Mr. Sales To Harvard

Admissions at the premier business schools is often an enigma. That is so because the rejection rates are very high and because human bias and prejudice is an unpredictable but extremely relevant part of the process. At HBS, where 88.5% of the applicants are turned down for admission for a self-selecting pool of amazing candidates, all this is especially true. I mention this to you and our readers because I really like just about every part of your story. It is, to my mind, a quintessential American success story. You come as an immigrant from Syria and through perseverence, smarts and hard work, you land a mid-6-figure base salary job at the tender age of 21. As you note, “this was life-changing for me and my entire family.” That line alone puts a wide smile on my face, and even though I don’t know you, it makes me cheer for you. And then you exceed expectations and close more than $ 15 million in revenue with Fortune 100 clients selling complex IT contracts that would probably give me a headache. And you got a jumbo GMAT score: a 750. So why do I think the odds are against you at your first choice school: Harvard. Your GPA is significantly lower than the class average and it is from a school that is not a traditional feeder to HBS. In fact, in Harvard’s Class of 2020, there is not a single UT grad from Dallas. There are 15 from UT-Austin, however. And historically, sales is not something that admission offices seem to respect. That does befuddle me because sales is an inegral part of success in business, no matter what your role, no matter how high you climb. Not knowing which global tech company you were with (like your undergrad education, it makes a big difference mainly due to how selective the college and the company are), makes it a bit more difficult to assess your odds. But I don’t think your odds are much better than than overall acceptance rate of 11.5%. I hope I am wrong, really wrong. Because if I were sitting in that committee room in Dillon House, I would be urging my colleagues to bring you in for an interview where I am certain you would shine. On the other hand, you are definitely getting into several of your other target schools. Your American Dream story will have a happy ending. Of that, I am certain. Good luck to you.

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. What a story you have! While college must have been a rough experience once you figured out that you no longer wanted to continue on the pre-med path, I loved how you carved our a niche for yourself and struck multiple wins in the n tech and PE investing space, and are now helping young students identify their passions. And your personal story, of achieving this upward mobility after coming from Syria, is very compelling.

Regarding your odds for HBS – my biggest area of concern is your GPA, which is well below the average for the program. Your solid GMAT score will help offset it, as will your progressive and impactful work experience. I don’t think the program is out of the question especially given your personal story, but as for everyone, I definitely recommend applying to several programs within the U.S. Top 15, and I think you’ll find success with one of them for sure. Very best of luck to you!