Calling All Fall 2012 Consortium Applicants!

Well now you have me worried since I haven't recieved an interview invite yet! thanks jerk, way to ruin my Thanksgiving! haha, jk.

But I am a bit worried that they didn't list the school I ranked below them because after I submitted my app there was some kind of glitch in the matrix and my 6th school didn't show on my pdf rankings sheet. I called and spoke with Consortium and they said they knew of the issue and everything would be alright. But now I think I better give them another call and make sure my app got submitted to my 6th ranked school. Silly Consortium.

Good look on your interview though!

Haha, sorry mate! I'm sure you'll get yours soon enough

And yeah, agree on the Consortium silliness. The recommendation e-mail thing was weird and I had a glitch or two when I changed my total # of school apps.

All else equal, does applying via the Consortium increase, decrease, or keep the same your odds at getting into the b-schools you pick?

While I've heard some schools say it doesn't matter (or change odds) which way you apply (directly or via the Consortium), I am wondering how true this is. E.g. some schools say the same about early decision vs. non-early decision, but in reality the students there have told me otherwise, and that early decision significantly increases the probability. This also probably depends by school, as some schools have a more robust process applying directly and a less robust process online.

Thought? Anyone have actual experience with this?

Robface,

First of all welcome. Second, I think most schools are beyond ED so you may as well forget that option. If you're applying next year the ED option for schools like Tuck matters. With regards to R1 v R2 Consortium it depends on the school. Some schools (eg Yale) consider the pool together, while some schools (eg Darden) consider students in two separate pools. Again, each school has their own policy around how many they accept in each Round if they consider separately (refer back a few pages for a partial list of schools the consider them separately and together).

As a side note several schools in the Consortium will make you fill out there complete application anyways, so I don't see the downside to applying through Consortium if you'll have to do all the essays anyways. At the end of the day call the adcom directly that can provide the best answers.

Thanks The Senator and good luck in interviews and applications!

While I can't say that it helps or hurts your chances, I think admissions officers at any school will tell you to apply through the Consortium for the networking opportunities alone.

I don't mean to cross any racial boundaries here, but how many of you are not actually underrepresented minorities?

I am not. Anybody else?

Did you go with the target school first, and then the back up schools last?

Yes and No. Though the final order was a game-time decision

NYU is my first choice and has been through the process and Cornell actually is my 2nd choice (a close one at that) though I may not have said the same thing 2-3 months ago. UCLA however I would've put 3rd but given what I've heard about they're lack of CGSM fellowships I put Emory ahead of them. However I still put USC behind UCLA b/c of preference and I figure it would only worsen my chances at the more competitive program if I were to put them 5 out of 5 of my Consortium schools, although 4 can't be much better

Hey all -

I will be applying to the Consortium for Round 2 and was hoping someone could help me out a little with choosing schools to apply to. I've been researching all of the Consortium schools, but they all seem a lot alike.

My stats:
3.2 UG GPA / 710 GMAT
3 years WE (General HR)
JD (Top 10 school)
Lots of leadership positions, etc.
Black

I'm mostly interested in pursuing a career in general management or consulting. Are there any schools that I should be looking at? What are good reaches, targets, safeties, etc.?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Are you only looking at schools within the Consortium? Does class size matter? Does location matter? How many school sare you looking to apply to through the Consortium? That info would be helpful.

Thanks for the response. I am only looking at Consortium schools. The class size doesn't really matter to me. Location also isn't an important factor. I'd prefer to be in a big city, but I'd trade location for better career opportunities. I'm looking to apply to about 6 schools. Ideally, I'd like to end up in Southern California (LA or SD) after graduation. So I was looking at UCLA as sort of a #1 option. I received my JD from Michigan. So, I wouldn't mind going back to Ann Arbor. Also interested in Berkeley, CMU, Cornell, NYU, USC, UT, and UVA. I just want to know where I'd have a realistic shot of gaining admission.

Thanks!

From what it sounds like all three schools in Cal would fit the bill... You'd have the highest likelihood of ending up in SoCal and they're all in or near big cities. McCombs may also be a solid option for you.

Consulting opportunities will be abundant at most schools you listed and of course at Consortium OP you should get a head start on recruiting season.

The other suggestion that I have, and this is just my opinion, NYU and Darden may very well appreciate the fact you have a JD. Darden because of the rigor of the program -if you've gone thru law school you can likely handle Darden- and the fact that many of their grads end up in DC. NYU may like you because the combination of a JD with and MBA would certainly help in the banking industry, particularly consulting on M & A deals.

At the end of day I think you have a good chance of getting in at any of the aforementioned schools as long as your story is on point. GPA and GMAT is part of the puzzle but not the be all end all of where you end up.

Awesome. Thanks a lot for the input! I really appreciate it.

Just out of curiosity for first rounders... Once you get an acceptance will you start withdrawing apps from other schools? I know it depends on where they were ranked, etc. But I wonder what everyone's consideration criteria is.

For the record I have not been accepted anywhere yet.

I don't think I will. My first choice is probably the school I'll hear back from last and Georgetown decisions come out in 2 weeks, so these next few months will be interesting to say the least.