A Fetish and a Home for Numbers

There is an uncontrolled anxiety and insanity around the GPA, GMAT, and age.  The obsession over the perfect combination is practically a fetish. The way I see it though, the first is frustratingly fixed, the second is (perceived as) exasperatingly fixable, and the third fails the "goldilocks test" for most of us.  At the end of the day, these numbers are just that: numbers, fixed points.  The story they tell may or may not be simple, so for better or worse, the story will remain shrouded in mystery, until they find a home, a well-woven tale of accomplishments, values, and goals.  Your home.

When I wonder about my admissions chances, I will often head over to beatthegmat.com to take a gander at the current applicants at the schools I'm applying.  I wonder to myself: How does my GPA stack up?  Does my GMAT sit above the average? It's excruciatingly unsatisfying though.  Really I just want to get in, and these numbers are empty vessels that may help me assess my chances, but they won't tell my what only the admissions committee can: wil I be admitted or not?

So I'm coming to terms with the fact that these numbers are almost completely meaningless once you fall within the range of scores for your school. They give your house dimension, but not color, texture, or detail. It's your job to give the committee these unique features!

Pretend your GPA and your GMAT create the base of your house.  The GMAT is the widely-recognized universal measuring stick.  It is the facade, the first thing they'll probably see. Is your GMAT score that of a wide mansion or a cramped NY apartment front?  Your GPA adds depth to the base, though the number itself is confusing and relative to other factors: the difficulty of your undergraduate institution and your major.  We can't see how far back the house goes until we consider these other things.  And finally there's your age.  Is your house actually an empty lot (no work experience), a lovely two-story cottage (3-5 years), or a towering apartment building (over 10+ years)? All these homes can add to the diversity, but you have more landscaping to do if you're fresh out of college, and you have to be willing to build a small cottage aside your apartment complex if you're long in the tooth.  

The point is, houses (like people) come in all shapes and sizes, but the admissions committees want to explore what's on the inside.  Do you have trophies on the wall? Is the furniture modern and sparse or cluttered and quaint? Is there a science lab, a basketball court, or a million dollar kitchen? You can't tell from the outside, so invite the adcomm in for a visit.

The risk, if you don't, is that they'll paint your house as they see fit, interpreting your being an I-banker or consultant, as an indicator for who you are.  Leave the dreaming and imagining up to them and they'll probably end up thinking you're some kind of robot.  And robots aren't usually fun dinner guests, or leaders for that matter. 

The real point of all this metaphoric rambling is to emphasize the fact that the numbers are nondescript.  How many other people who are applying have the same GMAT? GPA? Age? A ton!  And it's a waste of time to agonize over the difference between a 710 and a 720 on the GMAT. 

Focus on the stuff that matters: who you are and what you hope to achieve.  Show them a house they'd like to visit.