Selecting The Short List

Based on your Exam score, your undergraduate GPA, and the school’s published data in terms of the median numbers of the entering class, you should have:

These are schools that you feel are ideal for you, but for which you seem to be — in terms of numbers, at least — out of the ballpark. Your impression might be that your qualifications pale in comparison to the schools’ current students. Do a great job on these applications, and who knows? You may be shocked by the caliber of the schools that accept you. However, don’t hitch your wagon solely to these "stars." Include on your list:

"Good fit" meaning that your Exam score and GPA are at, or close to, the school’s published medians, and your visits and correspondence suggest that you and the school are a good match in terms of profile and qualifications. At the same time, try to identify:

We put "sure shot" in quotes because when it comes to business school admissions, nothing is "sure." But if your Exam score and GPA are above the school’s published medians, and your qualifications compare highly favorably to those of current students, then you have to figure that you’d need to make some serious mistakes to be turned down by a "sure shot" school.