Ms. Stray Cat Savior

Hi, it’s Nisha with mbaMission. What deferred programs look for: Outstanding academics, excellent extracurricular leadership, and strong professional promise as demonstrated by internships, recommendations, and your post-graduation plans. Congratulations on your amazing GPA at UVA, the high GRE score, and the post-graduation consulting offer!

Your community impact is impressive – and, your goal of alleviating the suffering of stray cats is a very noble one! In your application, be sure to tell the story of how this niche cause became so important to you and how you hope to impact the space using the business acumen you will gain in consulting and in your MBA program.
You’ll also want to emphasize the leadership impact you’ve made in your campus organizations, given how much business schools value leadership.

Given how exceptionally competitive Stanford is, I’d add a range of deferred/early entry programs to your list. Many of the top schools have them now: HBS, Wharton, Booth, CBS, and Stern for example.

One thing I always share with deferred MBA candidates: the process is not only competitive but also, unpredictable – we’ve seen that it can be tough to predict who makes the cut. But even if the deferred programs don’t work out for some reason, it will not penalize your prospects down the road if you apply to MBA programs the “regular” way after a few years of working. So, there’s never any downside to applying to deferred program, and the pluses in your profile make you a viable candidate for sure. Hope that helps – best of luck!