Case Study ·

Accepted to
Harvard Business School

Finance
Marcus worked in finance in Los Angeles with a 3.0 GPA and a GMAT below top programs’ averages. A clear persona and a social entrepreneurship goal earned him admission to Harvard Business School, Chicago Booth and Berkeley Haas.
Smiling student

About Marcus

Application Persona · the theme that tied it all together

“The charismatic networker who connects people and communities”

Started
After college
From
Top liberal arts college
GPA
3.0 / 4.0
Test score
GMAT 690

Challenges and Activities: Before and After

Where Marcus started
Where Marcus finished
3.0 GPAWell below the average for top 10 MBA programs
Context in Additional InformationAn essay addressing his undergraduate performance
GMAT 690Below the average for admitted students
Every section adds somethingShort answers used to share new information
Finance career onlyNo entrepreneurship on his resume
Social entrepreneurship goalEssays showed why an MBA was central to it
Finance and board rolesWealth management, investing, nonprofit and alumni boards
Charismatic networker personaOne theme across essays, resume and interviews

How did InGenius Prep Help?

A Harvard Business School Former Admissions Officer and a Graduate Coach worked with Marcus 2-on-1 through the application.

  1. Getting started

    Building his persona

    The team built a persona from his background, work experience and goals to anchor every part of the application.

    Through Business School Admissions
  2. Early

    Recommenders

    Counselors coached him on building relationships with recommenders and making the request early.

  3. Essays

    Essays and resume

    Each essay went through at least 10 drafts. His resume was reformatted, and an added essay explained his undergraduate grades.

  4. Interviews

    Interview preparation

    A strategy session on common and tricky questions, then a video mock interview.

Questions About This Case

How did Marcus get into Harvard Business School with a 3.0 GPA?

He addressed his undergraduate grades in the Additional Information section and built every other part of the application around one clear persona and goal.

How did he move from finance toward entrepreneurship?

His essays connected his story and activities to the goal of becoming a social entrepreneur, and showed why an MBA was central to getting there.

Where else was he admitted?

Along with Harvard Business School, he was admitted to Chicago Booth and Berkeley Haas.

How much work went into his essays?

Each business school essay went through at least 10 drafts with his counselors.

One honest conversation.
That's how it begins.

Every student works 2-on-1 with a Former Admissions Officer and a Graduate Coach.