Chances

I think you could get into Stern

If you look at other threads here, there are several people from schools I doubt as good as Princeton who got into Top 10 MBA schools, I think it is how you spin your work experience and your extra currics that would make you stand out to the Adcom

Stern and Yale would definitely be a reach for you, especially with a 3.0 and unremarkable work experience. Consider setting your sights a little bit lower.

i would say your probably golden at YSOM and NYU, pretty good shot at CBS, but tough at HBS... URM is a nice boost....but the essays are such a huge component of the application that, like every damn chances thread on this board, it is impossible to gauge.

GPA isnt a huge deal at this point.

i had the same gmat, from a no name school (in that region of the country at least), white, had good, but not brand name, work experience, and got into ysom... didnt apply to the other 3.

First time I've heard of someone going to a Big 4 out of Ivy. Is this common?

Don't know how common but it happens.

Yeah though I am in advisory. For those who don't know B4 Advisory is basically consulting. Im not really an accountant.

Can anyone else offer some suggestions as to what I can do to make my application more competitive?

I don't really have suggestions, but for an ego boost I don't think you'll have any problem getting into CBS or Stern. Don't know about Yale or HBS.

Thanks! Yeah really thinking I may ED at columbia....

3.0 is really a terrible GPA, but Princeton is also really a glorious UG school.... and you're a URM... which helps hugely, of course.

I'd say Harvard is out of the question but you might as well give columbia and the rest a shot. You're going to need to write good essays and discuss how the death of a parent fucked you over in the first two years and all that... you can probably spin it.

Also... some people will try to tell you that the UG school doesn't matter than much and that the GPA is way more important, but that's false.

Thanks for the responses. I seem to get conflicting responses regarding the GPA. I have seen plenty of people (on the internet) get into top schools with 3.0 and below and many of these were earned at sub Ivy level schools. With a reasonable explanation and a solid upward trajectory is it really going to kill me as much as IP seems to indicate?

It's not going to kill you at some very good schools... but it is going to kill you at Harvard / Stanford... these places have no reason to take anyone with a 3.0 that's worked at PwC.... even if you are a URM and went to Princeton.

I'd be interested to hear anyone else's viewpoints on this one.

ED at columbia sounds like a great idea for you...

You should be good at Yale. They are stat whores and love brand names.