Chances for an interview with McKinsey with strong referral

Recently one of my professors offered to introduce me to her friend who just so happens to be a partner at McKinsey, and advocate on my behalf to have her look at my resume.

My only concern is that my SAT score (especially my math) is horribly low compared to McKinsey's standards. Other than that my GPA and extra curriculars are strong enough that my professor did this without me asking for an introduction.

So my question is do I have any chance at an interview, or will I just get dinged straight off the bat due to a poor SAT score. This will be for a summer internship position, and I don't have enough time to take the GMAT (I am planning to take the GMAT beginning of my senior year)

Non-target 3.82 GPA B.S in Finance SAT 2000

3 Comments
 

Assuming you meet with the partner and he/she likes you, your chances of landing an interview are high (especially given your solid GPA). The real question is, can you stand out in the interview, that is a whole other matter completely. The problem with people who get interviews on referrals is that they seem to get lazy and underestimate the meritocracy of the interview process. Referrals and all your other networking endeavours can only get you to the interview the rest is up to you to shine during the interview. That said, I highly suggest you try to make a good impression on this Partner of yours and then practice for McK's case interview.

 

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