Mr. Sustainable Jute Products

Hi Mr. Sustainable Jute Products! You have some compelling stats and achievements here that give me some optimism around your HBS dreams. The key for you will definitely come down to your storytelling. That is, a compelling, authentic story that gives AdCom the confidence that your undergrad years (3.0 GPA) won’t repeat themselves as an MBA or beyond AND one that turns your failed startup into a selling point for you. The fact that you took the initiative to go after something you were passionate about speaks volumes to the tenacious, fearless person that you are, so that’s a win. Now, the fact that it failed won’t necessarily be a ding against you, but it can become another win for you IF you can identify what you learned from the experience about where you went wrong and how you have and will continue to apply those learnings to your go-forward approach to make you an even more fierce leader today/tomorrow. This is an art, not a science and must be done with a thoughtful, holistic approach. If you can communicate these two things in the right way, all the other good in your profile (ex-Goldman/Barclays, killer GRE score, community impact, meaningful goals to good for our planet) will continue to sparkle bright to AdCom and I’d place my bets on you heading to Cambridge!