What are your chances of getting into CFA® or MBA programs?

This question is very vague. It is almost impossible to predict your chances without looking at your essays and knowing what you have done. It also depends largely on the applicant pool and what schools you apply to. The best way to find out how you stack up against the competition is by posting in the Business School Barrage forum.

A quick way to give yourself a general idea of how you stack up is by pulling up your resume and entering the business school you wish to attend. To give you an example:

• Harvard Business School
• 650 GMAT
• Volunteer once a month at local food shelter
• Deloitte Tech Consulting (2 years)
• Michigan State University (Business, 3.05/4.00)
• Random Accounting Firm (summer internship)

vs

• Harvard Business School
• 750 GMAT
• Founded non-profit which delivers clean water to 5,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa (3 years)
• Analyst, JP Morgan Asset Management (2 years)
• University of Virginia (Finance, 3.65/4.00)
• Bank of America (IB Summer Analyst)

Obviously the accomplishments of the first don’t quite match up with those of the second, but there is still a lot more to an application including essays and recommendations so there is no way for anyone to definitively answer this question. It might help to do a search for the resume books of the schools you’re interested in to get an idea of the applicants they accept. If you are looking for GMAT prep or admissions consulting, check out our partners, Veritas Prep – they give WSO members a 10% discount.

Relevant Discussions:

• • Top 10 B-school Rankings
  • Can I get into HBS?
  • Top B-school for sub-3.0 GPA?

Additional Resources:

• • Relevant WSO Guides: WSO Business School Bible
  • Relevant WSO Services: Veritas GMAT Prep (10% discount for WSO users!) and Wall Street Mentors and Career Coaching
  • Relevant WSO Forums: Business School Barrage

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