Do I have a chance at Harvard or Wharton? If not where?

Hello everyone,

I am looking for some advice on if there was any chance of an MBA at Harvard or Wharton, and if not, what business schools are possible?

Work Experience: - Summer Analyst Corporate Banking at international bank (think HSBC), earned the highest performance rating out of all summer analysts, and was the only one to be offered a full time position. - Worked 1 in year in their corporate banking rotational program until promoted early (normally the program is two years) - Spent 2 years as an analyst working with their distressed portfolio (working with restructuring, insolvency, and refinancing) - Promoted to managing my own book, which I have currently been doing for 4 months.

GMAT: 770

Education: - Tier 2 University in Canada (think University of Alberta) - Major GPA 3.62 - Cumulative GPA: 3.2 (poor first year performance) - Student athlete and involved in numerous clubs

Volunteer work: - Coaching youth basketball for years.

7 Comments
 

The 3.2 will really hold you down at any of the M7, let alone H/S/W. You have an outstanding GMAT, but for some reason these schools have a hard time looking past a low-ish GPA. They may wink at it due to your insane GMAT (I wish I had that). Also, Corporate Banking will be a hard pill to swallow for M7 schools. You have a chance if you can write a compelling story. Good luck.

 

Booth, Columbia, Kellogg are the only M7 you should be targeting with Tuck, Duke and Ross as safer options. I think your profile is great except that GPA but if you have a good reason or can explain why it's that way, I think you might have a good shot at BCK M7s. I'm not so sure about the others because Wharton & MIT are extremely competitive. MIT being in the same town as HBS has to compete with them so they deliberately keep their acceptance numbers very low.

BCK M7 are in my opinion underrated. Booth especially is on par with Wharton. Maybe even better in some areas.

 

"MIT being in the same town as HBS has to compete with them so they deliberately keep their acceptance numbers very low."

lmao what? stop talking out of your ass

 
Best Response

For context, I had flat 3 (just under actually) and 770 and was admitted to Wharton, MIT, & CBS this year. I am a white male.

I really played up a "hook". I was the ____ guy. Everything in my essays showed a logical flow from my ____ experience to ____ consulting to ____-flavored MBA classes to ____-focused investing post-mba.

You are, unfortunately, a little more vanilla. You have the same pitch as a thousand other applicants, so while I wouldn't let your 3.2 worry you just yet, but you need some kind of hook.

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