Mr. Veteran

You’re an impressive guy: West Point, special ops, management experience over your eight plus years in the military, fluency in Russian, a 331 GRE score that is nicely above the school’s 326 average, and a post-MBA goal that should be easy to accomplish with the degree. There are, by the way, seven West Pointers in Harvard’s Class of 2020. You should look them up on LinkedIn and reach out to them for advice and support.

All the basics are there, with the exception of your 3.39 GPA which is fine in my book but is a tad below the 3.7 class average. No big deal because you check every other box. The only thing missing is a compelling story which I am sure you must have. Thanks for your service and hope this all works out for you. My gut says it will but you do need to apply to a range of schools and not put all your eggs in the HBS basket where the acceptance rate is only 12%. So even if your odds are double the overall admit rate, it’s still a tough road. At a bare minimum, I would add Kellogg and UVA Darden to the mix.

HBS values leaders who are willing to make tough decisions, assume responsibility and accountability that feels beyond their tenure, and execute on their goals. Based on your short bio, I suspect (or at least, I hope!) you qualify in spades on these dimensions. While your GPA won’t do you any favors, HBS respects West Point and knows it’s anything but a cake walk. Your GRE – assuming it’s balanced or even skewed towards Quant – will reassure them that you’ve got the smarts to keep up and contribute.

Gatehouse Admissions’ expert tips on how to add a few basis points to your chances: reflect on your most meaningful leadership experiences – not just what you did, but how you rallied through challenges to get the job done, when you faltered, what you learned, etc. Chances are that at least some portion of these experiences should make an appearance in HBS’ essay, given HBS’s emphasis on leadership. Also, lean on your recommenders to help show the school what impact you’ve driven in your military career.

Hello Mr. Veteran! Krista Nannery from mbaMission here. I’ve worked with a few West Pointers like you and I think John’s advice here is on-target…you have one of THE BEST networks out there. Reach out to the Vets Club at HBS and get a sense of what the Army students look like and how you compare. Look at overall Army experience and deployments and international experience as you are making these comparisons. Then, I’d really like you to add a few schools here. Honestly, b-schools can’t get enough of military candidates so even with your slightly lower GPA, I can see you doing well at Darden, Kellogg, Booth. Same advice applies — reach out to the Vets club at each (it’s February so you have the luxury of time!) and start gathering intel…they are usually more than willing to share stats and give you honest feedback. It’s not to say you won’t be successful at HBS, but one school strategies make me nervous and I know that schools would LOVE to have you.
GOOD LUCK!
Krista

Hi, it’s Jennifer Jackson from Stratus Admissions. I’m very impressed with your profile and think HBS will be too! The leadership skills you have built and practiced in the Army will speak right to HBS. I don’t see your GPA as a big issue because it’s from West Point and since you have a solid GRE score that helps mitigate it. I think your challenge will be to really dig into the WHY behind the MBA. What particular skills are you missing that prevent you from reaching your goals? This is where you’ll have to clearly articulate what you’ll gain from a consulting career and how it will set you up for your LT goal (I suggest being more specific than just saying an industry you’re passionate about.) Perhaps you can pick an industry that connects to something you’ve experienced or seen in your career so far (i.e. construction). I have worked with a number of clients coming from government and military roles, and top schools (and all schools really) find it a huge positive to have people in the classroom who have that perspective and share it with others. I think you have better odds at HBS than the average candidate!