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Had a rough time freshman/sophomore year of college and performed badly in school. Took time off and held internships for 1 year before returning to school, and finished with strong grades in the last two years. I found a passion for biotech and biopharma, and was offered a position as an analyst working directly alongside a respected biotech VC
Target School: Berkeley Haas
Considering: Wharton, Stanford GSB, MIT Sloan, Kellogg SOM
See More Profiles For: Berkeley Haas
Application Status: Open
Undergrad School: Claremont McKenna
Undergrad Major: Economics
GPA: 2.85
GMAT: 730
Age: 25, Ethnicity: White
Extracurriculars: Varsity Golf Team
Title: Analyst
Industry: Venture Capital
Company: Boutique Firm
Length of Employment: 3 yrs
Promoted to senior analyst, helped raise $300 million fund, board observer at 3 portfolio companies. Successful amateur golf career
CEO of biotech company, partner at venture fund
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Well, you may have had a rocky start to your early college years but you have more than made up for it. You got that 730 GMAT which helps take some of the edge off that low GPA. I also think its healthy and positive that you are upfront about what happened. And you have been able to not only land a coveted job at a boutique VC firm, your big wins there show that you’ve made a significant contribution at the firm who deserved that promotion to senior analyst. Bravo. Your passion for biotech and biopharma should serve you well. As you know, however, Haas is difficult because the incoming class is small and the school’s acceptance rate of 12% is equal to Harvard …
Well, you may have had a rocky start to your early college years but you have more than made up for it. You got that 730 GMAT which helps take some of the edge off that low GPA. I also think its healthy and positive that you are upfront about what happened. And you have been able to not only land a coveted job at a boutique VC firm, your big wins there show that you’ve made a significant contribution at the firm who deserved that promotion to senior analyst. Bravo. Your passion for biotech and biopharma should serve you well. As you know, however, Haas is difficult because the incoming class is small and the school’s acceptance rate of 12% is equal to Harvard Business School’s admit rate. I think you will get an admit from at least one of your target schools. As for Haas, you clearly have a shot and if you get the chance to interview, I would bet you will get an offer.
Hi there! It’s Stephanie Horn, Master Consultant with the MBA Exchange and recent Poets and Quants “Top 10 Admissions Consultants”. As an admissions consultant for nine years, I have worked with a variety of clients who, like you, had a below 3.0 GPA. You’ve got several factors in your favor — you attended a highly selective, well-respected institution, took a quantitative major, balanced being a varsity athlete with your school work, and demonstrated an upward trend. Your work experience is also shorter than average, and it is hard to tell how much autonomy and leadership you have exhibited. You will need outstanding recommendations and clear, impactful essays to make your case. I recommend that you consider adding Columbia, Stern, and Yale to your target list.
Hi, it’s Nisha, Sr. Consultant with mbaMission. I really admire how you turned around your college performance in your last two years and on top of that, are helping offset your GPA with a solid GMAT score! What would further help reassure the Adcom of your academic readiness is taking a quantitative course (perhaps in statistics or accounting, depending on what you didn’t take in college, or an online course like UC Berkeley Math for Management) and getting an A. Additionally, it sounds like you’ve made strong progress at your VC firm, which will benefit your application.
I see that you were on the varsity golf team in college and have had a successful amateur golf career – that’s awesome! …
I see that you were on the varsity golf team in college and have had a successful amateur golf career – that’s awesome! Are you still involved in the game these days? If not, one way to potentially resume your involvement while serving the community is to serve as a mentor/volunteer instructor. Haas is a tough program to get into in part because of its very small size – however, if you’re able to clearly communicate your fit with the program and address your GPA in the optional essay in a way that shows responsibility and ownership, I think you could be a viable candidate.
Hi, this is Melisa from Stratus Admissions. Congrats on landing a highly coveted job out of undergrad – many people head back to business school in the Bay Area to land just where you did. I like that you are open about your challenges in undergrad – and make sure that you take the time to explain your situation, and as important, what you learned through the process. You clearly show that you are able to learn from your experiences and move on to success. Your GMAT score is above the average for Haas, but schools will be looking specifically at the quant score to assess your ability to handle the MBA courseload. I would want to know more about the breakdown of your score …
Hi, this is Melisa from Stratus Admissions. Congrats on landing a highly coveted job out of undergrad – many people head back to business school in the Bay Area to land just where you did. I like that you are open about your challenges in undergrad – and make sure that you take the time to explain your situation, and as important, what you learned through the process. You clearly show that you are able to learn from your experiences and move on to success. Your GMAT score is above the average for Haas, but schools will be looking specifically at the quant score to assess your ability to handle the MBA courseload. I would want to know more about the breakdown of your score – and if your math score is lower would suggest taking a quantitative class to further strengthen your application. Based on what you have shared in your profile, you are a bit light on the extracurriculars. Being a varsity athlete shows your ability to balance academics and extracurriculars while at school, and I would want to know if your amateur career has continued post-undergrad. Could you get involved in biotech conferences or mentor in case competitions for local high school or universities based on your VC experience? Wishing you the best of luck!
That is a low GPA. Played too much golf!
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