{"id":36735,"date":"2017-04-05T11:43:28","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T18:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/acceptance-to-an-m7-in-round-3-yes-its-possible\/"},"modified":"2017-04-05T11:43:28","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T18:43:28","slug":"acceptance-to-an-m7-in-round-3-yes-its-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/acceptance-to-an-m7-in-round-3-yes-its-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Acceptance to an M7 in Round 3? Yes it’s possible!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Round 3 (\u201cR3\u201d) deadlines are upon us, which for some applicants represents the last chance for 2017 admission to an MBA program or a \u201cdo-over\u201d round for applicants who came out of Round 2 (\u201cR2\u201d) with unsatisfactory results for any number of reasons. As we discussed inThe Truth About Round 3<\/a>, chances of admission in R3 are notoriously low, particularly at the top programs. However, they\u2019re not impossible, and if you\u2019re either considering throwing in a \u201chail mary\u201d application in R3 or you\u2019re hoping to better gauge your odds, we thought it would be helpful to hear from a successful R3 applicant to an M7 program from a few years back.<\/div>\n
So we interviewed Lisa*, who applied to Columbia Business School one day before the final deadline in April. (Please note that we did not work with Lisa on her applications; she is a classmate of Vantage Point Co-Founder, Melody. However, given the volume of inquiries we receive from applicants considering R3 timing every year, we think it\u2019s valuable to share a real example of someone who navigated the process successfully.)<\/div>\n
Here\u2019s a bit more about her profile:<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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Nationality: Canadian<\/div>\n
Gender: Female<\/div>\n
GMAT: 700<\/div>\n
GPA: mid-80% from University of British Columbia (in Canada)<\/div>\n
Pre-MBA Background: marketing & advertising at\u00a0Ogilvy, then product marketing at Virgin Mobile \u2013 all in Toronto. 5 years of work experience at the time of application submission<\/div>\n
Extra-curriculars: checked the box, nothing stand-out<\/div>\n
Goals: ST \u2013 management consulting, LT \u2013 entrepreneurship<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Now let\u2019s dive into our conversation!<\/div>\n
Did you apply to any other schools in Round 3?<\/div>\n
Columbia was the only school for R3 but I had applied to Booth and Duke (Fuqua) in R2 and had been admitted to both with scholarships.<\/div>\n
Why did you choose R3 timing for your Columbia application, especially since Columbia has rolling admissions? In other words, why didn\u2019t you start sooner?<\/div>\n
Well, I wasn\u2019t really planning on applying to Columbia initially but after attending the admitted students weekends for Booth and Fuqua, I wasn\u2019t really excited about either one. I had a cousin who was a current student at Columbia and who encouraged me to apply because she said that I should be super excited about any program that I\u2019m committing two years of my life to. After further researching Columbia, I realized that it was a great fit for me and my goals. In terms of my decision to apply so late in the season, there was really no downside for me because I already had two acceptance offers to choose from.<\/div>\n
Did you know that the odds of admission were significantly lower (statistically speaking) in R3 vs. the earlier two rounds? If so, what made you decide to go for it anyways?<\/div>\n
Yes, I knew the odds\u00a0were\u00a0lower but the upside far outweighed the downside in my situation. I really didn\u2019t have much to lose except for the time and money that went into the application itself. I went into it fully knowing the other downsides as well (no scholarships, low likelihood of securing on-campus housing, etc.) but I was willing to go without those for the chance of getting into a school that I would be happier attending.<\/div>\n
How did your timing impact your overall application strategy? Did you think about your essays differently than you might have if you had applied earlier (i.e. more pressure to be unique, perhaps)?<\/div>\n
No, not really. I had put a lot of work into developing strong applications for R2 and I knew my \u201cstory\u201d was working because I had been admitted to two other schools already \u2013 so no need to fix what wasn\u2019t broken. I put my Columbia application together in 2 weeks and leveraged a lot of the prior strategy, essays, and core message that I had developed for my other applications. If I had not been admitted to any programs in R2, then yes, I definitely would have re-evaluated my approach.<\/div>\n
How big of a role did timing play in your application components? (i.e. did you address it directly in your essays, your interview, etc.)<\/div>\n
Great question but no, I didn\u2019t address it at all and frankly, it didn\u2019t come up even in my interview. But I hear that\u2019s often not the case for R3 applicants so maybe my experience was unique!<\/div>\n
Ultimately, you were admitted to Columbia! Bravo!<\/div>\n
Yes, I was! And I didn\u2019t think twice about accepting the offer, even though it didn\u2019t come with a scholarship. Fit was more important to me than anything and I knew that Columbia was the place for me. I only wish I had been more thorough in choosing schools earlier in the process!<\/div>\n
To what do you owe your success so late in the game, do you think?<\/div>\n
I honestly think it was a combination of things, along with a bit of luck. My cousin definitely helped guide me and I know she put in a good word for me with someone she knew in admissions. But I\u2019m not going to pretend that was a \u201csilver bullet\u201d. I think my confidence helped a lot too \u2013 I didn\u2019t go into it discounting myself or feeling like an underdog. I figured I\u2019ll never know for sure until I try. I think my personal story was also a compelling one \u2013 I\u2019m a first generation immigrant to Canada from Russia and I think I did a decent job at conveying how my family history has impacted my drive and my goals \u2013 i.e. story of a woman pursuing her passion because other women in her family before her couldn\u2019t. That personal story together with my slightly less traditional professional background probably helped me stand out so late in the season. I imagine admissions saying \u201cwow, we don\u2019t have one of her in our class yet!\u201d<\/div>\n
Would you do it all over again if you could, or would you have started earlier?<\/div>\n
Well, yes, of course I would have started earlier! I could have gotten scholarship money, at the very least.<\/div>\n
What advice do you have for applicants considering applying in R3 or 4?<\/div>\n
Well, I\u2019d say apply earlier! But if that\u2019s a moot point and you\u2019ve decided to go for it in R3, give it your all. Make sure that your application is at its best in every way possible. Make sure your story, your goals, your reasons for pursuing an MBA, your reasons for applying to school X, etc. are very well-articulated. And I think you should be thoughtful about school selection. I applied to Columbia because I had done my homework and determined it was the right fit. That likely contributed to my acceptance. If you\u2019re applying to schools in R3 out of desperation or a final attempt to get in \u201csomewhere\u201d instead of the \u201cright where\u201d, that could easily work against you so watch out. Lastly, be confident, believe in yourself! When classes start in the fall, everyone is equal, no matter in what round you were admitted.<\/div>\n
Great insights from Lisa! We hope this gave you some added clarity, or at the very least, some added confidence going into R3 or even R4. Late round applications aren\u2019t right for everyone and if you can delay until R1 of the following year, that very well may be the best option for you \u2013 especially if you\u2019re an over-represented applicant profile (i.e. banker, consultant, Indian engineer, etc.) \u00a0But if you\u2019ve decided to go for it, Lisa\u2019s experience shows some key best practices for R3 success: apply to the right schools (and do your homework on those schools), submit your very best application, and believe in yourself.<\/div>\n
If you have any questions about your late round applications, please reach out to us. We\u2019re happy to help. You can sign up for afree 30-minute consultation<\/a>. Best of luck & we look forward to hearing from you!<\/div>\n
* Name has been changed for privacy purposes.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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