{"id":37164,"date":"2017-05-11T09:52:20","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T16:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/five-common-scenarios-in-the-wake-of-mba-decisions-and-what-to-do-next\/"},"modified":"2017-05-11T09:52:20","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T16:52:20","slug":"five-common-scenarios-in-the-wake-of-mba-decisions-and-what-to-do-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/five-common-scenarios-in-the-wake-of-mba-decisions-and-what-to-do-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Five common scenarios in the wake of MBA decisions, and what to do next"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s the sunset of MBA Admissions season, bringing joy to some and frustration or disappointment to others. For many it\u2019s the most nerve-wracking time of the admissions cycle, signaling their final shot at securing a spot this year.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s your story? Perhaps you won a great scholarship \u2013 but not from your dream school. Maybe you\u2019ve been wrestling with whether to stick it out on the waitlist or accept the offer from your safety school\u2026 or maybe no offer has been forthcoming as notification deadlines slip quietly by.<\/p>\n<p>Given the possible outcomes, it\u2019s a good time to look at the options and seek out some insider advice from our team of former admissions directors and business school insiders at Fortuna Admissions. Our coaches have spent the month celebrating a terrific spread of clients\u2019 offers from GSB to LBS, and talking with candidates who face a spectrum of life-changing choices. I tapped five of my fellow coaches for their top tips on five of the most typical situations we see following Round 2 decisions:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Situation #1: Competing offers from two dream schools. How to decide?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course, this is the best sort of problem to have,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortunaadmissions.com\/malvin-complainville\/\"><strong>Malvina Miller Complainville<\/strong><\/a>, former Harvard Business School Assistant Director of Career Services.<strong>\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>While it\u2019s an enviable and rare position, it can be an agonizing decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re relating to this special agony, Malvina advises is to put rankings aside and get personal. Craft your decision-making matrix with five key elements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assess your cultural fit with each program: Visit campus, audit a class, and get a sense of the teaching style and a vibe for the community. Be sure to talk to students, faculty and alumni about their experience with the program. To really experience the cultural nuances and personality of each school, nothing compares with being there \u2013 even if it\u2019s for a couple hours.<\/li>\n<li>Weigh the financial implications: Is one program offering more scholarship opportunities or other financial support that will lessen the burden?<\/li>\n<li>Learn about each school\u2019s career offerings: Reach out to career clubs about events and opportunities and find out which companies recruit on campus. Study the career stats and explore the opportunities that may await you post-MBA.<\/li>\n<li>Consider brand recognition: How might a program\u2019s strengths and reputation, as well as the networks and experiences it offers, position you to advance your career aspirations? For international careers, consider the strength of the program\u2019s brand abroad.<\/li>\n<li>Scrutinize the alumni network: Is the alumni community well developed and engaged? This is particularly important if you\u2019re pursuing a job search abroad.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Situation #2: Waitlist. What\u2019s your next move?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a few immediate actions you can take to boost your standing to maximize your chances of getting a confirmed offer,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortunaadmissions.com\/caroline-diarte-edwards\/\"><strong>Caroline Diarte Edwards<\/strong><\/a>, former INSEAD head of Admissions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Confirm to the program that you accept a spot on the waitlist, and reinforce your commitment to the school. Stay positive in your tone, without a trace of disappointment (or worse, resentment).<\/li>\n<li>Reach out to the admissions office at intervals \u2013 without being a pest. Dropping a line every 3-4 weeks is appropriate. Reinforce your motivation at the very least, and if you can share a useful update on your profile, present that too. Balance emails with the occasional phone call \u2013 personal touches can keep you on the radar screen and create a positive impression.<\/li>\n<li>Supply an additional letter of support \u2013 if possible, from a member of the school community who can attest to your fit with the school. A one-page email will suffice \u2013 it needn\u2019t be as formal as the official recommendations you submitted already. But don\u2019t flood the admissions team with additional letters \u2013 this will backfire and potentially harm your reputation.<\/li>\n<li>Share an update with your alumni interviewers on your situation (if you interviewed with alumni), and solicit any suggestions or feedback. While they won\u2019t be able to say \u201cwhy\u201d (and they may not know), they can provide some insight about your conversation and their sense of your fit with the program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cAlso, consider next steps \u2013\u00a0 if you haven\u2019t hatched a plan B, now is the time to start,\u201d Caroline adds. \u201cIf you don\u2019t received an acceptance offer \u2013 and know that most waitlisted candidates won\u2019t \u2013 should you reapply to the same program? To other programs? As you weigh next steps, start identifying ways to strengthen your profile throughout the coming year to boost your chances of success in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Situation #3: Still no offers in R2 \u2013 how to prepare for R3?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw many excellent, highly qualified candidates apply in Round 3,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortunaadmissions.com\/jessica-chung\/\"><strong>Jessica Chung<\/strong><\/a><strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>former UCLA Anderson Associate Director. \u201cAnd, the reality was there simply wasn\u2019t enough space to accept all of them. The ones who stood out, making an impressive case, were those who conveyed an authentic and sincere enthusiasm for the school and strategically articulated the unique aspects of their experiences, backgrounds and personal\u00a0qualities that would enhance the Anderson community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica\u2019s biggest caution for R3 candidates is to avoid a hasty application. \u201cIt was very obvious when a candidate rushed her application, as she failed to convey more than superficial knowledge of our school and her motivations for pursuing an MBA at Anderson.\u201d Here are Jessica\u2019s top tips for success in R3:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t be concerned about rankings; now\u2019s the time to research and create a list of schools with other qualities you\u2019re seeking \u2013 like alumni network, employment stats, location, etc. \u2013 but that weren\u2019t previously on your short list.<\/li>\n<li>Begin engaging program admissions offices or student ambassadors, and visit campuses if possible.<\/li>\n<li>Reach out to current students with similar goals and\/or backgrounds for informational interviews, especially if you can\u2019t swing a campus visit.<\/li>\n<li>Take a fresh look at your overall narrative as you assemble application materials, and look for ways to emphasize distinctive experiences in your essays.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cBy round 3, many programs are looking to enhance diversity to round out the class,\u201d says Jessica, \u201cSo\u00a0emphasizing your unique characteristics and qualities can help you to stand out from others with a similar pre-MBA background.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Situation #4: Admitted to your safety school. Reapply again next year, or take the offer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that it depends on what you consider a safety school,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortunaadmissions.com\/judith-silverman-hodara\/\"><strong>Judith Silverman Hodara<\/strong><\/a>, former head of Wharton Admissions . \u201cI had client this year who was accepted to Booth, and his bosses were pushing him to hold out for HBS and GSB. With his profile in mind, I advised he should take Booth. Why? Frankly, he would never really know what had kept him out of HBS and GSB, and in this case, a bird in the hand, as they say, was well worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s another story if you suspect your application wasn\u2019t stellar, or that you didn\u2019t make your best effort,\u201d says Judith. \u201cPerhaps you feel an additional year of leadership or work experience could make a difference. Or you might sense you got into your safety program too easily, and that it\u2019s not as worthy because you didn\u2019t struggle for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While each scenario is distinct, Judith proposes the following questions for reflection:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Will your second-choice program offer what you need and want in terms of career progression, network, community and network?<\/li>\n<li>Will you always be wondering if you should be somewhere else?<\/li>\n<li>Do you suspect what you communicated or wrote was lacking, as opposed to the more quant-driven elements?<\/li>\n<li>Is the ROI of a possibly better, unknown offer with no guarantee worse or better than the ROI of taking the offer you already have?<\/li>\n<li>Consider the pros and cons of embracing another year of the application process: another year delaying your career switch or progression, and another year with more experience (which isn\u2019t necessarily strategic for schools favoring candidates earlier in their professional lives)?<\/li>\n<li>How will you enhance your story over the coming year? While re-applicants are certainly welcomed and encouraged, what will have changed since you applied last time?<\/li>\n<li>Re-examining everything \u2013 are you willing to do it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cIn the end, I advise students to flip a coin on the answer: Not to follow the coin\u2019s ruling, but to get a gut-check about <em>how it\u2019s outcome<\/em> <em>makes you feel<\/em>,\u201d says Judith. \u201cThis can signal a lot about what to do next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Situation #5: You\u2019ve landed a scholarship, but not from your dream school. Do you take it?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn MBA is a huge investment, so receiving a scholarship \u2013 even when it\u2019s not from your first-choice school \u2013 is something to take seriously,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/fortunaadmissions.com\/catherine-tuttle\/\"><strong>Catherine Tuttle<\/strong><\/a>, former Duke Fuqua Associate Program Director.<\/p>\n<p>When this happens, it\u2019s okay to tell your top choice program you have\u00a0money on the table somewhere else, says Catherine. While it won\u2019t guarantee a counter-offer, here\u2019s Catherine\u2019s advice on how to optimize your chances:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Practice your approach and have a clear strategy. Clearly convey why you want to be at your top choice program and that you\u2019re open to a conversation.<\/li>\n<li>Provide all the necessary information to the right people and be sure to follow the school\u2019s protocol.<\/li>\n<li>Stay humble; it\u2019s a human process, meaning people advocate for others they feel are taking their needs into consideration. It\u2019s likely your request will be denied if you come across as demanding or arrogant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cAnd, if your top choice program can\u2019t offer additional funding, at this juncture, school culture should be a huge part of your decision,\u201d says Catherine. \u201cWhether you accept the scholarship opportunity or not, you want to feel confident your chosen program is the right fit from a cultural, career and academic perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>A version of this article was originally published on Poets &amp; Quants on March 24, 2017. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s the sunset of MBA Admissions season, bringing joy to some and frustration or disappointment to others. For many it\u2019s the most nerve-wracking time of the admissions cycle, signaling their&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1831,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-fortuna-admissions","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37164\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}