To defer? Or not to defer? That, is the question.

Hi KarmaChameleon,

First of all, congrats on the Kellogg acceptance! And I appreciate the Shakespeare reference

For the most part I think it's really a personal choice and needs to be based on what's important to you and what feels right for you, but I'm happy to share my take on some factors you could be considering.

Overall your stats seem really solid with good GPA/GMAT and consulting experience. I'm not sure what you wrote about for your career goals or what leadership experience or activities you have outside of work, those are unknowns, but I assume they were solid too given the results you had with Kellogg and the Haas waitlist.

The AdCom will be familiar with the typical promotion structure in big consulting firms so having that fast track promotion could give you an edge. It would certainly show quick progression and successful results and after a year in the role, I'm sure you would have some great examples of leadership that you could point to. But unfortunately there are no guarantees and these schools (H/S/W in particular) are extremely selective so I'm not sure that the promotion alone would get you to high level of odds you're looking for. With all reapplicants, I always advise really reflecting on ways you can improve your profile in multiple ways - this can be on-the-job experience, accelerating personal accomplishments, taking steps to prepare you for your long-term goals, taking supplemental business courses, etc. If you do reapply, I think you'll need to be able to tell a logical and compelling story about why you need an MBA at that point (since you'll then be already in a management position).

I would also encourage you to think about mutual fit with these programs and focus on factors beyond the rankings like community, reputation in your industry, curriculum, alumni network, location, recruitment stats, etc. It's possible Kellogg could check all those boxes for you now!

Good luck with the decision and let us know if we can help with anything else.