Early in 2020, Poets & Quants, along with one of the top consulting firms, posted a video with a similar title. I had to turn it off after 15 minutes. My issue? The presenters’ insistence that almost all successful applicants, based on data derived from LinkedIn profiles, had graduated from a handful of elite schools and worked at one of the leading consulting firms or investment banks prior to business school.
There’s a certain truth to this, in that most Ivy students were overachievers in high school, and they are most in demand as new hires for top firms and banks. But…many brilliant and talented people don’t go to those name brand schools — those schools are simply not on everyone’s radar — and thus don’t land in the pipeline for the prestige jobs. So they will apply to business schools without that same pedigree but often with stories of determination, persistence, and success.
Most of my clients don’t have the pedigree. And they still get into top programs, including Stanford (I worked with eight clients admitted to the class of 2022), Harvard, Wharton, and the rest. Lucky for them, the video was posted after they applied or they might not have believed they could get admitted.
Keep in mind that a well-executed application will greatly outweigh any perceived disadvantages from lack of a name school or company on your resume. Does your voice come through on your essays? Do your recommenders think you’re amazing? You have a good chance everywhere (assuming a decent GPA and GMAT/GRE).
Also, as I always tell people, schools could fill the class with bankers and consultants. They don’t. They like having diversity in all forms because it leads to a stronger class.
No matter what your background is, if you’ve faced up to challenges, overcome obstacles, and stepped up when the opportunity arose, you can get admitted too. But only if you apply, so, apply!
