Mr. Tech Exec

Hi, it’s Nisha from mbaMission. Congratulations on your recent personal milestones!
Regarding your candidacy for HBS, I’d need to know more about your career path to date in order to assess your competitiveness. In particular, I’d need to know the progression you’ve made over the last 10-11 years – also, have you been at the same organization or different ones over that time period? Also, I’d need to know your GMAT or GRE score.

A few concerns I have: Your low undergrad GPA and level of work experience (average for HBS is 5-6 years). Also, I’m not quite clear on what you’re seeking from an MBA at this point in your career. From what I read here, it seems like you more or less want to stay on the same track. In that case, might you consider an Executive MBA? This degree is targeted towards those with 10+ levels of experience (part of that managerial) who are looking to get to the next step in their leadership journey. Hopefully, that’s some good food for thought for now!

Hello Mr. Tech Exec it’s Lisa Cummings of Stratus Admissions. First off, congrats on that BIG life win – your recent marriage and your son. So exciting for you. You certainly will be busy over the next few months. On paper I would say your odds are well below Harvard’s 10+% acceptance rate as you don’t have a GRE or GMAT score and your GPA falls well below their average. However, to really access your odds, I’d need to know a lot more about your career path. Have you been at the same firm all along? If so , how have your responsibilities changed and evolved? With 10 years of work experience, you are well above the average and also outside the middle 80% range for nearly every 2 year MBA program . I’d say you would probably be a more attractive candidate for an Executive program, many of which don’t require a GRE or GMAT score. Have you considered part time or EMBA programs? Harvard doesn’t have one but several other schools do, including NYU, BU, Georgetown, Rice, Emory Booth, Kellogg and Ross to name a few. It sounds like you are a great team player and collaborator, both skills are needed for an MBA. With the right narrative on your career path and reasons for wanting and needing an MBA, you could be a competitive candidate. Best of luck and again, congratulations!