Candidate:

Ms. CPA To MBA

About Me:

I graduated undergrad in the top 10% of my class, majoring in Accounting and minoring in Economics. I was a teaching assistant for many accounting classes, was in an honors society (Beta Gamma Sigma), and President of a multicultural sorority. Post undergrad I work at a Big 4 Firm in audit in New York City.

Details:

Undergrad School: Rutgers University

Undergrad Major: Accounting

GPA: 3.9

GMAT: 710

Age: 24, Ethnicity: Asian or Indian

Other Degree/Certification: CPA

Extracurriculars: Member of a firm sponsored mentorship program to help guide/transition other professionals into audit, mentor underprivileged high school students in new york city on how to navigate college applications

Work History:

Title: Senior Audit Assistant

Industry: Accounting

Company: Top Firm

Length of Employment: 2 yrs

Big Life Wins:

Passing the CPA within 6 months of graduating undergrad.

Post MBA Goal:

I want to attain a better understanding of how business functions are integrated into an organization to ultimately help developing businesses build a strong foundation. I am also very passionate about furthering women in business and want to use my education to help women looking to start their own businesses.

Schools:

Target School: Stanford GSB

Status: Open

Considering: NYU Stern, Columbia, Berkeley Haas

John A. Byrne, P&Q Founder & Editor-In-Chief | Odds Assessment: 5%

Stanford GSB is going to be really hard for a bunch of reasons. Let’s start with your stats. A 710 GMAT for an Asian or Indian candidate is very low for Stanford. It’s 24 points below the class average and even further behind the average for Asian or Indian students at the GSB. While you did really well at Rutgers, a terrific business school, with grades that put you at the top 10% of the class, Rutgers is not a feeder to Stanford. In fact, in the Class of 2020 there wasn’t a single person who did their undergraduate work at Rutgers. That is not a disqualifer, of course. But it doesn’t help your chances. Working in audit at a Big Four also tends to …
Stanford GSB is going to be really hard for a bunch of reasons. Let’s start with your stats. A 710 GMAT for an Asian or Indian candidate is very low for Stanford. It’s 24 points below the class average and even further behind the average for Asian or Indian students at the GSB. While you did really well at Rutgers, a terrific business school, with grades that put you at the top 10% of the class, Rutgers is not a feeder to Stanford. In fact, in the Class of 2020 there wasn’t a single person who did their undergraduate work at Rutgers. That is not a disqualifer, of course. But it doesn’t help your chances. Working in audit at a Big Four also tends to be less of a route to an elite school than consulting at a Big Four. In the same Class of 2020, there were 10 students from Deloitte (including Monitor) and two from PWC. None from EY or KPMG. And the majority from Deloitte and PWC were consultants. While it’s admirable that you mentor underprivileged high school students on how to navigate college applications, Stanford is looking for something more than that as an extra. You’re also on the young side at 24. A couple more years of work experience with a promotion or two could be very helpful to you to take full advantage of an MBA program. Bottom line: There’s nothing here that is driving you into the most selective prestige MBA program in the world. I feel much better about your chances at NYU Stern and Columbia. I would urge you to try a few other places as well such as Michigan Ross, UVA Darden and UNC Chapel Hill. Good luck to you. You’ll find your spot but the GSB isn’t it.
6 months ago Read the full review