Ms. Quant Analyst

You know what sticks out like a sore thumb: That below 3.0 GPA. On the theory, often reinforced by the legendary Sandy Kreisberg, MBA admissions offices often blink once but never twice, the big question here is will Wharton overlook your GPA because everything else here is stellar. Your GRE score is well above Wharton’s 324 class average and I’m assuming that your quant split is strong. You have a highly selective job at a top-tier asset management firm that could set up nicely for that post-MBA post in private equity. Your undergraduate degree in STEM and at Georgia Tech, a fine school, helps to somehow take some of the edge off that 2.88. And your service on the board of an organization that helps others demonstrates your concern beyond self. So you are only asking Wharton to blink once, or maybe once and a half because you are, as an Asia or Indian, in the over-represented part of the applicant pool. To put you over the line, I think you need some legitimate explanation for why you only got a 2.88 at Georgia Tech. If you have one, other than ‘I goofed off as a freshman,’ Wharton should welcome you with open arms. If you don’t have one, there is still a chance for an embrace. Good luck to you.

Hi Ms. Quant Analyst. You’ve got a great GRE, good community service and promising-sounding work experience, but I agree that your GPA is a real stumbling block. Was there a particular event that happened that drove a dip you recovered from, or is there some other helpful context that might assuage the schools that your academic struggles are behind you? If so, I recommend that you explain the context in the optional essay without complaining or making excuses, and offer up your current quant role and GRE as counter arguments…but this will still likely be an uphill battle. (Although – COVID exception – you might catch a break if you managed to apply to any of these programs in R3 for a fall start – Booth, Columbia, maybe MIT Sloan?). If you must start in ’21, then add some safer options to your list and apply as early as you can to get a sense of where you stand. I’d also pressure test your career plans – depends on what you mean by PE but some PE pathways almost require PE experience PRE-MBA, if not IB, so make sure you are checking with folks at target firms that your path makes sense, or adjust it accordingly. Good luck!! Julie-Anne Heafey, mbaMission

Hi Ms. Quant Analyst, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. You have a strong profile and your finance background will be very attractive to Wharton. As John mentioned, your GPA is the one piece you need to overcome. I’m sure you’ve looked at the breakdown over the years and within your engineering classes. Or if you have a story – share it. Private equity positions are few straight from an MBA, but with your deep finance background would be very competitive. To complete your story, I’d love to know if Private Equity is where you like to be long term – or is it an means to something else. What do you want to do long term? If you haven’t already, reach out to ROMBA – a great community with which to continue your involvement with diversity and inclusion. I love your board position, if you can show involvement at GA Tech, it will help show that you will be involved on campus. Overall – I think you have strong chances.