Profile Evaluation

[cgharrity]

Hello,

My name is Chase and I was hoping to get some insight regarding the competitiveness and timing of my potential applications. My target program is the Kellogg MBA/JD. I am also looking at Haas and Stanford (probably a stretch).

I was able to score a 740 (Q48, V42) on the GMAT, which should work in my favor for a lot of programs. I also had a 3.42 GPA as an undergrad upon graduating in 2010, but at a generally un-ranked state college in California where I majored in Business Management with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and minored in Statistics. My GPA was boosted by very strong grades in my upper-division business courses, showing strong upward trajectory in my undergraduate performance. Also, my GPA in my Statistics minor was nearly 4.0. I'm hoping all of this will be perceived as a somewhat balanced slate of both quantitative and qualitative coursework.

I have two years of full-time work experience as a research analyst at a small law firm that focuses on shareholder litigation, which I feel provides me with exposure to both business and legal analysis. I also spent time writing articles and doing research for a statistically-focused baseball publication. Additionally, I have done some volunteer consulting for a very small small start-up company that is still in the prototyping/incubation stage. Other than that, however, my work experience is pretty limited.

My Ace in the hole, at least for Kellogg, might be fact that my father and my grandfather both went to Northwestern for undergrad. Of course, I don't believe they're major donors and certainly do not have a wing of the campus named after them, but that may be an additional point in my favor for that program. Finally, I will almost certainly be getting one of my letters of recommendation written by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies at my old college, though I do not believe he has any direct ties to the programs described above.

With all of this in mind, do I appear to be a qualified applicant for the programs noted above? Also, are there any other programs that seem like a fit for me? Finally, because I have already missed the deadline for Round 1 for many of these schools, would I be better off waiting to apply during Round 1 next year or will applying for Round 2 this year not greatly affect my chances of getting into one of these programs?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give me. Looking forward to your response!

-Chase

[mili]

Hi Chase,

Thanks for sharing your profile! You've got a very strong academic background, so that is great. However, your professional experience does not quite demonstrate the level of leadership and teamwork that the programs you're targeting are looking for. The challenge of research and legal assistant work is that it tends to be a highly academic and individual contributor role, vs. an execution and team oriented experience. These programs want candidates who have demonstrated exceptional leadership capability, and I'm afraid that given the nature of your work, you won't be able to show that. Further, I don't see any community or extracurricular leadership in your profile, and that is very important for all three of these schools.

Sadly, the fact that you have relatives that attended undergrad at Kellogg is not going to be a significant advantage in the business school application process.

I really hate to burst your bubble, but I think you may consider resetting your expectations and targeting programs like UCLA, Darden, Duke. As for your R1 vs R2 question: admission rates between the two rounds are roughly even, so there is no harm in applying in R2 this year if you feel ready. If you think you need another year to strengthen your profile (gain more leadership experience, engage in extracurriculars and nonprofit work, etc.), then you may want to take the extra year.

Best of luck,
Mili

Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com

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[cgharrity]

Not a problem; this kind of advice is exactly what I came here for. I'll take some time to reevaluate my options and go from there. Thanks, Mili!

[mili]

No problem - good luck!!

Mili

Mili Mittal
Senior Consultant
http://www.mbamission.com

Read the mbaMission Insider's Guides (16 individual school titles)

Download mbaMission’s Free Personal Statement Guide

Visit the mbaMission Blog

Follow mbaMission on Twitter