I'm a black woman, went to Harvard College, work at McKinsey and am 22 years old. I know, it's kind of young, I've only worked at McKinsey, so I will have had 2 years of work experience before starting business school. My GPA from college was a 3.8 and I got a 700 on the GMAT. I've always been involved with community service and have held leadership roles and even started an organization on campus. What do you think my chances of getting into Tuck this late are? Thanks!

Thank you for your inquiry.

As a female, minority candidate with a 3.87 GPA, a 700 GMAT, prestige experience at McKinsey and some, as yet undescribed, community service, you may have a chance during an uber-competitive final round at Tuck. (Generally, schools look at the final round as a “shaping round,” where they target under-represented groups.)

I just want to get a better grasp of your candidacy. What kind of leadership and community roles have you held?

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

My community service roles have included running a mentoring organization for high risk kids in midlde school. I was director of one organization during my sophmore year and then as a junior founded a mentoring organization for middle school girls with a curriculum focused on strengthening their self esteem. While working I have a middle school mentor who is relatively new to the US and I also volunteer with a local hospice for AIDS patients. Does that additional info help?

If you can convince Tuck that you really want to go there (i.e. write an effective Why Tuck essay, spend the time to go visit the school and interview on campus) I think your chances are VERY good, even in a competitive round. I don't think they would pass on a highly qualified candidate that can help bring diversity to their campus who has shown demonstrated interest in the school. Tuck tends to take older/more experienced candidates, but I believe they would make an exception in your case.

Question for you: Why are you intent on applying this late? Why don't you apply next year. You could apply to Tuck through the Consortium (www.cgsm.org) and be eligible for a full scholarship to Tuck if it is your dream school.

With your credentials you are also a top candidate at Stanford, Harvard (maybe you don't want to double up?) and Wharton as well.


Whatever you choose to do, put the effort in to write great (i.e. insightful, thoughtful, "real"/personal) essays and you should do well!

Hope that helps.

Thanks for your latest post.

Clearly, you have the makings of a very strong candidacy – one that would stand out in any round. Your extra-curricular and community involvements add an exclamation point to an already strong profile. I think that you have a chance at Tuck this year, even though you have applied late in the game in what is shaping up to be an uber-competitive year.

Question – why have you chosen to apply this late? Is there an urgent need for you to go to b-school all of a sudden. I have to agree with the previous “community” post – you can probably shoot even higher next year.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

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