Ms. Social Impact

Tough Love Alert: Retake the GMAT or see if the GRE is more your style. Some 23% of the enrolled students at SOM got in with a GRE (20% at HBS, NYU (15%), and Duke (12%). Switching to the GRE may be very helpful for you. You’re young enough to hold back a year and reapply if you don’t get in to a school you really connect with. While your GMAT is below the class average for every school you’ve targeted, you have a strong story to tell and you’re a highly qualified white woman at a time when schools are in something of a race to reach gender parity. That bodes well for your acceptance at a couple of your target schools and possibly Yale where you seem like a perfect fit given the school’s long history of embracing nonprofit types. But if you work on that standardized test score, it would really shift the odds at Yale and HBS for you. The accept rate at SOM is now 25%, up five full points from a year earlier due to the decline in full-time MBA apps. I think you’ll beat those odds given your background and your accomplishments.

Hi, Jen Kedrowski, Senior Consultant at mbaMission here.
With a title of ‘Ms Social Impact’, it sounds like you would like to be remembered for your social impact experience or passion. At the moment based on the admittedly limited info we have here, social impact is only apparent as your industry, and the fact that you have some volunteer experience such as Partnerships Chair for the Board you mentioned (and I’m not clear on whether running the mock interviews is part of that or a separate activity). If social impact is what truly drives you, professionally or possibly even personally, are there additional stories and examples you can share of how you’ve shown that passion and commitment to making a positive social impact? Brainstorming along those lines will also help you prepare for Yale’s commitment essay, provided the question stays the same by the time you apply. Think about WHY social impact is important to you, and what evidence you have throughout your entire life of that importance.
Overall I’m not seeing much that helps you stand out and be remembered, and while your grades are strong, your 680 GMAT is not helping your case. I will say that in over 18 years of working in MBA admissions, I don’t believe I’ve read a bio with an undergrad major in ‘conflict resolution ‘listed… so that could be memorable. Think about whether the skills gained in your undergrad major have helped you in working with teams in your career to date. There could be an interesting story there for essay and interview ideas. Not every story has to be huge—I worked with a client with only three years of experience this fall who was admitted to HBS and helped him identify a story about managing a difficult client relationship by taking the time to connect with her. It’s important to try to identify what about you and your life and your strengths makes you who you are, and tell that authentic story in a compelling way. Finally—GMAT!! While I don’t know your GMAT history, I would definitely encourage you to aim higher or try a GRE practice test in case that works better for you.

Hi, Melisa from Stratus Admissions here. I like that you can talk to seeing multiple parts of your business cycle – and that you are currently leading an initiative to identify local/sustainable suppliers. I would suggest to dig in more here to help show the actions you are currently taking to build towards sustainability where you are. I worked with a client who was transitioning into energy sustainability from consulting and he thought through all the initiatives (even local within his company) that he was able to highlight to show his commitment to sustainability. Digging deeper behind the Why of our sustainability goals can help you stand out. Specifically at Yale, students are encouraged to take advantage of classes outside of the business program – do some research here on what you can learn/contribute throughout Yale. In order to be competitive, you should really consider re-taking the GMAT or looking at the GRE. Otherwise, you may want to reconsider looking more broadly at programs where your 680 will be more competitive. If consulting is the real goal, then look for other schools that send larger groups to consulting – Darden and Goizueta are known for their strength in placement among consulting. Darden’s dean is Ex-McKinsey! Wish you the best of luck!