What Will It Take For This Consultant To Get Into HBS? [Episode 8]

Welcome back to Fridays with Sandy, where MBA mock interviews, essay fine-tuning, and general application tips are among the topics that Poets&Quants Editor-in-Chief John A. Byrne and HBSGuru Sandy Kreisberg cover with MBA candidates.
In this episode, we discuss this Rice alumnus' chances of acceptance into his desired MBA programs: Harvard, Columbia, Wharton, and Stern. He's got a 3.94 GPA and a 710 GMAT. Can he do better? Sandy turns up the heat to refine this candidate's odds of getting in. What are the three HBS feeder employers - can you get in from somewhere else?
What is your favorite Fridays With Sandy episode? Tell us in the comments below.
Be sure to like and subscribe for more great tips on getting into your preferred MBA program.
Craving some tough love directly from the HBSGuru? Come be on our show! Feel free to send us your profile for consideration at www.jotform.com/PandQEvents/h.... We'd love to have you.

[@achatterjee14]

These applicants with 3.9+ GPA and 700+ GMAT try to be too sleek without realising that there is beauty in simplicity.

[@mtalhaawais]

I've been around the block long enough to know most people who use big words and vague platitudes are trying to compensate for something more substantial in their work. Honesty and humility go a long way in leaving a positive impression.

[@ivanwong7653]

It will take a miracle for this kid to get into HBS..

[@prithakshrestha]

Why tho ???

[@l337dan]

I'm an associate director at a consulting firm and I think the candidate is drinking a bit too much from the MBA kool-aid. Also, the way he speaks comes across as extremely obnoxious even if he doesn't mean to. He needs to adjust his tonality to be a bit more appropriate and conversational.

[@jonathanspolidora5748]

Bro , I think your awesome (the interviewer). New to this show, but I’m in. I am genuinely laughing like I’m watching Saturday night live but learning like I’m in a case study class. Keep it up man

[@chrisq5675]

This kinda guy would be the first one I kick out from my team.......

[@mutatedlavalamp]

This guy is so lost in the consulting sauce.

[@ChoateGo]

mutatedlavalamp ditto

[@speedobandit]

These videos are awesome and very informative. Thanks!

[@MM14JR]

Ronald is currently an MBA candidate at NYU Stern

[@siddharthdharde2367]

Is that true?

[@MM14JR]

Siddharth Dharde see it yourself: www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldfoo

[@mtalhaawais]

@@MM14JR Trying really hard to not think of that as a treatise on business schools and the corporate space in general.

[@searchrankoptimize]

@@mtalhaawais!!!.... how do you come up with such stuff?!!

[@searchrankoptimize]

@@MM14JR OK. Someone should also now drop an opinion on his LinkedIn bio... Enlighten us a bit. We are all Learning now aren't we?

[@apierre6]

This is hard to watch. This guy is obviously very smart but part of being smart is being able to translate complex ideas in a simple way. This dude literally can't summarize what he does at his job without using corporate mumbo-jumbo and buzzwords.

[@kent653]

That was tough one..

[@JD-qo9wk]

It's funny because you can tell this guy has studied very hard but all that has given him is the ability to recite meaningless buzzwords. There's a big difference between theoretical knowledge and actually being able to successfully apply that knowledge. I've always been someone who talks about my work in simple terms that anyone can understand. Anyone can spew the nonsense from textbooks but someone who can actually explain what they're doing in English are the ones you want.

[@MattBritishRedditMemesComedy]

Take this guy out of consulting and you have an empty suit

[@johnbiston2534]

Sandy has me cracking up literally every time

[@nicosteins6172]

man's too nervous to speak like a normal person lmao

[@maneshwar9377]

Jack HES TRYING TO HELP YOU!

[@derekdavis5992]

Curious to know where he got in, if he did

[@brimirabile9508]

NYU

[@IndianMysticals]

The guy who is being interviewed is the only one who disliked this video :/

[@MM-br1hm]

He ended up with an MBA at NYU.

[@jk6273]

Oh, I am doubtful on his stats and his job.

[@SermonsForLife]

Brass tax!!! 😎

[@kaiyuan2893]

The cup seems full

[@user-sn4yp3hs7o]

I kind of lose patient on continuing watch this

[@Theworldisafamily68]

This is the kind of guy who hides behind great stats but is actually a narcissist no one would want in their team let alone lead them.

[@Audrey2022BabyGirl]

this man is not likable at all...too hubris...I even do not want to work with him, let alone be his classmates

[@salomonrojo7430]

Yangeng Zhao i suggest you chillout and learn from his mistakes and be thankful for the opportunity to learn from him. You should put a video of yourself answering the questions to see how people feel about you

[@andyzhang9829]

Oh gosh. Honestly Sandy is good at this. But this candidate needs a lot of work. His attitude is so off. He couldn’t even give a simple example of his work. All of that jargon is actually just “near-shoring” ?

[@MsUmwolverine]

oh man, poor guy. he's like the dude on Tinder that thinks he's a ten but is in fact a cringey 4. i think it might be a ESL issue.

[@searchrankoptimize]

Esl??

[@MsUmwolverine]

@@searchrankoptimize English as Second Language

[@sheyharper176]

I’m not sure. I’ve met a lot of people who have English as their second language and they’re much more polite and soft spoken?

[@jennifernader2914]

cringe