{"id":42709,"date":"2018-07-18T02:37:09","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T09:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/mba-re-applicant-heres-how-to-tackle-your-application-v2\/"},"modified":"2018-07-18T02:37:09","modified_gmt":"2018-07-18T09:37:09","slug":"mba-re-applicant-heres-how-to-tackle-your-application-v2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mba-re-applicant-heres-how-to-tackle-your-application-v2\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Re-applicant? Here\u2019s How to Tackle Your Application V2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MBA<\/figure>\n

It didn\u2019t work out last year. Not what you were hoping for undoubtedly, but all is not lost. Are you determined? Are you motivated? Is an MBA still your dream? Something you need in order to succeed at your goals?<\/p>\n

If yes, then\u00a0everything<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is possible.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re done feeling that rejection and disappointment (don\u2019t wallow too long!), it\u2019s time to get back up and try again. Here\u2019s how to approach it.<\/p>\n

Firstly, realize that there was probably a reason for the \u201cno.\u201d To move forward you need to figure out what that reason (or reasons) was. Your first task, then, is to pore over your application like the latest George R. R. Martin book\u2014cover to cover. But unlike a rabid online fandom, you\u2019ll need to turn a critical eye on EVERYTHING: resume, essays, application form, recommendation letters, the works.<\/p>\n

Your job is to take a step back, let go of the personal disappointment, and make like Sherlock Holmes to discover WHY \u201ccandidate X\u201d did not get the admit. Pretend like this is SOMEONE ELSE\u2019S application, and try to figure out why THEY didn\u2019t get in. Identify what was lacking, what was overemphasized, or didn\u2019t come through clearly, or simply wasn\u2019t \u2018on brand\u2019 for the school. Let go of the rich background knowledge you alone have, the personal bias you feel for that story you\u2019ve told a thousand times, the turn of phrase you are particularly proud of, the goals you feel passionately about\u2026 This is someone you\u2019ve never met and aren\u2019t particularly fond of. You just need to figure out why they didn\u2019t get into b-school.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Reading >>> The Element of Surprise in “What Sets You Apart?”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Equally important in this \u201crevisiting\u201d stage is knowing when to stop. Once you\u2019ve put in the time and effort to diagnose your application and note down the faults, give it a rest. Too much self-critique eventually becomes unproductive, and if you continued to look at your application (or anybody\u2019s application) with this mindset, you will ALWAYS find more wrong with it. Stop yourself when this exercise yields returns, and then get to work building something even better!<\/p>\n

Look at the calendar and smile. As a reapplicant, you have time to change the narrative and make candidate X irresistible to the adcom. The diagnosis you reached in phase one is the key: spend your time revamping the areas of your application that fell short the previous year, and make sure this time around it doesn\u2019t read like a \u201creapplication\u201d but a whole NEW application.<\/p>\n

Need to retake the GMAT? Go for it. Unless you truly crushed it the first time around, this is a good idea\u2014it shows commitment, improvement, and follow through, and can definitely ratchet up your application a few notches. However, if you were in the 720\/730 range and aren\u2019t seeing major improvements in your practice tests, then this probably isn\u2019t where you should be spending your time.<\/p>\n

Another area to focus your efforts is your ACTUAL life. That\u2019s right, real life matters on your application: if you can up your responsibilities at work, take on challenging projects, expand your experience or knowledge in some practical way, by all means do so! The successful reapplications will show growth, especially professionally. This is mandatory\u2014even if you were on the borderline, even if THIS year\u2019s set of readers would have accepted you last year, they can\u2019t justify overruling a previous decision without a clear sense that you changed something about your profile.<\/p>\n

Then, dig into those essays: Did you express your goals clearly and with convincing passion? Are those goals realistic and achievable? Are they in line with the kind of professional background you presented? Chances are, there was some kind of disconnect between your background and your goals, and you need to make that connection clearer. Or, the goals you are stating simply don\u2019t make SENSE given where you\u2019ve been. Even worse, you missed what makes your candidacy stand out\u2014you\u2019d be surprised how easy this is to do. Not to worry, that\u2019s the purpose of the self-reflection, and this time around you can present a much stronger case.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Reading >>> Crafting Sharp MBA Goals<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Finally, you\u2019ve done the legwork, pored over your app, made changes in yourself and the way you present yourself, and you\u2019re ready to reapply\u2026 but where? This time around you need to NARROW your focus: apply to your top two to three program choices, and let the rest go. If you received an interview or were waitlisted at a program, that\u2019s a clear indication that you were on the right track\u2014they WANTED to give you the admit, but perhaps your profile was overrepresented, or you were narrowly outperformed. They will be looking out for a reapplication from you.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, DON\u2019T relitigate last year\u2019s application. Don\u2019t WHINE or try to JUSTIFY your shortcomings, either in the essays or in an interview. The adcom doesn\u2019t remember their thought process a year later, and there\u2019s nothing we can do to change it now. Let bygones be bygones: candidate X is last year\u2019s problem, the new and improved you is ready to ROCK!<\/p>\n

The post MBA Re-applicant? Here’s How to Tackle Your Application V2<\/a> appeared first on Admissionado<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It didn\u2019t work out last year. Not what you were hoping for undoubtedly, but all is not lost. Are you determined? Are you motivated? Is an MBA still your dream?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,817,775],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-admissionado","category-admission-consultants","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42709","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\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42709\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}