| Topic Name: |
Engineer thinking about MBA |
| Message Name: |
Smart Enough? Good Enough? |
| Date Posted: |
01/29/2000 |
| In Reply To: |
I hope you have some work experience and grades to back up those burners of yours, big boy. Nobody gives a shit if you can run.
If business schools want top athletes, they'll go visit the Florida State football team, not some loser who huffed and puffed his way through a race. You are in for a rude awakening, if you think your Chicago Marathon participation will be so impressive. Tons of young people run marathons. That hardly means they will all get into Harvard.
Judging by your attitude you are probably suffering from an inadequacy complex, so I doubt you were a very good student. That means you probably did not work for a very good firm and your experience was bullshit. With those credentials, it will probably be a tough road runnin' man.
Say hello to the rejection pile, tough guy. |
| Message: |
First, I was really amused by the last posting "easy tiger." But you (original poster) asked a good question about the tutoring and grades. So, let me address them as far as I know (and I hope "Former Top 10 Admissions" and "Former McKinsey" can add to this):
Grades: I wouldn't sweat the grades too much. Like I said before, the grades will become less and less important. The top schools can cover the "required GPA" quotas pretty quickly. After that, it comes down to whether they think you will fit with the class.
I had a post-rejection interview with HBS where they told me I was pretty far above their academic mean, but that academics was the least of their concerns. Once they figure you're "smart enough" to get through the curriculum, that becomes an "academic point." (sorry for the pun). Beyond that, it's fit, leadership, philanthropy, etc.
Tutoring: I think that the tutoring is certainly a nice thing (no better or worse than running a marathon for charity). But think broader. This is my opinion, but I think what you have to do is demonstrate a mentality of "concern for mankind" and a willingness to continue working for causes that would help further the name of the school.
Visiting: It sounds like you are working pretty hard, so start visiting early. If you e-mail the Mgt Consulting Assoc on our web page (see students section at Columbia for club pages), and reference this note, I will get ahold of it and set something up for you at CBS. If you have time, add NYU to your list and think about heading out to Chicago for a bit.
Ignore the silly posts on this forum. There is less time than you think, so get your butt in gear, start studying, figure out which schools and why, get copies of their apps, yadah yadah yadah. You'll do fine. BUT, apply to a bunch of schools. It's not as easy to get in as these yahoos make it out to be.
From the little I know, I'd be happy to have you in our class here at CBS. Best of luck!
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