MARK HUTCHINSON 05-31-2006, 05:32 PM Hi I am an Australian with a 3-year Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University, and have had 8 years running my own adventure travel company internationally.
I unfortunately underestimated the GMAT and only took 4 days from work to study before the exam and posted a 630 (42 Q and 34 V).
My leadership skills are strong with head boy/prefect at a major school in Sydney in may final year, various captain roles in sporting teams, and running my office of 11 peeople for the last few years.
My academic transcript from UNI isn't great but I have a B average in statistics and an A in International Relations.
I am just wondering if you could help me eveluate my chances for a Harvard MBA, and should I sit my GMAT again? I am travelling with work for almost 4 months and wanted to get my application in early (round 1, October) so it actually may be impossible to find a few weeks to prepare.
Thanks for your help and the chat room has been very useful.
Mark
Gears46 05-31-2006, 07:13 PM Did you finish a four year degree in three years or was your undergrad curriculum meant to be only three years?.....I only ask because I thought that Harvard (and the majority of other American MBA schools required a 4 year program).....Like I said, I am not positive but I think that would definitely be something worth checking into .......as for your profile I know that Harvard's average GMAT is around 700 or 710 so I feel like you would need to get a higher score ....besides that, I can't really offer anymore advice (I didn't apply to HBS)
Clear Admit 05-31-2006, 08:20 PM Dear Mark,
There are various interesting aspects of your candidacy, all of which will have at least some bearing on your candidacy to a top-ranked program like Harvard. First of all, like Gears46, I am wondering about your undergraduate degree: are all Australian undergraduate terms only three years long, or did you complete an accelerated four year program in three years? Either way, you should be sure to be clear about this on your application. Anything that speaks clearly to the prestige of your undergraduate institution will be to your advantage as well, as the adcom may not be familiar with it.
There applicants with GMAT scores of 630 who get into HBS, but you should be advised that by applying with that score, you would be putting yourself at a distinct advantage. You would not be barred at the outset, but the fact that HBS?average GMAT is about 80 points higher indicates that there are very few students who sufficiently meet and surpass the other admissions criteria to such an extent that they can get in with this level of GMAT score. I would strongly recommend that you retake the test, perhaps after enrolling in a preparatory program of some sort.
Given the information that you’ve shared, another obstacle you may have to overcome is your age. Given that you’ve been running your own company for 8 years, I am assuming you are at least 30 years old. The average age of an incoming student at HBS is about 27, so this is something that you will need to address. In older applicants, the adcom looks for a higher level of maturity (clear career goals, etc.) and a higher level of pre-MBA professional accomplishment. You will need to demonstrate that you have a great deal of potential to succeed in the future, but also that your career-to-date and the successes that you’ve had along the way have clearly prepared you for this anticipated long-term success.
Aside from these issues, I think that there are some potentially very strong aspects of your candidacy. Your leadership experience seems very strong, and the fact that you have been running your own company might speak very convincingly to your general business acumen.
I think with a stronger GMAT (700+), you could begin to be a much more competitive applicant to Harvard. In the meantime, I’d also suggest you consider some other very strong, but slightly lower-ranked programs.
Good luck with the application process, and feel free to contact our office at info@clearadmit.com for more detailed feedback on your candidacy.
Nick Maxwell
Clear Admit, LLC
MARK HUTCHINSON 05-31-2006, 10:49 PM Cheers Nick that is great advice.
I am actually 26 years old and started the business when I left school and I completed my degree whilst working full-time - most Australian degrees are 3 years and accepted by Harvard.
Could you recommend an on-line GMAT prep as I am unable to attend formal classes.
Thanks again
Mark
Clear Admit 06-01-2006, 12:30 PM Dear Mark,
I'm glad to hear that you're only 26 - that should leave you pretty much free of any age concerns. In terms of online prep courses, many of our clients have reported positive results after working with Manhattan GMAT (http://www.manhattangmat.com). I encourage you to take a look at their online resources.
Good luck with the GMAT!
Nick Maxwell
Clear Admit, LLC
Roquedj2000 06-03-2006, 04:53 AM Hey Nick,
After reading your last post, I had a question. i must have forgotten to mention this in my own posting in one of the last threads but - I have attained my BSBA degree from Champlain College on an accelerated basis. The degree prgram is actually for 4 years but I finished it in 3 years due to the accelerated version.....does this matter in applying for an MBA in Harvard/Wharton?
Another thing, could I use the email : info@clearadmit.com : for any queries too?
Thanks again.
Bryan
Clear Admit 06-05-2006, 04:56 PM Assuming it is the same BSBA degree as the four year equivalent you should be fine (same number of credits etc).
cheers, alex
you wrote:
After reading your last post, I had a question. i must have forgotten to mention this in my own posting in one of the last threads but - I have attained my BSBA degree from Champlain College on an accelerated basis. The degree prgram is actually for 4 years but I finished it in 3 years due to the accelerated version.....does this matter in applying for an MBA in Harvard/Wharton?
Another thing, could I use the email : info@clearadmit.com : for any queries too?
Thanks again.
|
