What are my chances of getting into Harvard, Stanford, or Wharton?
Not good. Every year these schools turn down scores of applicants with 99th percentile GMAT scores, as well as hundreds of 4.0 students, McKinsey consultants, Goldman Sachs bankers, and GE executives. At the same time, you can’t just look at the US News and World Reports or Business Week rankings, see their acceptance rates, and assume that is YOUR chance for admission. It all depends on the pool against which you are competing. Candidates with certain profiles may have a significantly higher chance of admissions, while others have literally no chance at all. Actually, the same story holds for most of the top 30 schools, just at different levels. One of your first discussions with your Brody counselor will involve establishing your baseline for admissibility. Once that is established, your counselor’s job will be to help you multiply your chance by maximizing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses. But not everybody can get into HSW.
