Mr. Life Science Consultant

Hi Mr. Life Science Consultant,
How fortunate that you transitioned into healthcare from oil & gas when you did! This is Debbie Choy from mbaMission. Having a healthcare background myself, I am thrilled to see smart people join the industry! I think you have a lot of strengths in your profile – solid GPA, robust work at Deloitte, and strong community leadership through your mentoring work. I do think your GMAT score is a shade soft for HBS. I agree with Melisa to retake the GMAT if possible, or look into the GRE – some candidates perform better with the GRE format. Do you already have sponsorship from Deloitte? If you do, that’s a strong endorsement that you’re a top performer at work, which is something schools are looking for. In addition, are you able to get involved with any recruiting or diversity committees at the firm? These leadership experiences outside your immediate job scope will demonstrate even more leadership to AdCom. Also consider stepping into a leadership role with the mentoring organizations you’re already involved with. For example, can you help with fundraising or recruiting? Again, these experiences will boost your leadership track record, which is something HBS cares deeply about. Wishing you the best in your MBA journey!

Hi Mr. Life Science Consultant, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. Happy New Year! So it sounds like you are working towards, or have been offered to be sponsored by Deloitte for your MBA. What I like about this is that you have an exit plan (post-MBA job) already. Adcomms will like this because it shows Deloitte’s confidence in you and you have guaranteed employment post-MBA, zero risk. I also like that your long term goal brings together the experiences you’ve had so far – a finance rotational program and experience in healthcare consulting sets you up to work in finance long term. The next couple years will be a very exciting time to be in healthcare and would also imagine you will get experience across the sector through Deloitte as this disruption is happening. While I love that you also volunteer in the life sciences (and education too) spaces, what I am not seeing that Harvard would look for is a leadership focused role across either your community involvement or professionally. In addition, as a consultant, I would love to see you try the GMAT again or even look into the GRE. While a 700 is a solid score, it is below the HBS average – and we see that consultants tend to come in at or above the average. Your strong GPA will show you can handle the academic rigor of the program, so that won’t be a concern – but comparing your application to other consultants, I think your current GMAT will hinder your outcomes. All programs are going to want to understand what you bring to the table different from other consultants – so as you are planning for your applications make sure to spend time introspecting on what is unique about you that you will bring to the classroom and make sure that comes out through your application. If your GMAT path has ended and you are at peace with this score – I would encourage you to look at some additional schools: Darden, UNC, Cornell. I think your chances at McCombs will be above the rest on your list. Reach out if I can answer any other questions.

Not sure why everyone is so negative. You’ve done a lot and might not be the perfect candidate but you have a lot going for you.