Ms. Startup Poet

Hi Ms. Startup Poet, Kristen from MBA Prep School here. As a former MIT Sloan adcom, I’m afraid I have to agree to John here that you should expand your target school list beyond HBS and GSB. Obtaining admission to a top MBA program is both about standing out and fitting in. You definitely stand out with your successful career as an author (writing a book has always been a personal dream of my own), pivoting into VC without a finance background, and now helping build out a startup. However, I worry about your ability to “fit in” in terms of showcasing the same level of career and academic achievement. This is especially a challenge as an applicant from an oversaturated group within the MBA applicant pool, which school reputation, GPA, major, test scores, and employer reputation help to weed out high-potential candidates. You have a lower than average GPA in a non-quant discipline from a non-IIT, your GRE is solid but likely not a differentiator compared to other Indian applicants, and I can’t get a sense of your professional progression or impact within each organization you were a part of. Equally concerning are your multiple master’s degrees. Were you doing them part-time while working full-time? Why get an MBA so soon after completing them, or why get one at all? Adcoms will wonder if you are a degree collector as a result. You are also aiming high for FAANG. Is that a realistic jump for you at this point in your career? Are you open to other possibilities in tech? I think it would be worthwhile for you to do some soul-searching and consider what other programs might fit with your preferences, or if waiting another year or two before applying might be a better idea. Please do feel free to reach out for a complimentary consultation if you would like to chat further about this!

Three bestsellers to your name? I bow in awe. I have had only two on the New York Times list in my life. Being a successful author who has worked in venture capital, spent a fair amount of time in China and now works for a startup will definitely make you stand out in the Stanford pool. From the looks of this, it appears that you already have three degrees. That could be one too many for Stanford because people may get the wrong impression and think you are something of a professional student. Your below class average undergraduate GPA in history could be a problem as well. You hit the class average for your GRE score (well done!) but Indians often apply with above-average standardized test scores. And your previous job as a “sanitation analyst” leaves me a bit befuddled. I take it that means you dealt with auditing sanitation programs for compliance to policies and safety requirements? If so, that’s not a perch many can use to get into an elite MBA program. Still, your background might be intriguing enough to earn you an interview at the GSB. But I’m not very confident it will earn you an admit. I would definitely apply to a broader range of programs. Aiming for just HBS and the GSB with this profile is not a viable admissions strategy.