Low undergrad GPA - Chances of admittance at HKS?

[KD1458]

Hi Everyone!

 

I am applying to HKS, WWS, SIPA, and SFS. Harvard Kennedy School is my dream school, and I wanted to know what you guys think my chances are:

 

GRE: 164 Verbal, 163 Quant, 4.5 AWA

 

Education: NYU Stern School of business, Major: Business (concentration was Marketing). GPA: 3.4

 

Work Experience: Currently work as a policy research analyst for the NYC Department of Transportation (8 months), worked at Unilever’s Future Leaders program for a year and a half prior this role

 

Non-Profit Experience: Director of a non-profit I joined my freshman year, organization was small but I arranged a meeting with the Prime Minister of India and so popularity skyrocketed – also proposed a highly-impactful program within the organization that highly scaled impact. Part of two other large Indian non-profits currently, on the leadership board of one for their young professionals chapter.

 

International experience: Travelled to 35 countries over the past four years, volunteered abroad in Tanzania and Bali, upon returning I fundraised to expand the school I worked at in Tanzania from primary to secondary school (experience featured in an article on usblastingnews). Travel photographer with 10K followers on Instagram (handle @travelwithkrishna)

 

Analytical experience: A’s in all statistics courses (freshman statistics, Time Series Regression, Multivariate regression and analysis), A in calculus, B+ in macroeconomics and B in microeconomics

 

LORs: One from a professor, one from CEO of non-profit, one from Manager at unilever. Should all be solid.

 

Concerns: My undergrad GPA is low as I developed a severe skin condition my sophomore year, and was very sick and depressed. I took a semester off my junior fall and my condition healed, but it severely impacted my grades both sophomore year and junior spring (transitioning back was very hard.) I explained this in the optional portion of my application – but do you think it is far too low to be excused?

 

Thanks so much for your help ?

[invincible49]

 

[ExponentialDecay]

Another one who thinks himself too special for the sticky thread

[KD1458]

@ExponentialDecay what is the sticky thread?