<p>Hi everyone,
I wanted everyone's input on my chances of getting into B-school (not necessarily a top program, but one worth going to).
I am about to be a senior at The College of New Jersey. I am a Political Science Major, with a minor in Pre-Law and a second minor in economics. I have a 3.54 GPA. I have a ton of extracurriculars, a lot of which show extreme dedication to my school (aka quality, not just quantity). For example, I was the student rep on the Strategic Planning Council which created the School's new strategic plan. As part of that committee, I created the Student Advisory Council, which I now chair. I have served in the Student Government since I transferred (from NYU) my sophomore year. I meet with the Dean of the School at least weekly, and he loves me (he asked if he could write a letter of recommendation for me). I have served in college governance and helped a lot - a lot of school administrators would be willing to write letters of rec due to my dedication to improving the school.
Anyway, I have also worked at an Ivy League Legal Office (General Counsel) as a legal intern since 10/2010 (it's now a day away from 6/2011). During school, I worked about 25 hours a week, and now during summer, I work 40 hours a week (I will say that I am well aware that this does not equal "work experience"). Since working, I have been a straigh-A student.
I was always planning on going to law school, but have recently become interested in finance (I don't read law books in my spare time, I read finance books, about stocks, hedge funds, etc., I read the Financial times, not politico...you get my point). I've decided that finance is really what I want to do, not politics/law. Hence, B-school is where i NEED to be for my career goals. I don't want to work for 2+ years, mainly because it wouldn't be beneficial. I wouldn't be able to get a job in the financial sector, so why work a job in politics/law if it's not where I want to be? I don't want to work 2+ years before making my career switch.
I know the HBS 2+2 program is close to what I'm looking for, but it focuses more on math/science/engineering (although still social sciences). Can I get in there? I haven't taken the GMAT yet, but I'm hoping to score at least around 700, so let's just assume that's my score for this question. Do I stand a chance for the 2+2 program, or am I just kidding myself? What about Stanford GBS? My GPA is close, and they claim to be one of the schools that worry less about work experience.
You guys know what you're talking about, so I'd appreciate feedback. Do I need to waste 2+ years doing a job I don't want to do before I can get on track for my real career goals? Can I convince an addmissions committee that I would benefit from B-school now?
Any help is so much appreciated. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>“Do I stand a chance for the 2+2 program, or am I just kidding myself? What about Stanford GBS?”</p>
<p>2+2 most likely isn’t happening for you. It is mostly looking for entrepreneurial engineering/science students and humanities students who are competitive at HYS for law school (3.9+ GPA).</p>
<p>You almost certainly would not get into Stanford GSB (I don’t know about Stanford GBS, maybe you have a shot there).</p>
<p>“Can I convince an addmissions committee that I would benefit from B-school now?”</p>
<p>Not with your undergraduate school or your GPA. Your best bet is to work for a couple of years if you want to get a MBA from a top 10 business school.</p>
<p>“You almost certainly would not get into Stanford GSB (I don’t know about Stanford GBS, maybe you have a shot there).”</p>
<p>Straight from undergrad that is. If you work for 2-5 years and excel, the sky is the limit.</p>
<p>well I’m glad I asked instead of being overly optimistic and folling myself. Thanks for the help IvyPBear!</p>