It's all too simple to second-guess yourself after a rejection. However, don't make any conclusions about what went wrong. Find someone who isn't too close to your candidacy to read your application and tell you what impression you left on them. You might be shocked by how your application appears on paper. A professional admissions consultant may provide you with valuable insight, and many will provide valuable comments... gratis.
REJECTED? THE DING ANALYSIS "TRIANGLE" FOR MBA APPLICANTS
These days, in addition to helping our clients navigate financial aid decisions and a few waitlist scenarios, we also meet a lot of new folks who didn't use admissions consulting services to apply - but now are wondering if perhaps they should have after getting a ding. Most often, they are asking for "ding analysis."
Taking MBA Admissions Feedback With a Grain of Salt
I have been getting a lot of emails lately that center on the same basic idea: "I got feedback directly from the admissions office and they told me X." Sometimes the feedback is ultra specific ("you should seriously consider retaking your GMAT") and other times it is extremely vague ("there were elements of your application that just weren't quite where they needed to be"), usually somewhere in between. The question is: should you put stock in what they are saying?
Tips for reapplying to business school: Getting feedback, determining why you got dinged
Rejected? Dinged? 5 Tips for Reapplying to Business School
Why You Just Got Dinged (Probably) from Business School
Reactions to HBS Admissions Decisions
Time for a quick blog post in the wake of HBS sending out its three waves of decisions (October 6, 8, and 14). You can read the whole thing or you can just read this line, probably: don't take this stuff personally, understand there are a ton of great schools out there, and keep moving forward. Need more? Okay, let's break it down, with three Golden Rules for receiving a decision of this magnitude.
Responding to Your HBS Admissions Decision
Today is one of those days on the calendar that tend to stop everyone in their tracks and dominate the headlines. Nevermind that the Kellogg Round 1 deadline is tomorrow or that some people found out today that they were admitted to MIT - no, it's all about the HBS Round 1 notification deadline. Interview or ding? Rather, interview or ding or deferral, as that appears to be a popular option this year as well. Let's make sense of things and offer some advice on how to respond from here. We'll group it result-by-result.