Anyone get in on second attempt?

Question

Hi all,

I applied for R2 (CBS, LBS, Booth, Sloan, and Wharton) with a 680. Didn't get in.

I got rejected without interview by: CBS, LBS, Sloan, and Wharton

I got rejected after an interview by: Booth

I was wondering if anyone here got in on their second attempt and would be willing to share their stories. I am not giving up. I just want to know what steps others took to make their applications that much more amazing.

Thank you,
Sophia

jtyee · Answer

Can't really shed any light on the application process but is it possible to get your GMAT up to a 710+?

sophietrophy · Answer

Well, my goal is to retake the test and I am aiming for something above 740. And although that will be a 60 point improvement (and I am assuming most of it will come from Quant, as Verbal is easy for me), I feel like that simply isn't enough. So I was wondering what others did in order to get in the second time around.

jtyee · Answer

Well if you did well on Verbal, then I'm assuming you had a subpar Quant score which is absolutely a huge reason why adcom's would ding an applicant. So a 60 point increase largely due to improvement in Quant would be a substantial improvement to your profile, IMO. But again, I have to note that I haven't been through the application process yet and I'm just re-iterating a lot of what I've read on this forum over the past 6-9 months.

mgg234 · Answer

If you managed a booth interview with a 680 and 740 would definitely make you HIGHLY competitive at all those schools. Schools care about GMAT A LOT since so much of the USNews ranking is based off of it.

Admissionado · Answer

LOTS of people get in on the second time around, so don't worry about that.

What is KEY to get in though, is to show as much improvement as possible, be it in GMAT, getting promotions, taking on new and more responsibilities, etc. When the school sees massive improvement, they will be more likely to reconsider you.

MBADecoder · Answer

Hi Sophia,

While the GMAT score definitely needs an improvement, I would also urge you to relook at other aspects of the application. Maybe the career goals or why X b-school was missing that extra convincing that would have got you there.

So, as you are working upon improving the GMAT, do continue to identify the holes in your last year's applications and find ways to plug them in.

Hope that helps!!

domotron · Answer

You can read some stories of people who have been in the zero admit clubs in the past and suceed here
 https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-2013-2014-zero-admit-club-167604.html?hilit=zero%20admit%20club

Anyone get in on second attempt?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards