Babson / Olin - 02-10-2021 | Clear Admit ApplyWire

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February 9, 2021 4:46pm ET

Applying: Babson / Olin, Columbia, Cornell / Johnson, Emory / Goizueta, Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2022

Pre-MBA Career: consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Non Profit/SI

GRE: 327

GPA: 3.13

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: London

Notes:

Ghanaian-British. Worked in family business in Africa for 18 months before moving to London to work in Consulting. Currently have long list of very impactful volunteer experiences in Africa and hoping to continue doing so professionally by transitioning fully into the non-profit space post-MBA. My low gpa is due to suffering the loss of a sibling at the beginning of college and I plan on explaining this in the optional essay portion.

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Show Comments (10) Last: February 15, 2021

anon42942 Likes Earned: 66 OP here: 11 schools seems like a lot but I’ll be splitting it between Round 1 and 2 depending on how things go (1)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 Strong GRE will help. Impact at work will be important. Outside of work activities will also be very helpful! Do you have any geographical preference, post MBA? Have you completed any additional coursework? (0)

anon42942 Likes Earned: 66 Thanks for the response Alex!! Outside work, I’m on the advisory board for 2 non-profits. I haven’t done any relevant additional course work yet, but I will before the app deadlines. I’m looking to move back to Africa post-Mba and plan to include that in my essays. I’m gonna apply but I want to know if my GPA is gonna make my applications to HSW dead on arrival. If not, do you think the additional coursework would help greatly? I just want to know so I can mentally prepare. (1)

anon20916 Likes Earned: 224 Hey OP, I think you have a great profile, and you shouldn't hesitate to shoot for the stars, especially if your WE is substantial and diverse. Your GPA will not help, but as you said, you will try mitigating it with additional coursework. Remember as well, that if you do not try to apply to one of your dream schools, you'll never know whether you'll be able to get admitted. I think you should look into UC Berkely Haas instead of Babson. They have a strong emphasis on social impact and a strong international brand as a university (you mentioned that you are looking to return to the continent). Furthermore, I think you should add another T-15/20 program that aligns with your goals and choose between Georgetown and Emory. Alternatively, did you consider applying to one of the European programmes? Due to their international nature, they are more likely to provide you with networking opportunities outside of the US than some of the programmes you listed (most definitely the lower tier programmes). Furthermore, they are less concerned with the number game. (3)

anon20916 Likes Earned: 224 *Berkeley (misspelt the name). (0)

anon42942 Likes Earned: 66 Thanks!!!! @anon20916 Really appreciate the feedback. You've offered some very solid advice that costs $$$$. I think I will narrow down the list to 5-7 for Rd 1 including Berkeley. Did some research on them and I think I'll swap out 1 or 2 of my initial options for them. I don't know why I didn't even include them. I've lived in the UK for about half of my life, so I think I want to step away for the 2 years so Oxbridge & LBS are out for me lol (2)

anon42942 Likes Earned: 66 I don't know why all my posts/comments keep getting duplicated. Please don't mind me (0)

anon20916 Likes Earned: 224 Anon42942: Happy to help :) maybe look into HEC Paris if you're looking to join a strong non-UK, 2-year programme (INSEAD is only one year). They have a strong global network and their brand carries weight in Europe and francophone Africa (I'm not sure about Ghana). Regardless, focus on the execution of your applications, the additional coursework and keep growing at work. Good luck! (You may want to read this article on Clear Admit's website: https://www.clearadmit.com/mba-rankings/social-impact/) (2)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 Great advice @20916 thanks! (2)

alexbr4 Verified User. Likes Earned: 1693 More details on this candidacy in this episode of Wire Taps: https://www.clearadmit.com/2021/02/episode-148-wire-taps/ (0)