![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortunaadmissions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/new-years-eve-1953253_1280.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Finally, you\u2019ve hit submit. Now what?<\/p>\n
First, congratulations \u2013 what an enormous accomplishment!<\/p>\n
DO stop to celebrate this huge milestone, you deserve it! Take the night off. Heck, take two nights. Bask in the satisfaction of knowing you\u2019ve given it your best.<\/p>\n
But \u2013 please \u2013 DON\u2019T sit back and just wait.<\/p>\n
For one, it can be several long weeks before you hear from your programs about whether you are invited to interview. While you might feel an impulse to downshift and double-down on your work, there are several important things to do while you wait. As a expert coach at Fortuna, I\u2019ve fielded countless queries from anxious clients eager for something to do other than compulsively refreshing email for word from their schools.<\/p>\n
Here are my top six tips on how to continue enhancing your profile during this interim time, as well as to prepare for that potential interview invitation that\u2019s coming in a few weeks.<\/p>\n
1. Stay in touch with alumni and students.<\/strong> It\u2019s also shrewd to contact a few new people and to build those relationships. Alums and students can be generous about sharing insight and advice on how they approached questions you could encounter in the interview. They might share some questions they received and how they answered them. Don\u2019t miss the opportunity to ask.<\/p>\n 2. Follow up with recommenders.<\/strong> 3. Continue to build your profile.<\/strong> It\u2019s also important to stay active for having new information to share with\u2026 a waitlist committee. As much as we\u2019d rather not envision the possibility, it\u2019s real. So you want to continue nurturing other opportunities. Clearly, as you\u2019ve applied for the MBA, you\u2019re thinking about leaving your current position or firm. But while you\u2019re there it\u2019s wise to continue to feed yourself professionally and stay committed and as you wait to hear back from schools.<\/p>\n 4. Know about developments at your schools.<\/strong> 5. Make time to visit campus.<\/strong> 6. Get prepared for your interview.<\/strong> Finally, remember that practice is the key to success. You\u2019ll want to start training yourself to give answers that are natural, informative, concise and confident, and be ready to go in more depth on any topic. For more strategies and interview prep tips, check out this essential piece in P&Q by Fortuna’s Malvina Miller Complainville (6 Tips for Acing the MBA Interview<\/a>).<\/p>\n Catherine Tuttle<\/em><\/a> is a Fortuna expert coach and Duke Fuqua former Associate Director.<\/p>\n The post What To Do Now That You\u2019ve Submitted Your MBA Application<\/a> appeared first on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You\u2019ve logged long hours at work to keep clients happy, agonized over essays, juggled GMAT study sessions amid competing priorities, and exhausted loved ones with your near-obsessive commitment to perfecting…<\/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-60514","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\/60514","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=60514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60514\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIt\u2019s vital that you continue to show interest in the program and to reconnect with the contacts you\u2019ve been cultivating, such as alumni and current students. If your essays mentioned specific students, which is common, know that admissions could reach out to them. When this happens, admissions might say to your contact, \u2018hey, I see you\u2019ve been talking to some prospective students,\u2019 and you want to be front of mind if, and when, this happens. A brief follow-up email saying \u2013 many thanks for your time and invaluable advice, I\u2019ve submitted my application and hope to share good news in the coming weeks \u2013 is a great starting point.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s valuable to reconnect with your recommenders, too, both to give them a heads up that you\u2019ve submitted and to offer a sense of timeline. (I\u2019m assuming, of course, that you\u2019ve already sent a generous thank you note!) Also think about reviewing some of the points your recommenders deemed important in their letters, which could be useful as you\u2019re preparing for the interview.<\/p>\n
\nStay motivated in your work and professional development. Same goes for your extracurriculars. Often you\u2019ll get an interview question such as, \u2018What\u2019s different since you applied?\u2019 Or, \u2018Have you had any developments? Has anything changed?\u2019 It\u2019s ideal to reply confidently, \u2018Yes, the board I\u2019m involved with has been able to do X, Y and Z, and it\u2019s been really fulfilling for me\u2019 or \u2018Indeed, I\u2019ve been very involved in this leadership opportunity at the office or \u2018I\u2019ve continued to master Spanish to prepare for an upcoming trip.\u2019 Whatever it is that you do, you want to stay engaged and build new stories to share.<\/p>\n
\nContinue to monitor the goings-on of the programs that you\u2019re targeting. You\u2019ll want to know about any big news or developments that might happen, and continue to zero in on \u2018why this school,\u2019 which is a standard interview question as you get further into the process. Programs want to know that you\u2019re knowledgeable and interested about what\u2019s happening in their world. Staying connected to alumni and students and following them on social media will help you to prepare and practice those responses.<\/p>\n
\nIf you\u2019re able to visit the schools you\u2019ve applied to, it\u2019s an excellent time to do so. Resources and time being factors, taking a day or weekend off before you hear about the interview to spend time on a campus is another way to build your familiarity with the school and its culture. Visiting the campus outside of formal campus tours and admissions meetings during the summer, on your own terms, has several benefits. You are more likely to experience the in-session culture, energy and overall vibe of the place, and you can audit a class. This can also help you feel more confident and comfortable as you prepare for the interview. And if you visit, it\u2019s good to let your networking contacts in on your plans. Perhaps you can meet up in person with a current student with whom you\u2019ve only spoken over the phone.<\/p>\n
\nWhile you’re waiting for a response to your application, think positive! Expect an invitation to interview and use the time to prepare. First, learn more about the interview format at your target schools and the kinds of questions they\u2019re most likely to pose (e.g. behavioral examples or team interview activities). Next start thinking through your responses to those questions and the typical ones you can expect. As \u00a0follow up with contacts, begin making notes on how you might respond to those anticipated questions, such as \u2018Why business school, why now, why this school?\u2019 and \u2018Walk me through your resume.\u2019 These standard questions center around conveying your story, your unique goals and your career plan.<\/p>\n