probably double the average acceptance rate. Best of luck!