DARDEN ADMIT, INSEAD JAN 2007 ADMIT, UPDATED

Hi Guys, I wrote this a couple months ago, when I got accepted to Darden. I also had an application to Jan 2007 Insead, which turned out well and today I received a message from Insead that I am accepted to Fonty Campus.

After a almost 3 years of working on preparation for business schools, after spending numerous hours on samples in this forum, I am glad to announce I received an invitation DARDEN and INSEAD. I also got a FULL ride tuition scholarship at Darden.

I haven't been here for a couple months and got disconnect from many of you. Meanwhile, many things happened but here is some sample profile:

27 years male, GMAT 650 (verbal 90 percentile, math 70 percentile), GPA 3.80 from a small but #1 liberal arts school in the south, KENTUCKY !(ya, don't ask me what did I do there

Ran a company when i was 17-20, success and then bancrupcy & failure > Came to the USA from Europe in '99, lived on streets in NYC, cleaned floors in Walmart, was preparing for undergrad, got full ride at KY school, opened a nonprofit company while a sophomore, ran it for 2 years, sold it to college, got hired by Goldman and then by Morgan Stanley. Left the USA three months ago, got hired by KBC group, and now I am holding an offer from one company from Big 4 (M&A).

Darden
I have worked on this school for three years - I visited the school, loved it and was in touch with alumni as well as one student ambasador.
Applied early round, got a phone interview with Darden (yes, they can do it in some cases).

And now - I have been in touch with Darden people for three years - I asked all possible questions and one of the ambassadors even recommended me when I applied. I was so ready...I knew I coulnd't be dinged ...

WAS PUT ON WAITLIST! mostly because and now - an advice for you - I had two people from my school recommend me , NO professional from Morgan !! Ya, I was stupid.
Don't ever do that ... they say it's ok, but it will hurt your application.

Monday - waitlisted
Tuesday - my colleague & my boss send their references
Wednesday - a well respected US anthropologist who happens to be my best friend sends them his reference
Friday- I received a phone call from Darden announcing me I was taken off the waitlist and accepted !

If you want any advice concerning how to be taken off the waitlist, please message me - I probably used all possible tools : ), that's why they didn't wait for the end of all their rounds (probably)

Now, INSEAD ...
Applied, had my interviews, no questions from the adcom and accepted.

Why didn't I apply to ultra top US schools ? I am not their type and they are not my schools. I was in touch with them, talked the school with them, met with people from HBS, Columbia, etc ... even started their online applications. I knew I had something not many people could offer but still .. .. I decided not to apply.

So thanks for the opportunity to share - And as always, PAUL - THANKS

Cheers, Michal

BTW for those that reached this very END - I am accepting the offer from Darden.