Candidate:

Ms. Aspiring Social Impact

About Me:

In college, I worked 20+ hours / week as an RA my last two years and juggled an assortment of other jobs and leadership roles. Professionally, I’m a former HR Consultant turned tech worker. In my spare time, I’m an active alumna and have built friendships via various hobbies (aerial classes, reading, unique eats, volunteering, travel, etc.)

Schools:

Target School: Columbia

Considering: NYU Stern, Tuck, Yale, Stanford GSB, Berkeley Haas, Wharton

See More Profiles For: Columbia

Application Status: Rejected

Details:

Undergrad School: Top 15 Undergrad B-School

Undergrad Major: Business and Psychology

GPA: 3.1

GMAT: 710

Age: 31,  Ethnicity: Asian or Indian

Other Degree/Certification: Several certifications (i.e. PMP)

School Name: N/A

Extracurriculars: Local Alumni Club Board President, Asian Alumni Club Board Member, Food Incubator Volunteer Coordinator

Work History:

Title: Engagement Manager (Onboarding)

Industry: Technology

Company: Start-Up In Selected Industry

Length of Employment: 1 yr, 5 mos

Title: Big 4 HR M&A

Industry: Consulting

Company: Top Firm In Selected Industry

Length of Employment: 2 yrs, 2 mos

Big Life Wins:

– After joining a new practice at a Big 4, I helped fairly senior individuals build a lot of our materials (RFPs, client deliverables, etc.) without any M&A experience
– At my startup, I was the only person in my role for a period of ~4 months with a record # of new clients (usually there are 3-6 people in my role)

Post MBA Goal:

Short term: right-hand person for c-suite executive to build executive and leadership skills, ideally in social impact Long term: lead a specific type of social impact organization

Odds:

Join in! Click here to assess the odds of Ms. Aspiring Social Impact

The Experts Rate The Odds At: 12%

See what the industry experts have to say:

  • Sandy Kreisberg, The HBS Guru Odds Assessment: 20%

    Phew, 3.1 and 710 are both on low side for Columbia, esp. the 3.1 which really needs to be explained. Also, age 31, means you will be 33-34 when you graduate and start looking for a full-time job. With that as a base, the rest of this would really need to be super strong to get a Columbia admit. The rest is OK but I don’t think it will overcome your GPA, GMAT and age. Stern and Haas are maybes> I think the rest of your target schools are reaches.

    4 years ago
  • mbaMission Odds Assessment: 15%

    Going from HR to the tech world is not a story I hear every day, so that could be an interesting combination. ‘Program design’ can mean a lot of different things, particularly at a startup, so not sure how technical your recent work has become, but in any case you can detail all of that thoroughly in your resume and explain your story in your essays and interviews. The concern for Columbia is your academic stats. GMAT & GPA are used as the indicators of your academic ability and to best predict your likelihood of success in your first year of b-school, and Columbia tends to emphasize these, in particular GMAT/test score, as a “necessary-but-not-sufficient” component of admitted candidates. It also …

    4 years ago Read the full review
  • Stratus Admissions Counseling

    Hi Ms. Aspiring Social Impact, this is Melisa from Stratus Admissions. I am sorry to hear you were not admitted to Columbia. Not knowing where you stand with applications on any of the other schools you have listed here, I wanted to share some thoughts on potential next steps for you. If Columbia is your dream school, then apply again next year. Consider applying as early as you can or consider the January cohort. However, to gain a different result, you’ll want to have a friend or trusted advisor help look through your application to identify areas for improvement. In addition, to taking into account the great feedback already given, based on what you provided, you need to be more specific on your goals. Why …

    4 years ago Read the full review

The Community Currently Rates The Odds At: 20%

  • 10% | 4 years ago

    Unless we’re missing something, I think you’re going to have a tough time convincing Columbia admissions to choose you against 4 other qualified candidates. Your goal is to lead a social impact organization, but 10 years into your career there isn’t much that says you’ve been working towards that goal. I’d work on your story more
  • 50% | 4 years ago

  • 20% | 4 years ago

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