Another Profile Evaluation

[Top 10 Hopeful]

- Male
- 26 years old
- Graduated top undergrad (Harvard/ Yale/ Princeton)
- Undergraduate degree in economics
- 3.1 GPA
- Varsity athletics (4 years x-country and track)
- 680 GMAT but am retaking in 2 weeks
- Minority (Pacific Islander) - I know you don't think it makes a difference
- Involved in minority mentorship programs for undergraduate, high school alma mattars, and work related groups for 3 years

- 3.5 years at middle market investment bank recently promoted to Associate
- Intend to transition into corporate development role at large consumer company/ retailer

What are my chances at a top program? Harvard, Wharton, Columbia, Chicago?

Will my GPA and GMAT be a huge barrier to overcome? I intend to go early decision to Columbia this fall.

[MBAApply]

Your GMAT and GPA really shouldn't be an issue -- you have a strong profile for all the schools you mentioned, and it comes down to how well you execute the application, and luck (while you're in the running, you're not the only Ivy banker who is applying - and they don't necessarily get in everywhere; and the reasons why one banker gets in over another isn't due to any one specific reason such as GPA, GMAT, etc.).

Practically speaking, just focus on the applications rather than worrying too much about your chances. You know you're in the running, you're set on applying regardless of what others tell you, and so no one is really going to tell you anything to make you feel better or worse about your chances.

Alex Chu
alex@mbaapply.com
www.mbaapply.com
http://mbaapply.blogspot.com