Stanford GSB Calling all applicants for Class of 2016!

Still on the summer wait list :-/ Did anyone get accepted off of the wait list?

FROM Stanford Admissions Blog: Coming to a City Near You

If you haven't gotten a chance to attend a Stanford MBA information session, this is a great time to do so. We just posted the cities we'll be visiting over the next few months, and there's likely to be a session near you. Or, if you'll be traveling, you can meet up with us along the way. Dates and venues for worldwide events are being finalized and will be added to the calendar as they are confirmed. To get invitations to events in your region, fill out our Stay in Touch form. We hope to meet you soon.

FROM Stanford Admissions Blog: New Electrical Engineering/MBA Joint Degree Program

Beginning this fall, graduate students can apply for admission to a new joint degree program in electrical engineering and business. The joint degree will require three years of study instead of the usual four years needed to complete each program individually. Students must apply separately to, and be accepted by, both the Stanford MBA Program and the Electrical Engineering MS Program. The new joint degree links two of Stanford University's world-class schools—the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford School of Engineering. The program equips students to take new technologies from basic research to commercial products and drive future innovations. Stanford MBA students increasingly have sought second degrees in recent years as the opportunities for cross-sector leadership in the workplace have grown. Approximately 1 in 6 students pursues joint or dual degree studies. The new joint degree in electrical engineering joins the other Stanford MBA joint degree options: JD/MBA, MA Education/MBA, MPP/MBA, MS/Computer Science, and MS Environment & Resources/MBA. Learn more: MS in Electrical Engineering/MBA requirements Press release

Any other waitlisters get an interview?

Saw this thread while looking for some prep material and advice.

R2 applicant, WL here. Anybody out there still on the GSB summer wait list?

Tomorrow is another update day. I think there are only a handful of names in the wait pool (N=14 or so).

Was on WL with you. Got a phone call (good news), and was told I'd receive my admit packet tomorrow.

Hey congrats, that's terrific! Kudos on getting accepted AND for have closure to this seemingly-endless waiting process!

Thanks, and GL. My read is that they want to accept everyone left but it all depends on currently admitted people saying yes/no.

WL process definitely seems endless and high stress (at SLS also!) but then both came pretty quickly. Best of luck with tomorrow!

Instinctive, I'm adding my congrats as well!

I was one of the 14 still on the summer waitlist as of June 4. My letter today said I'm still on the waitlist. I would love to hear from Instinctive - What communication did you have with the GSB? I mean before you got the phone call? It would be a helpful reference point to hear if you sent emails/additional letters/updates.

HMM how are you feeling? What are your plans?

Hi Cambria – very kind of you to ask, thanks.

I'm still on the wait list, which is what I expected, since I did not get a call yesterday. I think the term "summer melt" is interesting. I know people who have withdrawn from GSB even after paying a deposit, so that definitely does happen. But, I just wonder about the magnitude. Is it 1-2 people per year, (in which case, no one gets in from the WL) or is it typically 5-10, in which case they would most likely turn to the WL. I expect the WL group is down to ~10: one or two got accepted (hooray, Instinctive) and I bet a few dropped off the list.
I will stay on the list - GSB is my top choice. I only applied to Harvard and Stanford and got dinged at HBS. I was never in the camp of “I absolutely need an MBA” – if I had been, I would have applied to a wider range of schools. I figured I would try my odds and HBS and GSB. I consider being this far into the WL process at GSB to be validation. Even if we ultimately don't get in, it's nice to know that we are the most competitive/qualified among the ~95% who did not gain admission to GSB. At least, that's what I tell myself...! I suppose there is always the option to apply again next year, though I'm not planning to at this point. I live in the Bay Area, and my employer is really supportive of me pursuing this. As a result, I have flexibility to stay on the list and shift my plans if I get admitted at the last minute. I'm lucky to be in that situation because I know not everyone would be able to change their situation, quit a job, move cross country, and join GSB with only 4-5 weeks notice. I also think we can - and should - consider pursuing our next steps even without the GSB MBA. Unless your career goals absolutely require an MBA, I say why not try anyway. In my case, that's moving from a really traditional/'safe' career into something a little more risky/alternative. The MBA would have prepared me and been a helpful credential, but why not give it a shot anyway?

How about you, how are you feeling? What are you planning?

Anybody else out there in this “elite” group of GSB summer wait listers?

1st, best of luck to you and HMM. There's always hope from the WL!

Each time we got a letter update saying WL, 2nd WL, 3rd WL, I sent a Letter of Continued Interest. I basically just stated where I was at with law school acceptances (since my stated goal and a large part of my app was the JD/MBA program). Beyond that, I had no real communication until I was granted an interview in early June.

I basically just kept my fingers crossed, tried to make sure GSB knew that SLS had admitted me and that I wanted to be at Stanford, and hoped for the best.


Feel free to PM any more direct questions.

@HMM

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I would say I was feeling moderately optimistic at the June 4th WL communication. But for some reason more pessimistic now about the odds of a Summer Melt creating enough (if any) spots that will lead GSB to pull from the WL. For a school with such a high yield, having 5+ people withdraw this summer sounds unlikely. I did however speak to a current 1st year who got off the WL last year, and she said about 3 people got off the WL in August. So that is one anecdotal datapoint and some reason to be hopeful.

I'll probably stay on the WL too. I'm also in the Bay Area (to your point about flexibility) and GSB is my first choice. I'm slightly considering reapplying next year but at this point I'm probably not going to do it. Reapplying also depends on talking through things with my SO about going to my second choice school (MIT) and whether we can settle on that.

@ Instinctive
Congrats again! Thanks for replying about how you communicated with the GSB.

Hey guys, has anyone received any good news since the last update on July 16? I've been on the WL since R1. Really hoping for some good news. There is another notification date tomorrow.

For what it's worth, as far as Stanford GSB vs HBS, the GSB takes 3 out of every 4 cross-admits with HBS. This is from a source very close to the GSB and has apparently been confirmed by the Dean. HBS might still have a higher yield, since it admits many students who don't get accepted to the GSB, and HBS' yield on those students must be close to 100%. Shockingly, the GSB takes slightly higher than 3 out of ever 4 cross-admits among international student. Apparently, the only major competition the GSB has for MBA students is from industry (prospects deciding to forgo an MBA).