Mr. Musician

Needless to say, you are a non-traditional MBA applicant and a nearly irresistably one for many schools. It’s not surprise to me that Yale SOM wants to interview you. While your 700 GMAT is 25 points below the latest class median, you have a near perfect GPA from a well admired school of music. The fact that you founded 2 startups and headed operations for another is impressive. So is the fact that you were part of the production team for a number of Super Bowl ad spots and an Emmy award-winning advertising campaign. Much of this will turn on how you present yourself in your application and your interview. You need to show up with self-confidence and prove that you are resilient, despite the failure of your two startups. Admissions will want to know what you learned during those experiences and how you have matured since then. They also will want to know about the impact you have made on your family’s business. Make that clear in your essays, application and interview. If you can do this, I think your chances at Tuck are very good. I would be surprised if you get an admit from Yale but if you do it tells me you excelled during your interview, showed true professional presence, and presented your startup experience in a way that gives someone confidence that you won’t fail again. Don’t blame “bad luck” for failure. Own it.