Mr. Fitness Startup

Hi Mr. Fitness Startup,
Congrats on being about to graduate from your EE program! This is Debbie Choy, Senior Consultant at mbaMission. I think it’s impressive that you’re juggling a full-time graduate program, doing a fitness startup, 2 jobs, as well as student club leadership roles. Wonderful that your startup is doing well too. It sounds like quite a plateful for you! HBS is certainly looking for smart, driven people like you. I agree with you that your GMAT does offset your softer GPA. That said, HBS is also looking for candidates with a few years of full-time work experience under their belt. That helps make the classroom discussions more grounded in real life experiences. My estimate of your chances is based on applying now, but if you continue to build on your career and show the same level of success in the next 3-4 years, you will be in a much stronger position to do well at HBS. Wishing you the best in your MBA journey!

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. I love your entrepreneurial experience at such a young age — really impressive! Your high GMAT of course is a big asset that will help offset the softer GPA. All that you’ve been able to do while being a student is also a testament to your drive and work ethic. I only give you a 5% chance at HBS because the average is about 10% and I see you having slightly less than the average shot given your lower amount of work experience. They’ll be looking for about a 4-5 year average of work experience so you’d be better off waiting to give yourself a better shot. If you definitely want to be sitting in an MBA program next year, I would encourage you to look at the other schools on your list to give yourself the best shot. Good luck with your applications!