Harvard

NYT's DealBook has the details and statistics on the latest graduting MBA class from Harvard Business School. The author makes it seem like it, but is it really surprising that more Harvard MBAs are flocking to Wall Street than before?

Last year 44% went into the financial services industry, this year about 45% are. What does this really tell us? And what does that mean for the "Harvard MBA Indicator"?

i'm an athlete at harvard who is thinking of jumping ship (i'm just not getting what i need training wise). for me personally, stanford is really the only school that i feel might be worth the trade-off.

i'm not going to be an athlete forever, so would this slight step down (in cachet more than anything else) make a considerable difference come recruiting time?

Poor, poor Harvard University—literally! Yes, Harvard-- the university that many consider the Harvard of Harvard-- is losing billions in the current market downturn. Ouch. Those poor, poor Ivy League elitist!

According to Gawker, Harvard's university endowment is down 25%-30% on a mark-to-market basis.
With an endowment of almost $37 billion, Harvard is selling off $1.5 billion in private equity holdings, about a third of its total. Market rate now is only about 50% of their face value, meaning they are in serious need of cash.

I've decided to apply to Harvard and other business schools and was wondering how successful applicants have chosen to answer the essay questions in the past. Specifically, are you focusing mostly on a biography-driven approach, somewhat like a college application, or more of a direct approach to the questions? For instance, for the "how do you envision your career," should I talk about how I've come to decide on my career and skimp on actual details about what I want to do or the opposite?

Stats (because I know it will be asked):
Other Top Ivy (Top 15%)
Highest Honors in Major
GMAT 770

Does getting an MSc in Finance immediately following undergrad hurt your chances at a top MBA ~5 years down the road?

I will be graduating after 3 years and would like to learn more about finance before I enter the job market. I'm considering applying to the top MSc programs (LSE, Oxford, Cass) to increase my understanding of finance, cure an itch to get out of middle America (currently a senior at ~100 ranked non-target), and to hopefully increase job prospects.

Also, a secondary question: what are my chances at these top programs?

GPA: 3.95
ECs: Pres of the largest student organization on campus, some tutoring, etc..
Awards: Named 1 of top 5 finance majors in the business college, National Merit, etc..
Recs: Two really good recs. One from head of Finance division and the other from an Econ prof.
GMAT: Haven't taken it yet but 700+ shouldn't be an issue. They're not directly equivalent but I managed a 33 ACT and 1440 SAT with no preparation.

First, I need to know about the usefulness of a JD outside of law. I realize that JD will not help in banking, but I'm wondering whether there are other applications for, at least, the knowledge obtained from acquiring a JD if not the credentials associated with the JD (i.e. Politics, Entrepreneurship, etc. - these are two paths that I've considered as an exit to banking - especially politics)

Right now I'm only considering Harvard and Stanford for law school - my GPA is a bit sub-par when compared to the average admit (i.e. lower than the 20th percentile of the school - still a bit over 3.5+), but my LSAT is over the 99.8th percentile (175+ for my particular sitting)... I know there's this app floating around - but don't know how to get it - in which you input your GPA and LSAT and it will tell you to which schools you will likely get accepted/waitlisted/rejected. Any idea regarding what my output would be?