Chance me for Harvard 2+2

It depends. There is a lot more to the holistic evaluation of your application than just your stats (GMAT, GPA, UG institution) which are middling at best for a top 10 MBA program.

Kudos to you for working full-time while attending school. Is there a 'story' behind this?

While it is impressive that you founded a large (quantify?) business fraternity, what is more important for you to share is HOW you went about doing this and what impact you have made in this role.

Similarly, the profiles of those from whom you will be 'getting a reference letter' are impressive. However, MBA programs don't want to see a generic letter that starts with 'To Whom it May Concern.' They will want to read about your contributions and impact while under the management of these individuals.

Perhaps most importantly, WHY do you want an MBA? What are your goals and how are they connected to what you have accomplished to date (or expect to accomplish in the next 2-3 years if you were to be accepted for deferred entry)?

In short, MBA applications are viewed holistically, not just as a sum of the parts that you laid out. To land a spot in a top 10 program after a few years, you will need to present a compelling narrative and connect it directly with each program to which you are applying.

2+2 is reserved mostly for people from top 5 schools with 3.8/750+ going to MBB or GS, MS etc. I don't see you having much of a chance against those type of applicants. Coming from PWM, top 10 will be tough in a few years but not impossible.

I'm not in wealth management, that's something that I was doing during college to pay for my expense. Unfortunately, I don't have a interesting reason behind why I was working full time during college. Given that I was coming from a non-target school, I wanted to do something that will help differentiate myself for IB recruiting.

I still have another 3-4 months before the application due date, therefore I can still try taking my GMAT again and try aiming for somewhere close to 760. I personally feel that it's possible in my case, because I took the GMAT while I was also studying for my CFA 1 during the summer. I was also doing my summer internship so, I didn't spent much time studying prior to taking it.

Reference letter will not be generic, I have worked on many projects in school that the Dean is aware of. And, my team at work is very lean therefore, I believe the head of my department or my manager will be able to write a recommendation letter that is not generic.

Besides from Harvard 2+2, I'm also thinking about Yale Sliver Scholars, Stanford, UChicago Booth Scholars, UVA Future Year Scholars and NYU Berkley Scholars. What do you think about my chance in these programs? And, how is deferred MBA admission application different from the traditional MBA application?

HI Rich Chigga,

Your chances at 2+2 are poor. However your chances at a top b-school after a few years of impressive work experience showing leadership and contribution and a clear reason for seeing an MBA from the schools you are applying to would be good.

Check out https://www.accepted.com/mba-special-reports</a">Prep for B-School: A 4-Year Guide for College Students & Recent Grads. (free download) .

Linda