Georgetown - McDonough (2013) - Calling all applicants

Blind.

I got a couple of emails from admission committee and they asked some more questions about my career gap. I don't know whether it is a good sign or not. I will keep my fingers crossed for the final result on Mar, 15.

I wouldn't worry about it. If they had doubts they would reject you without asking, so they want to give you the benefit for clarification.

I got a similar e-mail (regarding something else), and I don't want to read too much into it but I also think it's because they're at least looking at my application very seriously. (which is great because I bombed the interview) I like the building too, you can see everything from everywhere and even the Washington Monument!

Does anyone have any information regarding chances of admission off of the waitlist? Has anyone ever met someone admitted off of the waitlist and if so what was the timeline of the process? Any information would be helpful?

On Wednesday I got an e-mail asking me to clarify something about the work experience. They said that the work information I provided was contradictory. I almost had a heart attack. When I checked back on my application, I saw that it was all correct. I e-mailed them back explaining my work experience. It felt odd because I didn't know how to tell them "I was never wrong. You are wrong". I updated my resume to include my first two jobs, which were previously not included, and sent the updated version. They thanked me for clearing that up and sending the updated resume.

Hahah -- yeah, I got a very similar email!

They told me the jobs on my resume didn't have date indicators, specifically calling out that there were no months or years. While it's true that I didn't have months (I used seasonal indicators instead, on purpose, which gives a fair approximation and follows the format of other top B-schools), I definitely had years in my submitted resume. I updated accordingly and just said that I added in months in place of seasons (so as not to "admit" that my resume format was inherently incorrect).

Georgetown has only a 36% yield, so I'd say you have a decent shot at getting admitted off the waitlist.

Can't speak for G-Town, but my friend was admitted off the WL at CBS a couple of years ago. She sent them updates on her post-application promotion and additional extracurricular developmental activities she'd been engaged in to demonstrate high interest in the program. Never hurts to strategically sneak in there that you would definitely attend if extended an offer (if that statement is genuine and in the proper context of the outreach).

Ouch, I knew they had low yield but that's really low! McDonough seems to be like a catch-all safety school in the NE/Mid-Atlantic region because of their name and location. I met only a few people whose first choice was Georgetown, they seem to mainly sweep up those who slip between the cracks at the likes of Fuqua, Ross and Darden.

That is pretty low. What is the yield rate at its peer schools?

Businessweek shows 41% at Marshall and 51% at Owen... Kelley, Kenan-Flagler and McCombs are all in the 40s as well.

Vanderbilt and Indiana are smaller schools and the number of applicants are fewer as well. McCombs, UNC, Marshall and McDonough are very comparable with their class sizes and the number of applicants. Since they're all in the same ball park ranking wise, cost of attending might be a factor. UNC n McCombs are cheaper to attend(both tuition and living). Other than that the lower yield is surprising to me because all 4 schools are very strong regionally, have very similar recruitment stats and solid alumni networks. (I guess there's more top 16 schools in the N.E than anywhere else so Georgetown probably loses a bulk of its admits to them)

Thanks everyone for the responses. What you say makes sense. Seems like Georgetown will lead me to any door, but maybe I have to nudge it a bit on my own to get it to open. I'm feeling more and more positive about the program and will probably be there in the fall. Thanks!

In my research, the program is very solid by all accounts -- everything from the professors to the students down to the building facilities have all been commented on favorably. As someone who lives in DC, the only knock I've heard is that you stand the risk of getting labeled as a "beltway guy," meaning that people will stereotype you as being primarily interested in poli-sci/gov oriented work. This isn't so much the school's fault as it is the stigma of the city. As you can imagine, DC is not a huge hub for private industry (beyond government-specific consulting). Thus, if you are looking for jobs in finance, marketing, or non-government consulting, you will need to work a bit harder in the recruiting process, particularly if you are looking to work outside of the DMV area.

What's consulting recruiting like at MSB? MBB will be tough, but what about firms like Deloitte? Do you have to network like crazy, are there only a few spots for MSB students?

Deloitte seems to swallow up Fuqua students, dunno about other schools.

Yea spot on. Everyone I talk to there raves about the school and the career services, but I've also heard that it can be tough to get into the top of the top firms in some industries. In consulting for instance, I have a friend who is a 2Y there who wanted McKinsey, but had a tough time getting attention from recruiters, while by comparison McKinsey hires 40-50 students from the Columbias and Kelloggs of the world each year. Nonetheless this friend ended up with a sweet gig at Deloitte, probably for more money than he would make at McKinsey, which speaks to the strength of the program.[/quote]


What's consulting recruiting like at MSB? MBB will be tough, but what about firms like Deloitte? Do you have to network like crazy, are there only a few spots for MSB students?

Deloitte seems to swallow up Fuqua students, dunno about other schools.[/quote]

I don't know about recruiting, but here's a copy of the employment profile I found. It doesn't go into detail about the number of hires, but has some overall consulting numbers and companies.

I believe Georgetown is a big feeder for Deloitte's Federal Consulting department. Makes sense given the location. Lucrative field too and very cool if you're interested in the public sector (unfortunately I'm not haha).