Mr. Undecided

I think you have a fair shot at HBS, your first choice school, given your exceptional stats, your Stanford undegraduate degree in computer science, your high GMAT score, and your stellar career background. If you smartly write about your honor code violation, there is a change–however slight–that it could be leveraged into an advantage, particularly if you have remorse about it and have learned something valuable from it. There is plenty of gold in your narrative, from Stanford and Goldman Sachs to your stints at a megafund PE shop and your current role at a large global hedge fund.

Hi Mr. Undecided, Julie-Anne Heafey here from mbaMission. I’m more in John’s boat with the odds. You are obviously intelligent and a high performer with signals throughout your profile that you have interesting things to bring to the table, but doubt yourself more than you should simply because you are analytical and assess yourself at super high standards. My guess is that you need some pushing and deeper reflection so that you know what you add to the class and where you might go. Usually when I work with people like you, that’s half the job, and the other half is providing an outside perspective on your essay to keep you from shooting yourself in the foot by downplaying yourself too much or taking the wrong tone. The honor code violation does add risk to your candidacy, but as John suggests, it may be a surmountable obstacle. It likely depends on the details and how you have addressed it since. So, I definitely would go for it. Just approach your applications with maturity and sincerity and think deeply about your direction. Good luck!

Mr. Undecided – thanks for posting your profile. Susan Cera here from Stratus.

Congrats on the outstanding stats and solid work experience. You clearly have been committed! You will be expected to disclose your honor code violation. Be honest and share what you learned from the experience.

I won’t be the first to tell you that 94/100 applicants to Stanford GSB come up empty handed. There isn’t anything in your profile that makes me think that you are a good fit to change organizations and change the world.

Expand your reach beyond the GSB. I would guess that if you applied NOW to CBS, you could be wrapping up your MBA in <2 years and would add to your brand and be able to expand your network.

Wishing you the best on your application journey!