Mr. MBB To PM

Your professional success at an MBB with a fast promotion should also automatically qualify you for an interview. Your move to a start-up is a risk, but you have a strong background to lean on and it sounds like exactly the type of move that would impress Stanford’s adcom: dreaming big and having an impact. This same attitude is evident in your long term career goal to increase access to education and professional opportunities in your home country and develop talent for your own tech venture. Surely Stanford is the place to be to open the door to edge-tech (though MIT Sloan would also be a great choice). I think this is truly your opportunity to lose! Submit a solid, clear application and you should have your pick of options. Let us know if we can help you craft your message to avoid a costly mistake!

I find these two assessments of your chances at Stanford really interesting because they are so divergent. MBA Prep School is far more optimistic, giving you odds of 70%, while Debbie at mbaMission puts you at 15%. There is no doubt you have a great profile with terrific stats and a STEM degree from one of the world’s best universities. And you have done extremely well in your career, from MBB and on. But Stanford only accepts 6% of its applicants and that is from a self-selecting pool of truly remarkable candidates. While I think that on the merits you deserve an admit from the GSB, it’s hard to say that your odds are as high as 70% because elite MBA admissions can be random. Another way to look at 15% odds from Debbie is that it’s more than double the average admit rate for the GSB. I would go a bit higher. Let us know how you do.

Hi Mr. MBB to PM,
This is Debbie Choy, GSB alum and Senior Consultant at mbaMission. Congrats on your strong career trajectory with a promotion at MBB, leading teams, and now helping to build a startup. Your robust academics, extracurriculars in college, and mentoring other entrepreneurs through the accelerator are also impressive. Your background fits well with your future career goals. In your application, be sure to weave these stories together to tell a compelling story of what motivates you and how an MBA fits into the picture. That will help the Admissions Committee get to know you personally beyond the resume and achievements. I think that is an important key to standing out from the crowd, and would help you have a strong shot at the GSB. Wishing you the best in your MBA journey!

Your professional success at an MBB with a fast promotion should also automatically qualify you for an interview. Your move to a start-up is a risk, but you have a strong background to lean on and it sounds like exactly the type of move that would impress Stanford’s adcom: dreaming big and having an impact. This same attitude is evident in your long term career goal to increase access to education and professional opportunities in your home country and develop talent for your own tech venture. Surely Stanford is the place to be to open the door to edge-tech (though MIT Sloan would also be a great choice). I think this is truly your opportunity to lose! Submit a solid, clear application and you should have your pick of options. Let us know if we can help you craft your message to avoid a costly mistake!

338 is too low, try retaking