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One of my Fortuna Admissions colleagues heard recently from an anxious client who is still in limbo on the HBS waitlist \u2013\u00a0and she\u2019s not alone. As Poets&Quants editor John Byrne quipped in our\u00a0recent podcast episode<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cTo be put on the waitlist is a special cruel kind of purgatory in MBA admissions.\u201d<\/p>\n Landing on the MBA waitlist is a very difficult situation to be in, and you don\u2019t really know when you\u2019re going to get a final decision \u2013 you can be on the waitlist for weeks or even several months.<\/p>\n Having been on the other side as former\u00a0INSEAD<\/a>\u00a0Director of MBA Admissions, the first thing is to take a step back and think about if you\u2019re committed to staying on the waitlist. Do you want to work at getting off the waitlist, or do you have another plan? Maybe you\u2019ve applied to other schools and are preparing to accept another. Or, perhaps you\u2019re holding out for your dream school and more inclined to turnaround a stronger R1 application.<\/p>\n But if your goal is to turn that waitlisted notice into an acceptance, there are a few concrete actions you can take right now.<\/p>\n 1. Reinforce your commitment to the program\u00a0<\/strong>and confirm that you accept a place on the waitlist. Keep your tone professional and positive, without a trace of disappointment (or worse, resentment). Note: The word \u201cdisappointed\u201d should NEVER show up in this discussion.<\/p>\n 2. Supply a supplementary letter of support\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 ideally, from a member of the school community who can affirm your fit with its program. A one-page email is plenty \u2013 it need not be as formal as the letters of recommendation you previously submitted. Don\u2019t flood the admissions team with additional letters, however, this can backfire and potentially hurt your reputation. Also, note that certain schools don\u2019t accept any additional materials, so you should respect that policy.<\/p>\n 3. Share an update with your alumni interviewer on your situation<\/strong>, as well as ask for any suggestions or feedback (if you interviewed with an alum). While he or she won\u2019t be able to tell you \u201cwhy\u201d you\u2019re waitlisted (and they may not even know), they may be able to offer their sense of your fit with the school and some insight about your interview.<\/p>\n 4. Periodically contact the admissions office\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 without becoming a pest. It\u2019s appropriate to reach out every three to four weeks. If possible, share an update on your profile, such as a job move or promotion, or inform the admissions committee if you\u2019re on the cusp of accepting another offer. At the very least reinforce your motivation. Balance emails with the occasional phone call \u2013 personal touches can keep you on the radar screen and reinforce a positive impression.<\/p>\n 5. Step back and analyze why your application came up short.\u00a0<\/strong>Ask for outside help to identify places of potential weakness. Retaking the GMAT may be worth considering, for example, if your score is below the program average, but only if you think you can gain by a solid margin, not just 10 more points. Another action is to seek a project at work that will give you a good story to tell in an update to the admissions office.<\/p>\n 6. Consider visiting campus <\/strong>\u00ad\u2013 although be aware that schools do not give preference to waitlisted candidates who make this effort. Nevertheless, it can\u2019t hurt to show this level of motivation, and may give you more to talk about in terms of your commitment to the school in your next update to the admissions office. Like everything else, you would want to do this with a great deal of thought. Have a plan for your visit \u2013 will you sit in on classes, go to a conference? Do not just plan to show up in the admissions office.<\/p>\n 7. Hatch a\u00a0Plan B.\u00a0<\/strong>Now is the time to consider a plan B if you don\u2019t already have one. Because if you don\u2019t receive an offer of acceptance \u2013 and know that most candidates on the waitlist will not \u2013 think about whether you want to reapply to the same program, or perhaps others, during the next cycle. In weighing your next steps, look for ways to strengthen your profile over the next year to increase your chances of future success.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Don\u2019t have an emotional reaction to being put on the waitlist.\u00a0<\/strong>I see candidates that sometimes take it very personally, but do remember, the good news is that the door is still open. If you are motivated to gain that place, then keep at it. And if you want to get off the waitlist, then you need to respond\u00a0positively<\/em>to the school. I\u2019ve seen some awful responses to waitlist announcements where candidates have responded in a very resentful way, which doesn\u2019t create a positive impression. You\u2019ve got to stay positive and reiterate your motivation \u2013 and your ability to do so in the face of disappointment reflects your maturity.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t overstep your bounds.\u00a0<\/strong>As told by my Business Casual podcast co-host, Maria Wich-Vila: \u201cI recently heard an admissions officer from one of the top programs say that she received a physical letter to her home address from a waitlisted candidate. That candidate probably thought they were going above and beyond by pleading their case, but that\u2019s just creepy.\u201d Again, your discernment and professionalism are a reflection of your maturity and self-awareness.<\/p>\n Finally, despite the odds, try to stay optimistic \u2013 you still have a chance of admission as a waitlisted candidate.<\/p>\n Updated March 23, 2022<\/em><\/p>\n Caroline Diarte Edwards<\/a> is Co-Founder and Director at Fortuna Admissions.\u00a0For more free advice and a personal, candid assessment of your chances, you can sign up now for a\u00a0free consultation<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post MBA Waitlist Strategy: Actions to Take & Mistakes to Avoid<\/a> first appeared on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While the waitlist can be tormenting, there are specific actions you can take now to increase your chances of MBA admissions success. One of my Fortuna Admissions colleagues heard recently…<\/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-54458","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\/54458","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=54458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Navigating the MBA Waitlist: 7 Actions to Take<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mistakes to Avoid: What NOT to do<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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