MBA Handicapping: Harvard/Stanford/Wharton For This Silver, Not Gold Resume?

A recruited athlete to Iowa State University, Robert left his home town of Boston to play division one football. But in his sophomore year, he decided to buckle down on the academics and his own startup that teaches financial modeling. He graduated with a major in finance and a 3.6 GPA and, more importantly, landed himself an i-banking analyst job with William Blair.

Two years later, he leveraged that job into an opportunity to join a mid-market private equity firm where he has been an associate over the past two years. With an impressive 730 GMAT, he plans to apply to a half dozens leading business schools: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Berkeley Haas, Columbia, and Northwestern Kellogg. His post-MBA goal: To work at a consumer-growth equity fund.

Robert is a gritty candidate. Neither of his parents has a four-year college degree. His dad drives a UPS truck. His mom is an aide to an elementary teacher. The big question: If you went to an undergraduate school that is not a feeder to H/S/W and gained jobs at a second-tier i-banking firm and a PE shop that is so new it has yet to send anyone to a top school, can you get accepted by the big three?

In this Friday’s With Sandy video episode, HBSGuru.com founder Sandy Kreisberg and P&Q Founder and Editor John A. Byrne assess his chances. Sandy offers some unusual advice to Robert to increase his odds at Harvard and Wharton and counsels him on how to shape his story to gain an admit at Columbia, Berkeley and Kellogg.

If you would like to participate in a future Fridays With Sandy webinar, you can contact Sandy and P&Q Founder John A Byrne here.

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