Ms. Experiential Beauty

You have a truly interesting background and would add a lot to the MBA classroom. On the basis of what you provide, a 315 GRE which is below the 324 class average at Wharton, and a 3.3 from a public university, which is also below Wharton’s 3.6 average, you are going to have to really leverage your background and your personal narrative to gain an admit. The fact that you are in Nigeria, in the fashion sector, and clearly know the African market are all big plusses for you. So I think your chances are directly related to how well you tell your story and how well your recommenders sing your praises. Your MLT involvement also should help a lot. But given your interests and background, I wonder if Columbia might be the better fit. It’s in New York, the center of the fashion industry in the U.S. And at Columbia, I think you would more likely find great fellowship and support. NYU Stern also would be a good bet. In fact, the school’s MBA degree for fashion and luxury might well be the very best fit for you. Definitely look into that program. Wharton also is a bit more competitive as well which given your background is a stretch in my opinion. Good luck!

Hi Ms. Experiential Beauty, This is Donna Bauman with Stratus Admissions weighing in on your profile. Wharton has so many resources for entrepreneurs – classes, an Innovation Fund, Summer Venture funding, Startup Challenge, VIP-X…. and then also there are some great resources at the Baker Retailing Center. I think if you do a great job telling your story and also showing how you can add value to the Wharton community, you could break through. Yes, your stats are a little below the average on GPA and GRE, but I have worked successfully with several candidates who were also a bit under on those stats. In my observation, Wharton reviews the applications holistically and if you bring something very special—and your experience managing two global footwear brands in Ghana and Nigeria could be that something special—I have seen good things happen for people. Do your research now on Wharton and understand how you can both benefit and contribute here and I think you could break through. The odds of getting into Wharton are tough for anyone, so I would also encourage you to apply to some other programs as well—and CBS and Stern and Anderson and Fuqua are some other programs that come to mind—but I do think you should apply to Wharton and I do think you have a very interesting story to tell. Please reach out for a free consult if you would like to talk more.