Admitted with scholarship last year/now on waitlist..HELP!!!

Question

Here is the situation. I was admitted with a scholarship last year to a local school, Katz.
My stats are 690 GMAT and a 3.81 GPA. Just your average white guy..

I could not attend last year due to some personal issues. Last spring/summer I had a health condition which caused me to not be able to swallow correctly or at all..I could not eat solids without feeling as if food was getting stuck.-it was called allergic esophagitis. I started having it in April and it didn't get resolved until early August, only a couple of weeks before orientation started. I didn't think I was going to be able to attend a program since obviously I could not eat in public (would choke and spit) and had to puree and eat soft foods..I could not socialize or network. I developed a fear of choking. The doctors kept on telling me it was acid reflux..finally I got some new German doctor that was familiar with this condition-it is not widely known or understood in the adult population..He fixed me..it took the doctors over 3 months to figure out what the hell was going on. He had to put a balloon in my esophagus and dilate it and then I had to swallow steroids.. Needless to say it wore on me mentally and physically.

Then right after that was resolved in early August..t I had to help my mother out financially to the tune of $4800 since she had to get her roof fixed. That was just too much for me to take in one summer. I contacted the admissions office and advised them I DEFINITELY could not attend after that happened. I was hoping to get myself physically better so I could then that family issue hit. I was actually in touch with them earlier in the summer to let them know about my medical condition. I scanned and e-mailed all of my medical records to them to let them know I was not bullshitting them and making up excuses. I was literally a mess last summer..

I reapplied this year. Nothing has changed in my application. I went from admission with scholarship to a waitlist. They said the application pool was more competitive...but give me a break..I was in the top tenth percentile in terms of GMAT and GPA last year. I don't think the GMAT Score/GPA could have gone up that much in one year to make me go from an admit with scholarship to waitlist.. The average GMAT for last year's class was 615. They don't grant deferrals..technically it's a reapplication, but the Adcoms review it with the knowledge that I was an admit last year.

I am pretty upset about this. It's not like I blew the program off because I felt like it or because I wanted to go bartend on a tropical island. I had issues that anyone else would have deferred with. They knew early in the summer I was having some issues. I didn't drop this on them last minute. I told them I was trying to get myself better. I provided them adequate documentation. I am hoping they would have some humanity and review my application in light of the fact I wanted to go, but just got sidetracked with all of the situations that were going on and were out of my control.

I am not sure what to do. I pretty angry. They sort of misled me by indicating that it was ok for me to defer. They told me upfront I may not receive the same scholarship award, but they seemed to imply being admitted to the program would not be an issue.

Now I am behind in terms of other applications. I didn't think I needed to apply to any other schools. I didn't even ask anyone to right recommendations for me yet since I didn't see the need to. I am also at a disadvantage in terms of getting any funding from other schools because of this-usually the scholarship deadline is February 1st or around there. I feel they were misleading, whether intentionally or unintentionally, in their presentation of the reapplication process. I am not sure what to do.

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

Can't anyone give me any insight on this?

riverripper · Answer

James, I dont think anyone knows what to say about it. I hope you tried for a deferral last year and didnt just blow them off. Adcoms probably have a long memory for people who got scholarships and were going to show up but didn't without seeking a deferral. Your best hope is to read the WL help advice on this site and do your best to get in. Find out why you were WL, dont whine about going from a scholarship to WL. Thats going to burn more bridges than anything else you could do, so dont bring it up.

Either you are going to have to work hard and get off the WL or decide whether you want to reapply next year or not.

Either you are going to have to work hard and get off the WL or decide whether you want to reapply next year or not.

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

As I said in the above post, I was in touch with the admissions office during the ENTIRE summer. I didn't just drop this on them the last minute. I sent them all of my medical records indicating I was going to all kinds of doctors to get my problem resolved. I was going to the best hospital in the area, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center..the hospital that is affiliated with the college. The admissions office understood my situation and told me to reapply for admission this fall. They don't technically grant deferrals-they say that everyone has to reapply for the following year, but they say the admissions committee will review the application in light of the fact I was an admit in a prior year. NOTHING has really changed other than me adding another year of work experience. Maybe I should have tried to get a promotion or a new job in the meantime, but in all honesty, I felt unethical doing that since I thought I was going to be going back to school.

This just doesn't make any sense. My stats are significantly higher than the average for the school. I had a valid reason for not attending. I was in touch with them. Unless they think I am lying which is not the case( I provided them the documentation to prove it), there is really no reason I should not have been an admit.

I am not saying I should have gotten a scholarship, but I would hope the committee would have some sense of humanity and understand that my reasons for not attending were really out of my control. I was really upset about not being able to attend, and I let them know that. I just didn't think I was emotionally ready to deal with the rigors of an MBA program after going through the worst summer of my life.

Would they have preferred me to come in and be an emotional wreck and not be able to excel and burnout or maybe have to drop out? Maybe I should have said "F it" and went anyways no matter what happened and worried about it later. I tried to be honest and ethical about everything.. I thought ADcoms would be more understanding, especially in light of situations such as mine. The other kicker on the recommendation form, they ask "In your opinion, is this person healthy enough, both mentally and physically" to attend the program. Would they have preferred me to not let them know about my mental/personal situation and then found out about it the hard way?????

BCC145 · Answer

Your situation doesn't make sense to me either (I am saying this with the risk of not knowing every info). However, if Katz wants to put you on WL then you could try applying to Tepper no? Your stats seem closer to Tepper's average and thus you may have a shot (again, not knowing every info). Just an idea ... maybe it will get you out of this mess.

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

I know..I am trying to ..I am not sure what to do about recommenders. I would like to go to Tepper, but I am not a quant jock. I was an economics major, but was a B.A...but not B.S. I think Tepper requires high levels of calculus from what I know, and I only have business calculus.
 
Really all there is to know is what I said. I went from a 50% scholarship to WL. Nothing else in my profile changed

I feel they also misled me on the reapplication process. They made it seem like it was going to be a formality.

kryzak · Answer

I really don't know what to say since this is a very unique situation. Have you tried calling the adcom to see if you can schedule a feedback session since you were and admit last year? Say that you want to know how you can best get yourself off the W/L since Katz is your #1 choice, yadda yadda...

Get some more information from them before jumping to conclusions, that's all I can say. Otherwise, I don't understand why you would get W/L after what you've been through...

Get some more information from them before jumping to conclusions, that's all I can say. Otherwise, I don't understand why you would get W/L after what you've been through...

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

I know. To everyone reading the thread, I have been truthful. I would have no reason to lie about anything. 
Why would I put something untrue on an anonymous board?

When I told my friends, mostly attorneys, what happened. They joked and said the adcoms must have done poorly on the logical reading part of the GMAT.

This is what is so confusing
My 3.81 GPA Stayed the same
My GMAT stayed the same, 690..if I knew it was going to be an issue, I would have retaken it in the meantime. According to last year's class profile, I was in the top ten percent of scorers for that school. I could have maybe brought it up to above 720 if I had thought it would make a difference. 
My essays stayed the same-obviously they were acceptable last time. 
My recs stayed the same-obviously no problem with them last time
The only difference is the interview. He asked me one question which I may have not answered correctly..don't think it was a bad answer. I have mostly been involved in sales/marketing. He asked me why finance. I told him I have always had an interest in finance-love analyzing financials and keeping track of the market. He asked me why I would want to move away from dealing with customers. I told him the team building and people skills I learned in sales would assist in almost any area I wanted to work in, including finance. I also told him that in sales I had to analyze data and make quick decisions as to whether or not it was a potentially profitable account. I am not sure if that was a perfect answer-don't think it was worth a waitlist though if everything else was ok. 
I have six years of work experience-the school takes many kids out of undergrad who have no experience other than waitressing and working at the library or being a front desk clerk at a hotel..I wish I werejoking.

Not sure if this was the right thing to do, but I fired off an e-mail to the admissions director once again wanting direct answers, not some BS answers about how the applicant pool became more competitive. My numbers are more than good enough in all areas to gain a straight admit. I really don't care if I burn any bridges. I just want to know the truth. If they are questioning my credibility about why I didn't come last year, then that is unwarranted since I sent them the documentation regarding my medical condition. No one else can believe they are doing this to me. I also feel like they are heartless considering those situations were beyond my control. Maybe I was a dumbass for not applying to other schools, but I didn't think I had any need to that since that is where I wanted to go;my stats are on the high side for the school, but the girlfriend and soon to be fiancee has a decent job at a guidance counselor as a local high school so I kind of wanted to stay here. But I would have applied elsewhere and gone if I had to. The other thing that pisses me off is because I have found out so late, it is virtually impossible for me to apply to other schools on such short notice, at least if I want to get any kind of funding.

I have become acquaintences with the person that is second in charge at the university-vice chancellor-met him through the Alumni association. I may ask him to see what he can do. It may backfire, but what do I have to lose.

sperinko · Answer

james,

Just a thought....maybe they assumed you are using them as a safety net against more ambitious apps elsewhere. I think you need to show sustained interest throughout the rest of the app season to show them that you are serious about attending only at Katz. Maybe they WLed you this time, due to some (crazy) thought that you will ditch them this time for another reason, like attending a higher-ranked school.

Just my opinion.

solaris1 · Answer

Sorry to hear about your plight. I'm very surprised Katz did not offer you a 1 year deferral after you informed them of your difficulties last year. My first guess was that they weren't convinced you were going to enroll this year either, and they "yield protected" you in an arbitrary decision that a lot of admission committees are often guilty of making. :arh

However, the paragraph you wrote below, whether intended or unintended, makes you sound really cocky. I mean no offense, and I understand that you were distraught but if you sounded just as brusque in the e-mail you sent to the admissions director, then he/she might have totally misunderstood you. If you are already in the area, why not try and set up a short meeting with someone in admissions and try to clarify your situation in person? Maybe have the Vice Chancellor facilitate such a meeting?

kryzak · Answer

I have to agree with solaris here. You are angry, and justifiably so. But letting that anger creep into your email (a VERY dangerous thing to do) to the admissions director can just make things worse. I would recommend you sit down calmly with the admissions director or someone high up and discuss the reasons on why you were W/L this year before you jump to conclusions.

Most things in business can be solved better with a smile than a hammer.

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

Solaris,

I didn't mean to sound cocky..just confident. I know that my stats are more than adequate to get into the school..just stating the obvious. Even if the application pool was more competitive, I don't think the GMAT/GPA Scores could have gone up enough to really affect me. We are not talking about an m-7 or even a top 20 school. I am guessing worst case scenario, it may have gone up 20-25 points..I have more work experience than other students. I was already admitted last year with a scholarship. My essays were good-my recs were good..nothing changed there. -they allowed me to simply use the same ones from last year.Nothing changed in my profile from last year..just another year of work experience. This makes no sense whatsoever.

The other main reason I am mad as I said previously is that when I was in touch with the admissions director last summer, they seemed to imply that admission would not be an issue-they simply said they could not guarantee a scholarship which is fine and dandy with me..I didn't see the need to apply to other schools based on that information. I was fine with taking out the loans if necessary. Now this puts me in a bind because even if I apply to other schools, I will have no chance of financial aid due to the fact I would be a late round applicant, and that would cost me money beyond what I would have spent at Katz since I would be an out of state applicant and get charged higher tuition rates for a public university..I would not spend the money on a private school

At this point, I don't care if I burn bridges. I will make them feel uncomfortable for what they have done to me and ask them to explain themselves as far as what they mean by more competitive applicant pool and ask them how my numbers stack up against this alleged more competitive applicant pool. I will go above them and talk to the dean of the entire business college and advise him of the situation. Worst case scenario I will be a pain in their butt and cause them to waste a lot of time. I am not even sure if I would want to attend somewhere with such heartless administrators.

kryzak · Answer

james, while you have been wronged, that kind of attitude towards this issue will not get you anywhere. The adcom has ZERO responsibility to explain themselves to you if they choose not to. If I were the adcom, I would just refuse to meet with you if you begin to "waste their time" or be a "pain in their butt". Where does that get you? nowhere.

The only thing you can do is not attend their school, and to them, it's probably not a big loss in their eyes since generally more people apply than they can let in, even if your stats are above their ranges. Who knows, maybe they found another person with exceptional stats like yours and admitted him/her already? Yelling at them will not change anything.

BTW, you also repeated your story about 3-4 times in this thread. We all read it multiple times, you do not need to repeat the same thing over and over again.

We understand your pain and anger, but after a while, it become repetitive and you start losing the sympathy that you originally gained. I would gently advise you to keep the tone a bit more civil and not use this forum solely as a place for you to vent. Helpful members have already tried to give you some advice based on their own opinions. You have the right to not use any of those advice at all, just don't create a negative atmosphere here by continually venting the same thing.

I sincerely hope this ends for you in a good way (with an admit to Katz) and that you can resolve the issues. Please update us if you do get to talk to the dean and if they do provide an explanation.

Good luck,
Kry

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

I know they have zero responsibility to tell me why, but I am going to put them on the spot. The school is close enough that I will be able to drop in on Monday and ask for an appointment, and I indicated, I will speak with the dean of the school who is above the adcoms and will ask for his input on the situation. Sorry if I needed to vent, but this was a kick in the teeth for me for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it prevented me from applying to other schools so my plans may be set back another year beyond what I originally anticipated. That is the thing that pisses me off the most..that I may not get to go anywhere now because I was under the impression that there was not need to apply anywhere else. There was really no reason for them to do this to me, especially after the adcom told me last year that the only thing I was risking was my scholarship..then they pull this.

kryzak · Answer

James, we understand. As I pointed out, you already mentioned this, and we empathize. Good luck with your meeting on Monday. I hope it brings you good news.

riverripper · Answer

James there is more to an application than simply a bunch of numbers. Thats why there are folks on here that on paper were told by famous consultants they didnt have a very good shot at top schools and in the end got in. Then there are also folks with 770s and high GPAs that got dinged everywhere. They dont have you write essays and provide resumes just to waste your time.

One thing as an reapplicant generally you arent just competing against the other people but are competing against your previous app. If you did absolutely nothing to improve over the last year or even worse regressed in your career...well thats going to make your chances worse. If you got laid off and didnt work for a year and sat around doing nothing they will think you put no real effort in to doing something. Didnt you show up last fall and then turn around and go home? They may have been offended by that and really want to see if you are serious this year or if you are going to bail again.

aaudetat · Answer

James -

You are in a situation that has really, REALLY sucked. Find a safe place to vent - we've listened, but we really can't give you the support you need, being anonymous users spread around the world. Keep venting for a while. Let it all out. When you've been as angry as you are - and I don't blame you - you can't be productive. You've been feeling misled, disappointed, like you've been accused of lying, and have just been extremely inconvenienced - in a trajectory-changing sort of way. The summer you had does sound awful, and this experience has poured salt in those old wounds. We all work so hard to get into school that suddenly not having that option would be so, so bitter. You've been dealing with all of this and probably more.

When you're ready to move forward, sit down and think about what you REALLY want. The thoughts you've been having may or may not be linked to what you really want. When we're angry, we think and do all kinds of crazy things that we may not choose to do when we're in a calmer state of mind.

So when you're ready, make a list of options - a huge list. From the many options you have to dealing with the Katz situation to quitting your job and climbing Mount Everest (now that your pipes are in order!). Once you've decided what you want, you will be able to come up with a lot of ways to get it - productive ways.

And if it's about weighing out pros and cons of an idea or critiquing an email, this is a good place to come. I will go ahead and say this -- this forum is filled with people who are all about action, making quick judgments, etc. A group that is used to firing off quick responses to "should I _____ or _____" is not, imo, going to help you the most right now.

I hope this has been helpful.

Good luck. I'm thinking of you.

AAu

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

Two quick points..and I am done venting..

I haven't tried to move forward in my job or transfer or anything like that because my plan was to come back to school this fall.
For some strange reason, I would feel totally unethical if I applied for or went into another position which required an outlay of funds for training/etc, if I did not plan on staying with the company, which is the case. I also would not want to do that to a prospective employer either...apply for and get a job with the knowledge that I plan on leaving in less than a year.

I may quit my job and go to a monastery for a year. Maybe it will help me get into Notre Dame next fall. ..

Thanks for your advice everyone. I usually don't get angry, really I don't. I am usually fairly lighthearted and goofy. This just set me off on so many levels, I don't know where to begin

Travel09 · Answer

I totally empathize with you and the issues you are facing. I'm not in your position so cannot truly understand your emotions. But this allows us to be more objective with out involving emotions. One of the lessons experience thought me at work/business it almost never is personal.There could have been other issues like other posters here have pointed out. Vent your feelings but not in front of school. Stay calm and come up with a strategy to achieve your goal. You do not have to be bend over backwards, try to convince ad-com about your desire to attend Katz. Focus on your strengths ( what got you in last year) and do not overplay the sympathy card (but make sure they are aware). Just my 2 cents. Disclaimer: I"m a newbie here and have not applied to any business school.

jamesrwrightiii · Answer

Katz said they will give me a decision by 02/29/08
My uncle's best friend (my uncle is now deceased due to an accident) is married to the assistant dean of MBA programs at the school. I never met the woman-it was the second marriage for both of them, and they married right before my uncle passed away.
I have not spoken to him in a couple of years (since my uncle died), but I am not sure if I should use that connection..
Do I really have anything to lose? I don't think they would "ding" me because someone put in a good word for me..

Jim

Admitted with scholarship last year/now on waitlist..HELP!!!

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