HBS Admit With 620 GMAT Score 
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Samita engaged with Stacy Blackman knowing that her undergraduate GPA of 45% from a well-known engineering program in India was one of the largest challenges in her application strategy. Samita was only slightly interested in engineering, and as the program continued she started to spend less and less time studying, and more and more time volunteering. The result was an unimpressive GPA, but quite a lot of extracurricular leadership.
Samita’s additional strengths included work experience and recommendations. Samita had an intriguing career at an NGO working across Asia and Europe, where she had progressed from program coordinator to director of development over four years. She was exceptionally skilled at working across a disparate group of people, and had a strong mentor in her manager, an HBS alum, who had encouraged her to seek a top-tier MBA in the United States.
Because she had limited time in her schedule, we advised an online program to boost Samita’s academic profile before she submitted her application.
When we started working with Samita she was preparing for the GMAT and scoring between 660 and 700 on her practice tests. We knew that her low GPA and potentially low GMAT were challenges to overcome, but we were all surprised when Samita scored a 590 on her first GMAT attempt. Samita was incredibly disappointed and frustrated and thought about abandoning her application. We discussed her options: re-evaluating schools, taking the GMAT again or taking the GRE.
Samita decided to schedule another GMAT session in thirty days and focus her time on putting together an exceptionally compelling application. We mined her experience for evidence of her potential and leadership, ensured her recommendations were stellar, and refined her resume and career goals.
Only a few days before the deadlines for HBS, Yale and Stanford Samita took the GMAT again. She was disappointed to increase her score only to 620. She submitted her applications anyway without much faith that her hard work would pay off.
Samita was shocked to be admitted to HBS! We were thrilled to be part of her success, and gratified that her exceptional accomplishments wouldn’t be undermined by her academic challenges.
Mods. Do the right thing.
Mods. Do the right thing. Brady is going to have a breakdown
Shit. HBS just isnt what it
Shit. HBS just isnt what it used be, am I right?
LOL @ Brady4MVP.
Man made money, money never made the man
And that's why my dream
And that's why my dream b-school is Stanford instead ;)
and LOL, poor Brady :(
Cheers.
(No subject)
I am very circumspect of
I am very circumspect of these intl students, especially indians from India applying to b-schools. They lie voraciously on their applications knowing that the background checks are cursory at best and will do anything to get admitted a spot to a top b-school. I knew so many liars at Kellogg (creating fake NGOs, assuming leadership/founding positions of family owned organizations, etc) whose resumes were total BS. Background checks must be far more meticulous for these int'l jokes who cheat to get into a top program only to take the seat of another well qualified US applicant.
socola2003 wrote: I am very
I am very circumspect of these intl students, especially indians from India applying to b-schools. They lie voraciously on their applications knowing that the background checks are cursory at best and will do anything to get admitted a spot to a top b-school. I knew so many liars at Kellogg (creating fake NGOs, assuming leadership/founding positions of family owned organizations, etc) whose resumes were total BS. Background checks must be far more meticulous for these int'l jokes who cheat to get into a top program only to take the seat of another well qualified US applicant.
I thought the background checks were fairly rigorous? They verify certain extracurricular clubs, leaderships, etc.
Was the lying limited to just international students, or was this true for U.S. students as well?
Background checks mostly are
Background checks mostly are limited to previous work exp, schools, and recommendations. They will cherry pick certain extra currics and verify that. But note the school is not doing the verification, they outsource it to a bunch of minimal wage retards who don't know the other person on the line is the guy's uncle. They really shoud have students do it or put in some standard op procedures to verify. I bet students can pick out the lies a lot faster than the outsourced companies can. And it much harder to verify some small NGO in India as to its authenticity, unless you probe deep enough to uncover the lie. Mostly was the inernationals, sure there were US students too who lied but I think the international students (read indians) do it 100x more often given the increased difficulty in verification. This is not a valid sample size but I think it's pretty commonly known among students which subgroup cheats/lies the most to get in.
socola2003 wrote: Background
Background checks mostly are limited to previous work exp, schools, and recommendations. They will cherry pick certain extra currics and verify that. But note the school is not doing the verification, they outsource it to a bunch of minimal wage retards who don't know the other person on the line is the guy's uncle. They really shoud have students do it or put in some standard op procedures to verify. I bet students can pick out the lies a lot faster than the outsourced companies can. And it much harder to verify some small NGO in India as to its authenticity, unless you probe deep enough to uncover the lie. Mostly was the inernationals, sure there were US students too who lied but I think the international students (read indians) do it 100x more often given the increased difficulty in verification. This is not a valid sample size but I think it's pretty commonly known among students which subgroup cheats/lies the most to get in.
Interesting. I know most b-schools do verification through Kroll, which is supposed to be pretty solid. But I've heard plenty of U.S. applicants exaggerate their extracurricular contributions. My guess though is that adcom at top schools have a good BS radar and can sniff out bullshitters from those who acatually made meaningful contributions.
My best friend is a first-year at kellogg, and he was saying how a lot of "unqualified" people get in through the cracks due to the diversity obsessed admissions process.
I don't think it was the
I don't think it was the international student that was lying...
In any case, I'm not saying that this Samita benefited from the "Stacy Blackman Magic (TM)" but here's one thing to consider:
A person (male or female) who graduated from an engineering school in India who worked at an NGO in Asia/Europe. For the incoming class next year, it won't be hard to figure out who that is since it's not like there's shitloads of them at HBS. So you have to wonder why the consulting firm would shroud this successful person's story in anonymity. If this person were so strong to have been able to overcome such shitty numbers, then they would've done something extraordinary.
Also, if there was a person who had such shitty numbers (GPA/GMAT), they would've had an exceptional and unique story. The fact that the OP wrote about "Samita's" case using such generic and dry language is a bit incongruous if this person really did amazing things. I mean, with people who really do stand out, it's hard to really hide the fact that they really stand out even if you are trying to keep the person anonymous. Notice how the OP is more excited about being associated with "Samita"'s alleged success in the admissions process than the OP is about Samita herself or her achievements.
Not saying the story is totally bullshit. Just sayin'.
Alex Chu
www.mbaapply.com
hahaha. There is so much
hahaha. There is so much crap at Kellogg, but as I found at other schools, plenty of crap at the M7 or whatever it's called. Maybe Stanford has the leas tof which due to the small # in class size and thus the lower probability of crap creeping in. I would say at Kellogg a good 35-40% of the students there are stupid. Don't forget a lot of people get in because of their namesake and connections, and many have applied 3-4x. That is why I fundamentally beleive college alma mater is a better reflection of intelligence than b-school, given the # of subjective, non-intelligent factors that enhance people's abilities to get in. Going to Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Wharton, etc as an undergrad schools is far more impressive than going to HBS.
socola2003 wrote: hahaha.
hahaha. There is so much crap at Kellogg, but as I found at other schools, plenty of crap at the M7 or whatever it's called. Maybe Stanford has the leas tof which due to the small # in class size and thus the lower probability of crap creeping in. I would say at Kellogg a good 35-40% of the students there are stupid. Don't forget a lot of people get in because of their namesake and connections, and many have applied 3-4x. That is why I fundamentally beleive college alma mater is a better reflection of intelligence than b-school, given the # of subjective, non-intelligent factors that enhance people's abilities to get in. Going to Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Wharton, etc as an undergrad schools is far more impressive than going to HBS.
Wow, very interesting perspective. thanks for sharing your experience.
That was my suspicion, as well. I have more respect for Wharton undergrads than MBA counterparts. Also, just look at this thread. Clearly, this person wasn't the brightest, but somehow got into HBS, probably due to some bullshit reason. (maybe faked-up NGO from India? lol)
This just indicates that MBA admissions aren't just about one's academic credentials, but one's ability to bullshit well via essays, via rec's, and maybe grossly exaggerate 'leadership' at work, etc.
She has a HBS mentor who
She has a HBS mentor who probably also wrote her rec letter. That's a big positive. She's a female, another positive. She's from India and is NOT in IT/engineering but works at an non-profit full time, hence she is a rarity in the Indian applicant pool. I bet she had a lot of feel good stories in her essays. The adcoms might have "fallen in love with her story".
Though I must say her 45% average in engineering is REALLY low.
MBAApply wrote: I don't think
I don't think it was the international student that was lying...
Glad someone had the balls to say it.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
IRSPB wrote: Oh look at the
Oh look at the haters on the board. She has a HBS mentor who probably also wrote her rec letter. That's a big positive. She's a female, another positive. She's from India and is NOT in IT/engineering but works at an non-profit full time, hence she is a rarity in the Indian applicant pool. I bet she had a lot of feel good stories in her essays.
Though I must say her 45% average in engineering is REALLY low.
This really caught me off-guard. How can anyone with 45% in grade (I suppose it's lower than 2.5 GPA if converted into U.S. scale) get into HBS?? Just because this person was in some small NGO's in India?
i want to qualify to say that
i want to qualify to say that going to a state school doesn't imply you're stupid. Unfort college education is not normalized for all applicatns and the financial burden makes it prohibity to attend these great schools. That said, anyone who thinks they're hot shit because they went to M7 is a fool.
socola2003 wrote: I am very
I am very circumspect of these intl students, especially indians from India applying to b-schools. They lie voraciously on their applications knowing that the background checks are cursory at best and will do anything to get admitted a spot to a top b-school. I knew so many liars at Kellogg (creating fake NGOs, assuming leadership/founding positions of family owned organizations, etc) whose resumes were total BS. Background checks must be far more meticulous for these int'l jokes who cheat to get into a top program only to take the seat of another well qualified US applicant.
DEY TOOK R GERBS!!! DERKER DERR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=768h3Tz4Qik
2.5 GPA? Try 1.5 or 1.6. 70%
2.5 GPA? Try 1.5 or 1.6. 70% translates to about 2.7 or so. MAYBE she had some solid connections.
socola2003 wrote: Background
Background checks mostly are limited to previous work exp, schools, and recommendations. They will cherry pick certain extra currics and verify that. But note the school is not doing the verification, they outsource it to a bunch of minimal wage retards who don't know the other person on the line is the guy's uncle. They really shoud have students do it or put in some standard op procedures to verify. I bet students can pick out the lies a lot faster than the outsourced companies can. And it much harder to verify some small NGO in India as to its authenticity, unless you probe deep enough to uncover the lie. Mostly was the inernationals, sure there were US students too who lied but I think the international students (read indians) do it 100x more often given the increased difficulty in verification. This is not a valid sample size but I think it's pretty commonly known among students which subgroup cheats/lies the most to get in.
wow... so do these international kids lie about work experience and not get caught? They write down fake work experience at a fake company on resume, and just provide their dad's and uncle's phone numbers as contact info of their previous employers to background check companies to verify, and they don't get caught?? Are background check companies really this dumb? They don't check the legitimacy of the employer contact info you provide to them?
I doubt there have been many
I doubt there have been many if any audits of Kroll or other 3rd party verification organizations in terms of the meticulousness of their approach. it's very high level. I think it is harder to pull off fake work, and you cant pull off fake school ebcause they request and verify transcripts. But in terms of exra currics, which these days is many times the deciding factor since that is what defines your comp advanage to get in and gives your resume colour, the verification is not as robust. That is again why I think students at the school should be paid to indepdently verify the applicant's info
socola2003 wrote: hahaha.
hahaha. There is so much crap at Kellogg, but as I found at other schools, plenty of crap at the M7 or whatever it's called. Maybe Stanford has the leas tof which due to the small # in class size and thus the lower probability of crap creeping in. I would say at Kellogg a good 35-40% of the students there are stupid. Don't forget a lot of people get in because of their namesake and connections, and many have applied 3-4x. That is why I fundamentally beleive college alma mater is a better reflection of intelligence than b-school, given the # of subjective, non-intelligent factors that enhance people's abilities to get in. Going to Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Wharton, etc as an undergrad schools is far more impressive than going to HBS.
You really think 35-40% of people at kellogg, a top 5 b-school, are downright stupid? That's VERY harsh.
Also, your statement about mba admissions also go true for college as well. Plenty of people at HYPS who got in through legacy, affirmative action, rich parents, sports. I also think getting into HBS is more impressive than getting into harvard undergrad due to the type of work experience and leadership required to get in. The top 10% at HBS is far more impressive than the top 10% at Harvard undergrad.
It depends how you define
It depends how you define impressive. The top 10% at HBS may be wealthier than the 10% at harvard undergrad, but then again the 10% at HBS are PE/banking/hedge funds who are rich coming in, with plenty of connections, so they of course will be wealtheri given that they're starting off wealthier. I would defiitely argue the top 10% at harvard is smarter than the top 10% at HBS.
If you need empirical proof, just look at Wharton academics. At least when I was there, classes consisted of both MBA and undegrad students. And in most if not all classes, the avg grade in the class for undergrads was higher than the MBAs, so mcuhs o that the pools were separated and curved separately.
Lastly, though I don't like using anomalies, Gates and Zuckerberg never attended HBS.
socola2003 wrote: I doubt
I doubt there have been many if any audits of Kroll or other 3rd party verification organizations in terms of the meticulousness of their approach. it's very high level. I think it is harder to pull off fake work, and you cant pull off fake school ebcause they request and verify transcripts. But in terms of exra currics, which these days is many times the deciding factor since that is what defines your comp advanage to get in and gives your resume colour, the verification is not as robust. That is again why I think students at the school should be paid to indepdently verify the applicant's info
i guess how those Indian students get away from fake work experience (fake NGO, etc) is listing them on resume and just providing their families' contact info to the background check company saying that's their previous employer's contact info... Don't background companies check whether the contacts you gave them actually work at the company or not?
If a lot of these international kids lie and can easily get away, the process needs to get more rigorous in terms of background check.
socola2003 wrote: It depends
It depends how you define impressive. The top 10% at HBS may be wealthier than the 10% at harvard undergrad, but then again the 10% at HBS are PE/banking/hedge funds who are rich coming in, with plenty of connections, so they of course will be wealtheri given that they're starting off wealthier. I would defiitely argue the top 10% at harvard is smarter than the top 10% at HBS.
If you need empirical proof, just look at Wharton academics. At least when I was there, classes consisted of both MBA and undegrad students. And in most if not all classes, the avg grade in the class for undergrads was higher than the MBAs, so mcuhs o that the pools were separated and curved separately.
Lastly, though I don't like using anomalies, Gates and Zuckerberg never attended HBS.
Extracurriculars are also VERY important in elite college admissions. Also, plenty of PE/HF types don't have connections but instead went to good colleges, did well, got good jobs afterwards, kicked ass, etc. I'm sure some of them had connections, but it's hard to get say Blackstone PE>HBS or Citadel>HBS without being pretty fucking smart.
my brother told me that even
my brother told me that even if you have a lack luster gpa, you could get into HBS... I guess he was right.
40% gpa with 620 GMAT is just shockingly low for a top 10 mba... maybe b-schools care more about one's 'uniqueness', 'leadership potential', or extra curriculuars more than gpa/ gmat?
Sexy_Like_Enrique wrote: my
my brother told me that even if you have a lack luster gpa, you could get into HBS... I guess he was right.
40% gpa with 620 GMAT is just shockingly low for a top 10 mba... maybe b-schools care more about one's 'uniqueness', 'leadership potential', or extra curriculuars more than gpa/ gmat?
For a white/asian male in finance or consulting, anything below 3.6 gpa and 700 GMAT will be a death knell for HBS. I don't know a single person in the aforementioned demographic who got into HBS with lower numbers than that.
popping in for a few
popping in for a few comments:
there is no comparison between wharton undergrad and wharton mba. the undergrads freaking carry wharton... a close relative attended ug there so i see whartonconnect from time to time ... let's just say the only people you would want to reach out to are the ug's... the mba's are pretty much lazy losers who are trying to relive high school / college (particularly at my uni's business school--big city colleges have their disadvantages lol).
^ ditto for harvard//mit/duke etc ug and mba..
MBAApply wrote: I don't think
I don't think it was the international student that was lying...
In any case, I'm not saying that this Samita benefited from the "Stacy Blackman Magic (TM)" but here's one thing to consider:
A person (male or female) who graduated from an engineering school in India who worked at an NGO in Asia/Europe. For the incoming class next year, it won't be hard to figure out who that is since it's not like there's shitloads of them at HBS. So you have to wonder why the consulting firm would shroud this successful person's story in anonymity. If this person were so strong to have been able to overcome such shitty numbers, then they would've done something extraordinary.
Also, if there was a person who had such shitty numbers (GPA/GMAT), they would've had an exceptional and unique story. The fact that the OP wrote about "Samita's" case using such generic and dry language is a bit incongruous if this person really did amazing things. I mean, with people who really do stand out, it's hard to really hide the fact that they really stand out even if you are trying to keep the person anonymous. Notice how the OP is more excited about being associated with "Samita"'s alleged success in the admissions process than the OP is about Samita herself or her achievements.
Not saying the story is totally bullshit. Just sayin'.
are you accusing stacey of making this applicant up? :/
seedy underbelly
popping in for a few comments:
there is no comparison between wharton undergrad and wharton mba. the undergrads freaking carry wharton... a close relative attended ug there so i see whartonconnect from time to time ... let's just say the only people you would want to reach out to are the ug's... the mba's are pretty much lazy losers who are trying to relive high school / college (particularly at my uni's business school--big city colleges have their disadvantages lol).
^ ditto for harvard//mit/duke etc ug and mba..
Lol if you think HBS and Wharton MBA are filled with "lazy losers." Are you freaking serious? You should meet actual students at those schools before making such ignorant comments.
Brady4MVP wrote: seedy
popping in for a few comments:
there is no comparison between wharton undergrad and wharton mba. the undergrads freaking carry wharton... a close relative attended ug there so i see whartonconnect from time to time ... let's just say the only people you would want to reach out to are the ug's... the mba's are pretty much lazy losers who are trying to relive high school / college (particularly at my uni's business school--big city colleges have their disadvantages lol).
^ ditto for harvard//mit/duke etc ug and mba..
Lol if you think HBS and Wharton MBA are filled with "lazy losers." Are you freaking serious? You should meet actual students at those schools before making such ignorant comments.
In comparison to the undergrads... not in comparison to everyone else.
See yesman's post:
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/why-the-fuck-are-these-two-wharton...
.
.
socola2003 wrote: It depends
It depends how you define impressive. The top 10% at HBS may be wealthier than the 10% at harvard undergrad, but then again the 10% at HBS are PE/banking/hedge funds who are rich coming in, with plenty of connections, so they of course will be wealtheri given that they're starting off wealthier. I would defiitely argue the top 10% at harvard is smarter than the top 10% at HBS.
If you need empirical proof, just look at Wharton academics. At least when I was there, classes consisted of both MBA and undegrad students. And in most if not all classes, the avg grade in the class for undergrads was higher than the MBAs, so mcuhs o that the pools were separated and curved separately.
Lastly, though I don't like using anomalies, Gates and Zuckerberg never attended HBS.
Wharton doesn't disclose their grades though, do they? Couldn't that be a reason why their grades are lower?
If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough.
"There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
Brady4MVP wrote: seedy
popping in for a few comments:
there is no comparison between wharton undergrad and wharton mba. the undergrads freaking carry wharton... a close relative attended ug there so i see whartonconnect from time to time ... let's just say the only people you would want to reach out to are the ug's... the mba's are pretty much lazy losers who are trying to relive high school / college (particularly at my uni's business school--big city colleges have their disadvantages lol).
^ ditto for harvard//mit/duke etc ug and mba..
Lol if you think HBS and Wharton MBA are filled with "lazy losers." Are you freaking serious? You should meet actual students at those schools before making such ignorant comments.
i have.. listen there are always exceptions.. often you end up meeting the exceptions, and not the general and typical student body.. patrick for instance would not be an average wharton mba... most definitely near the top with regards to achievement...
but then there are about 780 other students who are fairly average
i guess it also depends on
i guess it also depends on the major at college...
for instance, I would bet the average student in physics/ CS/ Math at Harvard or MIT is far smarter than an average MBA student at Harvard or Wharton.
Although there are many smart and accomplished people at top MBA programs, no doubt, having a high intelligence is not required for MBA admissions, nor does MBA curriculum demand high-level intelligence from its students.
looks like she fucked her way
looks like she fucked her way in spreading those legs. i'll need to see a picture before I make a final conclusion.
BanditPandit wrote: looks
looks like she fucked her way in spreading those legs. i'll need to see a picture before I make a final conclusion.
i was suspecting this to be the case, lol
seedy underbelly
popping in for a few comments:
there is no comparison between wharton undergrad and wharton mba. the undergrads freaking carry wharton... a close relative attended ug there so i see whartonconnect from time to time ... let's just say the only people you would want to reach out to are the ug's... the mba's are pretty much lazy losers who are trying to relive high school / college (particularly at my uni's business school--big city colleges have their disadvantages lol).
^ ditto for harvard//mit/duke etc ug and mba..
Are you F**king kidding me? For privacy's sake I won't go into the people I know or have known that have gone to Wharton MBA but you and SLE honestly need to shut the F**K up. The two of you know nothing accept regurgitated bullsh*t that your friends/family tell to you.
The people I KNOW/ HAVE KNOWN at Wharton were first gen college students or had other good stories. They also did Pre-MBA megafund/MM PE. They are the top performers amongst even the best in IBanking. I have been able to, up to this point, deal with your misconceptions but this is entirely BS. If you honestly think some kid who goes to Wharton UG and gets into a CS/UBS/DB IB job is much more superior than a person who does all the aforementioned work + more + gets a 720+ on their GMAT and has the time to fill out essays while working in PE or any demanding field of work is below standard for UG than you are F**KED in the head
Honestly throw away your computer out of shame troll
It disturbs me how this
It disturbs me how this thread has turned out and how many of you bash on this Indian candidate. Not all of us are math/engineering whiz, and the fact that you guys keep judging how "smart" she is based on her GPA reminds me of the quote "if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it's stupid". There are different kinds of "smartness", different ways people can contribute, and I don't think her engineering grade would interfere with her ability to do non profit work.
Regarding her admission to HBS. Here's what I guess
-She got a really compelling, coherent and consistent and UNIQUE story. Someone pointed out earlier that she stood out among a pool of male, IIT Indian applicants. If she can present herself as an unorthodox and refreshing candidate, I don't see how it would be so bad that the adcom loved her and decided to offer her a seat at HBS
-In her career goals essay, she probably put non-profit or social entrepreneurship or something along the line and HBS has quite a soft spot for candidates who go that path.I'm pretty sure if she had written something like consulting or hedgefund or tech it would not make her a marketable employee or consistent person.
-It's HBS's decision. And you can't do anythign about it. And given the choice, would you choose to take her path even if you would be guaranteed a seat at HBS? I can't do it. I don't mind volunteering, in fact I think it's important to give back to the society. But if you ask me to have a full career in NGO I would laugh at your face. You guys decide to go the conventional, fiercely competitive path. And you have to really stand out in that pool to go to HBS. It's just a tradeoff and a fact of life!
My formula for success is rise early, work late and strike oil - JP Getty
Some ignorant comments in
Some ignorant comments in this thread. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the omissions about Samita's background from the original post are what got her into HBS.
Awon Eleyi Awon Eleyi Won Bad
Some ignorant comments in this thread. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the omissions about Samita's background from the original post are what got her into HBS.
EXACTLY! You need to know her background/story. I'm pretty is a compelling, interesting one that set her apart and got her to HBS
My formula for success is rise early, work late and strike oil - JP Getty
stacy forgot to mention that
stacy forgot to mention that her last name is Mittal
As i said before this is just
As i said before this is just giving people false hope. This is a great marketing tool. How many applications does HBS receive? 8-9K? How many get in with a 620? Maybe 1, 2, 3 tops? You do the math. If you have the money and time to waste take the risk but giving people false hope is what this is.
Brady4MVP wrote: socola2003
I am very circumspect of these intl students, especially indians from India applying to b-schools. They lie voraciously on their applications knowing that the background checks are cursory at best and will do anything to get admitted a spot to a top b-school. I knew so many liars at Kellogg (creating fake NGOs, assuming leadership/founding positions of family owned organizations, etc) whose resumes were total BS. Background checks must be far more meticulous for these int'l jokes who cheat to get into a top program only to take the seat of another well qualified US applicant.
I thought the background checks were fairly rigorous? They verify certain extracurricular clubs, leaderships, etc.
No dude, they're really not. Beyond checking to see that the companies I work for actually employed me, no one's ever dug too deeply into my past. On the one hand, it's a little scary how shallow this whole thing is.
On the other hand, you have things you want out of life, so rape the hell out of systemic weakness. They'd do the same to you.
And please, open yourself to the possibilites of other schools. The fixation on HBS is unhealthy. Even if you get in, you're building this up in your mind so much that you'd be disappointed by the reality.
http://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/small/0904/chill-out...
ECs are usually not the
ECs are usually not the deciding factor in getting in. Adcoms know pretty well that ECs can and are regularly faked/exaggerated and that's why they don't add much value to a profile. The exception is when your ECs are from a recognized organization or can be easily checked - then you'll get some credit. But to argue that adcoms are such hopeless idiots that anyone who puts some bs leadership activity can easily gain advantage is hilarious. The deciding factors for your getting in are your work experience, undergrad, and test scores, in roughly that order - these are the things that can easily be verified and are thus taken as credible signals for potential. That's why Kroll checks only involvement with established institutions/organizations. Nobody bothers to check all unverifiable bs that people claim as leadership because nobody cares that much since talk is cheap, especially when it comes to MBA strivers.
There are always people who
There are always people who get in every year with a low GMAT. IIRC last year the minimum was a 580 or so. IMO HBS does this to give out an impression that they just don't take 3.7/700+ PE/HF/MC/IB/Google/MS/FB type superstar folks and they take "regular" people too. I bet a whole bunch of people with subpar sats would look at this story, shell out thousands of dollars for consultants and apply to HBS only to get rejected. This would increase their applicant pool and drive down their selectivity and thus they appear more 'selective'.
seedy underbelly
I don't think it was the international student that was lying...
In any case, I'm not saying that this Samita benefited from the "Stacy Blackman Magic (TM)" but here's one thing to consider:
A person (male or female) who graduated from an engineering school in India who worked at an NGO in Asia/Europe. For the incoming class next year, it won't be hard to figure out who that is since it's not like there's shitloads of them at HBS. So you have to wonder why the consulting firm would shroud this successful person's story in anonymity. If this person were so strong to have been able to overcome such shitty numbers, then they would've done something extraordinary.
Also, if there was a person who had such shitty numbers (GPA/GMAT), they would've had an exceptional and unique story. The fact that the OP wrote about "Samita's" case using such generic and dry language is a bit incongruous if this person really did amazing things. I mean, with people who really do stand out, it's hard to really hide the fact that they really stand out even if you are trying to keep the person anonymous. Notice how the OP is more excited about being associated with "Samita"'s alleged success in the admissions process than the OP is about Samita herself or her achievements.
Not saying the story is totally bullshit. Just sayin'.
are you accusing stacey of making this applicant up? :/
Pretty unprofessional to call out a competitor like that on an open forum.
-MBP
manbearpig wrote: seedy
I don't think it was the international student that was lying...
In any case, I'm not saying that this Samita benefited from the "Stacy Blackman Magic (TM)" but here's one thing to consider:
A person (male or female) who graduated from an engineering school in India who worked at an NGO in Asia/Europe. For the incoming class next year, it won't be hard to figure out who that is since it's not like there's shitloads of them at HBS. So you have to wonder why the consulting firm would shroud this successful person's story in anonymity. If this person were so strong to have been able to overcome such shitty numbers, then they would've done something extraordinary.
Also, if there was a person who had such shitty numbers (GPA/GMAT), they would've had an exceptional and unique story. The fact that the OP wrote about "Samita's" case using such generic and dry language is a bit incongruous if this person really did amazing things. I mean, with people who really do stand out, it's hard to really hide the fact that they really stand out even if you are trying to keep the person anonymous. Notice how the OP is more excited about being associated with "Samita"'s alleged success in the admissions process than the OP is about Samita herself or her achievements.
Not saying the story is totally bullshit. Just sayin'.
are you accusing stacey of making this applicant up? :/
Pretty unprofessional to call out a competitor like that on an open forum.
Despite petty disagreements with MBP in the past, I am in agreeance.
Unleash the monkey poo. Don't worry, I'll soon have plenty of fictional points with which to return fire.
http://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/small/0904/chill-out...
Interesting. This discussion
Interesting. This discussion turned sideways literally over night.
I don't think it was the international student that was lying...
In any case, I'm not saying that this Samita benefited from the "Stacy Blackman Magic (TM)" but here's one thing to consider:
A person (male or female) who graduated from an engineering school in India who worked at an NGO in Asia/Europe. For the incoming class next year, it won't be hard to figure out who that is since it's not like there's shitloads of them at HBS. So you have to wonder why the consulting firm would shroud this successful person's story in anonymity. If this person were so strong to have been able to overcome such shitty numbers, then they would've done something extraordinary.
Also, if there was a person who had such shitty numbers (GPA/GMAT), they would've had an exceptional and unique story. The fact that the OP wrote about "Samita's" case using such generic and dry language is a bit incongruous if this person really did amazing things. I mean, with people who really do stand out, it's hard to really hide the fact that they really stand out even if you are trying to keep the person anonymous. Notice how the OP is more excited about being associated with "Samita"'s alleged success in the admissions process than the OP is about Samita herself or her achievements.
Not saying the story is totally bullshit. Just sayin'.
^^Given your generally good reputation and posting history, I am surprised by your comment. Calling out a post on an internet forum? Harsh. You MBA consultants are a competitive bunch. But I agree somewhat, you do make a couple of good points. I am sure "Samitia's" background could be verified via the net. Somebody look her up.
Man made money, money never made the man
Awon Eleyi Awon Eleyi Won Bad
Some ignorant comments in this thread. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the omissions about Samita's background from the original post are what got her into HBS.
100% agreed. I want to hear the full story.
Man made money, money never made the man
seedy underbelly
popping in for a few comments:
there is no comparison between wharton undergrad and wharton mba. the undergrads freaking carry wharton... a close relative attended ug there so i see whartonconnect from time to time ... let's just say the only people you would want to reach out to are the ug's... the mba's are pretty much lazy losers who are trying to relive high school / college (particularly at my uni's business school--big city colleges have their disadvantages lol).
^ ditto for harvard//mit/duke etc ug and mba..
I have noticed this somewhat from my personal experience. The business undergrads at USC seemed to be a little bit more intelligent (may not be the best word to describe the difference) than their MBA counterparts. I have a close family member who went to Wharton undergrad and he echoed my observation. I thought we were just being arrogant.
With that being said, MBA students are not "lazy losers". Far from it. MBAs tend to be very accomplished in their respective careers, in contrast to undergrads who have yet to accomplish anything in a real-world context. I am not saying that Wharton MBAs are somehow better than Wharton undergrads or vice-versa, just saying that MBA grads are not "lazy losers" as you put it.
Man made money, money never made the man
RE Capital Markets wrote: I
I have noticed this somewhat from my personal experience. The business undergrads at USC seemed to be a little bit more intelligent (may not be the best word to describe the difference) than their MBA counterparts. I have a close family member who went to Wharton undergrad and he echoed my observation.
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"There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.