If the results coming in from your round-one MBA applications haven’t panned out as you’d expected, don’t lose hope. Instead, use those disappointing results as a learning opportunity for round two. Remember, setbacks are simply setups for comebacks. So, let’s dive into how you can tweak your strategy for an even more successful round two application.
“For those who were dinged from round 1, now is the time to get an objective, expert opinion on what went wrong and how to get on track to admit success for round two deadlines,” says SBC Principal Consultant Esther Magna.
“Have conversations with a qualified, experienced professional to gain self-awareness about your strengths and weaknesses. That way, you can ensure you’re optimizing all facets of your candidacy to ensure you’ll get admitted and be able to matriculate in the fall of 2024.”
Reflect and Learn: Turning Dings into Steppingstones
Receiving a rejection in round one is disappointing—not gonna lie. But it’s crucial to reframe it as a growth opportunity. Take a step back and make a brutal assessment of your round-one application. What were the strengths? What areas can you improve? Seek feedback from mentors, admissions consultants, or even peers. This reflective process is the cornerstone of a robust round two strategy.
Your application is your story; sometimes, it’s all about how you tell it. Revisit your personal and professional journey. Is there a compelling narrative that didn’t shine through in round one? There could be an experience that makes you stand out or a skill set you could have emphasized more. Over the coming months, build a narrative that highlights your unique strengths, experiences, and value to an MBA community.
In Round Two, Tailor Your Applications Wisely
School fit is not just about what the institution can offer you; it’s also about what you can bring to the table. Take another look at the schools on your list. Does your application echo their values, culture, and academic offerings? Tailor your essays, interviews, and even your resume to align with the ethos of each school. Admissions committees appreciate candidates who’ve done their homework.
Also, make sure your stats align with the averages listed on the class profile pages. Often, a reevaluation of your target schools makes sense if the first batch didn’t go as hoped. You might have applied to ones that didn’t match up well with your profile. Make sure your focus is on fit over brand strength, and match your preferred learning style to the school’s instruction style.
When facing rejection, demonstrating resilience and a growth mindset is critical. Showcase instances where you faced challenges, learned from them, and emerged stronger.
When possible, emphasize how these have shaped your character and approach to success. Admissions committees appreciate candidates who can adapt, grow, and thrive in dynamic environments.
Stacy Blackman Consulting offers a Ding Analysis service to evaluate your materials and provide feedback you can use when you reapply. Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
Did You Get Wrecked By Rec Letters?
Next, consider the quality of your letters of recommendation—these can be game changers. Do you suspect weak recommendations tanked your R1 chances? Then try a fresh approach for round two. This time out, seek letters from those who can provide a different perspective on your skills, achievements, and potential.
Round two also offers a chance to feature any new successes or projects you’ve started since the fall. Whether it’s exceeding targets at work, starting a successful project, or contributing to your community, highlight real examples where you’ve made a positive impact. This adds substance to your application and reinforces your commitment to making a difference.
Above all, you want recommenders who can talk about many aspects of your character and professional abilities. Most people don’t know how to write a persuasive MBA recommendation. They imagine that talking about how great you are is enough to seal the deal. Unfortunately, these types of letters totally miss the mark. So, be sure to guide them on salient points you’d like them to emphasize.
Remind your recommenders to address specific examples of your accomplishments and leadership abilities. Also, they should discuss your work ethic or team-building skills. Writing a strong endorsement requires some effort, so make it easy for your recommender by providing a list of the accomplishments you want to highlight.
Finetune Your MBA Resume for Round 2
A well-crafted resume serves as a quick reference for admissions committees and reinforces your professional narrative. “A weak resume tells the admissions committee that you don’t know how to make good use of a page to highlight the best of your academic and professional and extracurricular life to date,” SBC consultant Erika shared in this episode of the B-Schooled podcast.
“It means you don’t have the communication skills that the best executives and industry leaders have where you can make powerful statements briefly. It means you don’t know how to use numbers or details to make your case in a compelling way. And it might also tell them that you don’t have the confidence to sell yourself in a way that doesn’t make you come off like a jerk.”
Your resume is a snapshot of your professional journey, so make every word count. Highlight achievements, quantify impact where possible, and ensure that your resume complements the story you’re telling in your essays.
As this Michigan Ross MBA admissions blog post emphasizes, “Don’t let the first thing we look at be the item you spend the least amount of time on! Be sure to show us what impact you’ve made at your current and previous jobs. Remember: we’re not looking for a job description. We’re looking for what you specifically brought to each role that you have taken on and how you have impacted your company and your team.”
“Additionally, be mindful of length…and overuse of industry jargon. A good, strong resume should be one page. Clear communication and concise deliverables make for a strong candidate in this process.”
Embrace the Second Chance
Big picture, the round two deadline is not just another shot—it’s an opportunity to showcase your resilience, growth, and unwavering commitment to your MBA aspirations. Remember, setbacks are not the end of the road; they’re detours leading to better paths.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs, from our All-In Partnership to hourly help reviewing your MBA resume. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS.
During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).
During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions.
Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally.
Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).
In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years.
Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee.
In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB).
Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics.
Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford.
Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise.
During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies.
In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team.
During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS).
During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business.
At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director.
Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants.</sp ...
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