Mr. Submarine Officer

Hi, Mr. Submarine Officer, Julie-Anne Heafey here from mbaMission. It sounds like you’ve got an interesting story behind your switch from finance to the navy (and submarines specifically– seems like you handle stressful situations very well). I wish I understood a little more about what was behind that move and how it informs your goals today! I think my biggest hesitation with your profile is that I don’t have a good sense after reading it of what you want to DO/BUILD/CREATE. What industry are you drawn to? What problems do you want to solve? Stanford is an optimistic, purpose-driven kind of place, and you have to stake out your corner in terms of what you want to tackle. Right now, I’m hearing more about your pay and title than about how you want to “change lives, change organizations, change the world,” so make sure you clarify and articulate a stronger mission when you apply. Fit with your target program is important. Beyond that, a 3.0 will likely be tough to overcome at Stanford, even with a tough major — it’s not impossible, perhaps– they state there is no minimum– but keep in mind that the *average* GPA there is a 3.8, which should show you that most of those admitted have very strong academic performance. Stanford is always super tough– the admit rate is about 6% normally, and this year is likely to be especially competitive based on what I’ve seen so far, so my advice is– figure out your purpose, clarify your goals, and expand your list of schools for the best chance of success! Wishing you the best of luck!