Question by happycustomer: Can I get into Harvard Business School for my MBA?
Hello everyone! I’m just about to graduate (in 2 weeks) from a state university with a 3.99 GPA (Finance major), top 1% of entire graduating class of business majors…I went to community college for my 1st two years because I got a 100% scholarship…I’m starting to think whether or not that was a mistake or not??? Because, when I apply to schools like Harvard (or Wharton)…they will obviously not know WHY I chose to go to community college (because I didn’t have to pay anything)….
Also, I have several years of work experience…I helped out a little with the family biz, have a lot of other non-finance related experience (for the most part), have a couple of internships (one at an international bank and one at a VERY WELL KNOWN company)…I am thinking of getting an entry level finance role to start off my career and hopefully get promoted at least once within the next 3 yrs and possible apply to Harvard after 3 years or so….
I know I have to take the GMAT…I am planning on doing that by the end of this year and I know that if I study hard enough I can get a really good grade so no worries about that….BUT, do you guys think it is possible (based on my background)??? I want to get into one of the top 5 — Harvard and Wharton are my first 2 choices.
Thank you all!
Best answer:
Answer by Tommy Boy
Of course you have a chance, but it’s very difficult to tell considering you haven’t taken the GMAT. Candidates with similar and better stats are rejected from these schools all of the time. Apply and hope for the best and make sure to have backup schools. Also, the community college should bear no impact on their decision.
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Work experience is the most important part for you.
Your gpa is great so no worries there. So long as you work at it, the GMAT sounds like it won’t be a problem for you.
Where you work is the other major part of getting into an MBA program.
If you work in a FO position at a BB or at a top tier consulting firm, you should be fine. If you’re in a back office position (non revenue generating position) or at an unknown company, it is doubtful you will be considered.
Of course it’s possible. But you won’t know until you apply. And don’t worry, Harvard is not the only highly reputed business school. there are many others. The best ones reject 90 percent of their applicants, but with a good record like yours you’ll find a good one. Also with having worked in your own business, you may have enough work experience now to get into a good program.
Explore the Official MBA Guide. It’s a comprehensive free public service with more than 2,000 MBA programs listed worldwide. It allows you to search for programs by location (US, Europe, Far East, etc.), by concentration (finance, marketing, aviation management, health management, accounting, etc.), by type of program (full-time, distance learning, part-time, executive, and accelerated), and by listing your own criteria and preferences to get a list of universities that satisfy your needs. Schools report their accreditation status, tuition cost, number of students, class sizes, program length, and a lot of other data. Schools provide data on entrance requirements, program costs, program characteristics, joint degrees, and much more. You can use the Guide to contact schools of your choice, examine their data, visit their web site, and send them pre applications. You can see lists of top 40 schools ranked by starting salaries of graduates, GMAT scores, and other criteria.
You seem to have great creds as well as the drive. It is a very competitive market though in terms of gaining admission to Harvard Business School. Despite your steller extra-curriculars and internships, GPA etc., you do have to do very well on the GMATs. While there are many resources out there, the more you practice, the better you will get at the test. A site called Examville is very helpful –tons of online practice tests, study guides, downloadable GMAT prep materials.
The fact the you went to community college should not hurt your chances at all. A smart person is a smart person. We make many choices in life because of financial and personal restraints. You did extremely well … that’s what counts.
Anyway, best of luck.