Chance me for Harvard
Hi Everyone,
Would you guys chance my application to Harvard?
At the moment, I'm 21 years old
Currently attend a US News Rankings Top #20 school (semi target)
I am a URM (hispanic & black)
3.6 GPA in double major in community health and economics
GRE score of V: 163, Q: 165 (the GMAT equivalent is roughly 720)
I have internship experience in risk management, private equity, and investment banking- I'm looking to go into private equity in the long run
Got two recommendations, one from a professor of economic history from columbia, one from my MD at the private equity firm that i worked at
I have great leadership experience, as I'm president of my school's debate club, and have created a non profit start up in the community health space, focusing on pricing and assessing various insurance options for low income earners
Don't think I left anything major out
by the way, this is for the 2+2 program direct from undergrad
what do you guys think?
appreciate any any all advice
in case it was unclear, i'm currently in my third year, looking to apply next year FWIW, my upcoming SA with in IBD is at a bulge bracket firm (tier 3 BB)
Economics major may be be a bit of a disadvantage but the rest looks solid, throw your hat in the ring and see.
ha, i'm assuming you mean since they want non econ/business people, this will be a disadvantage? you're probably right, but since my resume is loaded with finance positions, not much i can do about that...
i think that regularly speaking, my application wouldn't stand out at all, but since i have URM going for me, i might have a shot
what the fuck is URM
Just compare yourself to the current profile and see if you fit.
http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/admission-requirements/Pages/class-of…
So far your numbers are slightly lower than the average but your in the ballpark. The acceptance rate is 9% and leans very heavy on STEM (64%). You can always try but don't get worked up if you aren't admitted (all MBA recruiting like bank recruiting is a crapshoot).
you're very right about that do you think which round i apply to has any impact at all?
Re Rounds -- less important for 2+2 than the regular program. To quote HBS admissions director Dee Leopold when she was debunking myths that R3 is a bad choice:
Here she is quoted on a webinar about 2+2 and academics:
You definitely have a shot. My only issue is how the community health degree/economics+banking experience/nonprofit startup experience all tie in. If you can tie these in (ie. started a NP fund where proceeds go to helping fight child starvation in a third world country), then you'll have a much greater shot at acceptance.
Otherwise GPA,GRE all looks to be in the ballpark. The black/hispanic minority thing is a pretty big advantage as well, as much of a taboo that it is.
i'm not counting on the minority thing helping me all that much, but i think at least it can help me stand out
If you have a good story to tell with it.
URM - under represented minority
URM = all of us white males paying for our ancestors fuck ups.
affirmative action... blahblah obama... tea party blah blah. the rhetoric for racial diversity in the workplace is tired and repetitive.
I don't think that hiring/recruiting should be dependent on your color/race, but solely on your background and credentials. maybe I'm being an idealist here. I've seen too many people skate on their "perceived racial disadavantages" to beat out people more qualified.
-from a non-white male.
Go check out PoetsAndQuants.com. They have some people who will handicap you for a number of schools.
Don't think I'm providing any insight that's not already been provided, but I've looked into the program also and based on what I learned:
1) your academic scores (GPA, GRE) are lower than they might like (spoke to a guy there about the program at an admissions thing, and he mentioned they place a lot of emphasis on academics because for the 2+2, the applicants don't have much work experience they can judge 2) you need to find a way to pull together a solid story - you're clearly a candidate who might have considered b-school in the traditional way (ie not 2+2 admission) anyway, so why should they accept you now? the program was/is typically for students who may not consider b-school in the normal/traditional course of their careers, which is why it's heavily geared towards STEM majors
all that being said: 1) your URM status is probably quite beneficial 2) they are accepting more business/finance students than they used to - around 15-20% now if i remember correctly
overall: no harm in applying, I think you'd have a much better shot through the traditional process but you probably have a pretty good shot through 2+2 as well, but as someone above said - don't be too disappointed if you don't get in, as admissions are super competitive and you can always apply again.
From HBS round 2 ding report this year (https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140215175656-17970806-see…):
With a job lined up with J.P. Morgan's investment banking group, this 21-year-old British woman is currently finishing up her undergraduate degree in Latin and Ancient Greek at the University of Oxford. With a 710 GMAT and a 3.7 GPA, she applied to Harvard Business School's 2+2 program, with an eventual goal of becoming CEO of a leading global luxury goods brand.
HBS 2+2 dinged that person, so I think your shot is probably not that good. But again, a great essay+written application+strong recommendations could change the game.
I don't think HBS like CEO of a luxury brand that much. Had it been start some world changing social tech start up it would've been a different story.
I think you have a decent shot, but much better shot after work experience in normal Harvard application in 3-4 years. It's true you're below average GMAT, but they let in a 660 according to the range, and being a double URM makes you attractive. Apply and see what happens.
If I were you i'd take the GMAT and aim for a 730+. You seem intelligent (given your stats and general ambition) so you should be able to reach it.
You already mentioned it, but don't pay attention to all these people saying URM this URM that. The fact is that there will be quite a few qualified URMs out there to compete with you on both the GMAT and GPA front.
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