Case Study ·

Accepted to
Harvard Business School and Wharton

Consulting
Olivia, a Teach For America alum working as a consultant, had a GMAT of 680 and had not written an essay in years. A clear grit-centered persona and 13+ drafts of each essay led to Harvard Business School and Wharton.
Smiling student

About Olivia

Application Persona · the theme that tied it all together

“The determined, relentless leader who will stop at nothing to accomplish her goals”

Started
After college
From
Top liberal arts college
GPA
3.7 / 4.0
Test score
GMAT 680

Challenges and Activities: Before and After

Where Olivia started
Where Olivia finished
GMAT 680About 40 points below top 5 program averages
Recommenders showed quantitative abilityLetters filled the gap and matched her theme
Hard-to-explain jobHer role and industry were hard to sum up
Essays linked past and futureBackground, current work and goals in one story
Years since her last essayNew to business school essay style
13+ drafts per essayBrainstorming through final polish
No LinkedIn profileNo professional networking online yet
Profile built and networkingCreated, edited and put to use

How did InGenius Prep Help?

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

  1. Getting started

    Persona and LinkedIn

    Regular conversations shaped her grit-centered persona. She created a LinkedIn profile and started networking.

    Through Business School Admissions
  2. Recommendations

    Preparing her recommenders

    She built a list of recommenders. Her Graduate Coach prepared an outline of traits and work examples for them to highlight.

  3. Essays

    Essays and resume

    Essay topics tied her background to her current work and goals, with at least 13 drafts each. Her resume was reformatted.

  4. Interviews

    Final review and interviews

    The team reviewed each application in full. Strategy sessions and mock interviews followed.

Questions About This Case

How did Olivia get into Harvard Business School and Wharton with a 680 GMAT?

Her recommenders spoke to her quantitative ability, and her essays and letters all supported one clear persona built around grit.

What was her Application Persona?

The determined, relentless leader who will stop at nothing to accomplish her goals.

How did she get back into essay writing after years away?

Her counselors helped her brainstorm topics that tied her background to her current work and goals, then worked through at least 13 drafts of each essay.

What did her background look like?

She was a Teach For America Fellow and later a manager and consultant at an industrial supply company, with a 3.7 GPA from a top liberal arts college.

One honest conversation.
That's how it begins.

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