Of all things business school related most topics have been covered well: experience, how to crank for the GMATs, UG school/GPA, EC's, etc. However, there is a lack of discussion that highlights what is constituted as leadership and how much it moves the needle on a b-school application.
Some things that I'm curious about:
-Do leadership roles from college still have an impact
-In the case of strong leadership roles and a low GPA do they cancel each other out
-What things in the workplace can be viewed as leadership? I.E. leading a new initiative, product offering, etc.
-Assuming you're taking on more responsibility than your peers is this sufficient enough
Answer whatever questions you feel relevant and if I missed anything feel free to add. Thanks in advance.
I think an evident history of leadership is looked upon favorably, but I don't know how essential that is. By that I mean if you were the leader of some organizations in school, then took on leadership projects at work such as recruiting/mentoring etc (whatever you like), progressed at a faster rate than your peers, and ideally had some solid EC's outside work, you'd probably be a solid candidate leadership wise. You could probably "start late" and get in too, by displaying real leadership between college and b-school.
I don't know whether leadership experience in college would offset a low GPA. I'm pretty confident it wouldn't if you were just the head of some student organizations, but maybe it would if you had a bad GPA because you were jet-setting across the world drumming up support for the super successful charity you founded and are still running today.
Makes sense. I appreciate the insight.
From my experience (take with a grain of salt), admissions are really looking for leadership/go-getter types. Just like notthehospitalER described, do something that is unique but also shows you are a leader. I would think if you had a unique startup/vagabond save the world thing that would probably trump a low GPA. My understanding is essays are much more important than GPA.
Gnarly beard, brah. I appreciate you taking the time to drop by and offer your insight.
The one particular UG experience that I feel stands out was when I was appointed as president of my fraternity by our national office (they oversee all operations of chapters across the country). Basically they came, kicked out 4 of our guys and our president resigned. This came about from individual interviews with every member (~35 guys). Said members said they really respected me and that I display strong leadership tendencies.
This in addition to obvious things in the workplace (taking on more responsibilities than peers, developing most quickly, etc). Also am pretty active with our national fraternity for boards, setting up regional events, and things of that sort.
Definitely need to get more involved in philanthropic ventures and giving back to the community. I'm assuming this is all unique and would have me tie the pieces together.
Your life sounds like the TV show Greek.
Not surprisingly, it depends on how low the GPA is that you're trying to make up for, and how good the leadership experience(s) is (are). If you've got a 2.7 and are applying to HBS, being fraternity president isn't going to do much for you. However, if you've started a successful NGO or sold a startup for $10M to Google, you may be able to make up for it. It's very highly school dependent, obviously. At HBS and GSB, it's going to be a lot harder to make up for a weak GPA than it will be at slightly lower ranked schools like Columbia or Tuck.
If you've got a 3.3, and just need a little bit of a bump, leadership can absolutely get you there. You'll obviously have to prove that you can handle the academics on the GMAT, but assuming you do so, displaying leadership is going to help. I would also point out that a college leadership experience is going to be much less meaningful if you can't relate it to leadership experiences post college.
For example, as a college athlete, it's great to say that you learned a bunch of teamwork and leadership lessons ,etc., but it's more powerful to show how those affected you in the work place. Showing that you transferred the lessons learned from one experience to another will (hopefully) make them believe that you will bring those attributes to bschool and beyond.
It's very highly school dependent, obviously. At HBS and GSB, it's going to be a lot harder to make up for a weak GPA than it will be at slightly lower ranked schools like Columbia or Tuck.
Ditto that. I guess you just have to prove you're not dumb and can handle the "rigor" of an elite program. So I'd say a high GMAT is more likely to offset a GPA, leadership is just something they look for period.
True. Although the GMAT and GPA arguably test different things, so you'd need a super high GMAT to offset a low GPA, and in some cases I'd bet a super high GMAT wouldn't even offset a low GPA- if you have a super high GMAT, really low GPA, and average EC's, I feel like schools would think you are/were lazy. No admit then.
Thanks for breaking it down like this. I'm going to get after the GMAT after the 2nd CFA exam in June.
Realistically I'm not competitive at HBS/GSB but should be able to land within a top 20 program. Only time will tell.
All good insight. Thanks- hopefully someone else stumbles upon this that has the same q.
Leadership comes in many flavors, and it isn't just about leading a fraternity, although that doesn't hurt. Most schools look for a pattern of leadership, and that shows up as being either the one people turn to when they need something done, or you've been able to convince a group of people to change their mind, or you've turns a band of misfits into a fighting machine, or you've taken up an unpopular position and argued your case despite all odds. The list goes on and on and it is individual for everyone, and often has zero to do with a laundry list of extra curricular activities.
--Specifically leadership roles in undergraduate are part of the pattern, so they do count. --A leadership role in college usually does not cancel out a low GPA. Too many students who are applying have been able to do both.
--If you really want to cancel out a low GPA, find a way to get an alternative transcript. Sometimes the CFA works for that; a high GMAT doesn't hurt, but no guarantees --Taking on more responsibility than your peers is not sufficient enough: it's about having an influence on your firm in a significant way. Game-changing even.
It's possible that you have some of those patterns of leadership already, but I encourage you to research this more. It's something business schools spend a lot of time thinking about.
Hope this helps, Betsy
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