The 2013-2014 Zero Admit Club

Just reserving the spot.... Gonna update it very soon (Almost sure)...

Hey

Just got my 7th ding of the season.

Im totally devastated.

Age/Gender: 25/male/Brazilian
GMAT Score/GPA : 720/2.6/109 on Toefl
Work Experience: [industry/years] advertising/3years
Location: Brazil
Schools applied to: stanford, kellogg, haas, ucla, duke, columbia, cornell

Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?]
#Interviews: cornell, kellogg
#WL: NYU


Which ding hurt the most and why? Cornell. I was in love with The school, had a good interview and thought I had a real chance of getting in.

Why the lack of success? I guess my low GPA and work experience - only 3 years and no prestige companies. Perhaps I aimed too high as well.

What next? Visit schools and reapply this year. Maybe retake Toefl and Gmat. Try to get a promotion.


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I recommend you have someone look over your essays. It's true that you only have three years work experience, which is a factor, and you say you haven't worked at any known-name firms. So, more years experience + I would recommend you actually try to get a job at a known firm -- and if you want to go to school in the U.S. an U.S. / Internationally recognized firm is best.

Strive to work at the best company you can, but I would seriously advise that you pay someone (a consultant, whether it's me or someone else) to give you feedback on at least one batch of your essays. The essays in my opinion are EXTREMELY important, and if you're not maximizing that it doesn't matter if you're the owner of your own hedge fund and have a background at Goldman Sachs.

Hope this helps!

Jillian
MBA Ivy League
(646) 276-7042 (New York)
www.MBAIvyLeague.com

Age/Gender: 27/M
GMAT Score/GPA : GRE 321 (160 V 161 Q)/3.96 GPA (WES conversion) GMAT 630 (Q44 V31)- but did not use this score
Work Experience: (4+ years) I am Medical Biotechnologist Post graduate, was working as a scientist for 3 years completely Laboratory background. Was interested in Consulting but I could not get a consulting job as my background and experience did not attract consulting jobs. Created an consulting opportunity but volunteering to consult a local hospital for a year on improving Organisational Climate and Employee satisfaction for a year and in the mean time applied for MBA. (to get at least an interview with the consulting biggies!)
Location: India
Schools applied to: Duke (R2), Tepper (R2) and Cornell (R3)
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] yes
#Interviews: None
#WL: none

Optional:
Which ding hurt the most and why? All dings hurt me equally bad!. I had put in a lot of effort from 2010 (the point where I first thought I wanted to get an MBA and not PhD.) I believe I had strong extracurriculars in Dance (various forms, I used to choreograph for university and organisations where I have worked)
Why the lack of success? I believe I did not sell myself enough to get noticed by the adcom. I ll need to give my GMAT again, increase impact in my work experience and showcase it well.
What next? I can't keep up with the volunteer consulting for long and at the same time I see no consulting opportunity knocking my door so I would be going to research in my previous company and try again applying for schools in 2016 application cycle.


BUT I AM NOT DONE WITH B SCHOOL YET!

Do you mean, you're not done for this year? If that's the case, and you're still trying to make the best of your applications that are ALREADY still out there, yes, I would try to form some kind of relationship with the school and see if you can meet with anyone. If you are going to reapply though, I would strongly recommend you have someone look over your essays, as my guess is that might be the true problem.

MBA Ivy
www.MBAIvyLeague.com

No MBA Ivy, I am done for this year! Well to be honest I was happy with my consultant (I am not going to name) so I don't see essays as a problem but another look at them can definitely get in another perspective. I am look forward to approx. a year n half more of work before I apply. and mostly it ll be a different set of schools from the top 15.

Well, I wouldn't be so happy with your consultant if you didn't get in to your schools of choice. Sometimes there is nothing one can do, in terms of not enough work experience or low GMAT scores, but I just wouldn't be so quick to assume your consultant was perhaps the best one, given your lack of results...even though, of course, they could be a very nice person.

Just my opinion!

Totally agree!

Age/Gender: 23/F
GMAT Score/GPA : 750/3.56
Work Experience: [industry/years] Management Consulting/2 years
Location: TX
Schools applied to: Sloan, GSB, Kellogg
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] No
#Interviews: Kellogg
#WL: Sloan

Optional:
Which ding hurt the most and why? Sloan, I suppose. It was hard not to get my hopes up high when I was WL-ed, even though I knew the chances were slim.

Why the lack of success? Though I decided to apply to a few schools in R1, I had a feeling I'd be posting in this thread a few months later. Still, I had ample free time (thanks to the bench) and knew b-school was a potential goal for me. Besides shelling out a couple of hundred dollars, it couldn't hurt to apply. And I did learn a lot from the process! Compared to other applicants, I was likely too young and relatively inexperienced. This may have come across in my essays, as in hindsight I realize my career goals weren't well defined.

What next? This may seem weird, but I don't think I'm going to re-apply. Even if I had been admitted, I would have needed a scholarship from my firm to really consider going (which was part of my plan). In my situation, the opportunity cost + tuition, living expenses, etc. would not have been worth it. I need to really figure out my long-term career plans before I know if an MBA makes sense for me.

Hey All,

Just wanted to share a quick morale booster for you all. Last year I was a member of the zero admit club. Needless to say I will not be a member this year. Here is my info:

Age/Gender: 27/M
GMAT Score/GPA : 710/3.18
Work Experience: [industry/years] CPA/6 years
Location: MA
Schools applied to: Year One: Harvard, Booth, Kellogg, Duke, NYU, Columbia
Year Two: Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, NYU, Columbia
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] No
#Interviews: Year 1: Duke
Year 2: NYU, Cornell, Dartmouth
#WL: Year 1: Duke and NYU
Year 2: NYU
Admits: Year 2: Cornell (with $$) and NYU (off the WL)

Needless to say it has been a long journey. As you can see, my school selections changed significantly in year 2 as I realized I wanted to remain in the northeast. I had regretted applying to the Chicago schools as I didn't want to be in that area and Duke (while I enjoyed my visit after being invited to interview) felt too far from where I wanted to end up.

I just want to say to keep your heads up. Fine tune your resume and application. Most importantly, never give up on your dreams. I have yet to decide where I will matriculate but can't go wrong with either choice as both communities have been so welcoming. Your perseverance and hard work WILL pay off in the end.

Hello GMATCLUB Members,

GMATClub and Admissionado Consulting are conducting a webinar for the applicants got dinged this year. This is your opportunity to get expert guidance and build a smart strategy for the next application round/season. Webinar will be conducted by Admissionado's Founder and HBS Alum Jon Frank. Jon will share his suggestions followed by a Q&A session - this is your opportunity to ask your specific questions.

One lucky attendee will get the opportunity to have his/her (dinged) profile evaluated by Jon Frank during the session. If you'd like to be chosen for this opportunity, please email info@admissionado.com with the subject line "GMAT Club Webinar - Choose me!". Please include your name, nationality, age, GMAT score and a list of schools where you were dinged. And please also attach your essays + resume + LORs from one of your applications. Winner will be notified via email on April 16th!

Age/Gender: 26/Male
GMAT Score/GPA : 710/75.81% Indian University
Work Experience: [industry/years] EPC Peojects (Process Automation and Project Management)/3.5 years at the time of application, now 4 years completed
Location: Mumbai, India
Schools applied to: Emory GBS, Kellogg, Tepper, McCombs, ISB
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] Yes, Jamboree India
#Interviews: Yes ISB
#WL: Nil

I was not at all prepared for such a situation this year. Will try again next year.

Age/Gender: 25/Male
GMAT Score/GPA : 750/3.5
Work Experience: [industry/years] IT Outsourcing / 4 years
Location: India
Schools applied to: Ross, Darden, Kenan-Flagler, Kelley, McCombs
Any consulting services used: [Yes/NO, Who?] NO
#Interviews: Kenan-Flagler and Kelley
#WL: None

Which ding hurt the most and why?
Kelley hurt the most. They were the only schools that actually invited me to interview (as opposed to self initiated interviews) and even sent a promotional view book to me. I felt that I could have gotten in, but got dinged.

The second place goes to Kenan-Flagler, it was my first application and my first ding.

Why the lack of success?
Not sure really. I guess being Indian hurts, as does being an IT guy in an Indian company (that steals US jobs, allegedly). Negative outlook in essays also surely contributed. I opted for Skype interview for Kelley instead of hauling my ass to Bangalore, so doofy second year interviewed me. Should have gone to Bangalore.

What next?
I will reapply to Kelley because there is no application fee, and also because I made the most progress there last year. I'll also apply to some lower level US schools, ISB, NUS and Nanyang, Rotman and Schulich. Gotta play it safe this year.

Anything else?
Yes. It really sucks that people who took GMAT tips from me and got 620's and 650's got into awesome schools while I stagnate here. It makes me wonder.. what the hell is wrong with my life?

has this thread been created for this year?

Hello from the GMAT Club MBAbot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

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