Former Harvard Admissions Interviewer Q & A

Hi, thank you for your question and sorry it has taken me a few days to get back to you. There are two things you need to consider when reapplying:

1. Has your story in fact changed since your previous application? Was there a promotion, or have you've worked on a project at work that either increased your level of responsibility (in terms of number of people you manage, or in terms of financials or budget)? These are the specific things the schools look for -- so, to summarize this point, what I am really asking, and what you should ask yourself is, HAS anything actually changed?

2. The second thing to look at, is the fact that perhaps your application didn't advance to the next level for a reason. Perhaps your essays were weaker than they should have been, or your goals weren't clearly defined. I've written two blog posts here:https://mbaivyleague.wordpress.com/2015/03/26/dinged-why-your-mba-application-didnt-make-it/

and here: https://mbaivyleague.wordpress.com/2014 ... lications/

...that may help your focus in on the problem. Beyond that, I would also reexamine your interview and what transpired with someone who may be able to help you dissect it for any weaknesses or issues. You first need to discover where the weakness lies to then strengthen it.

That is what I work on with my own clients, and would be happy to work with you. The above though should give you some general guidelines to strengthening your reapplication. The fact that you did get on the waitlist at Harvard tells me you weren't so far off, but still, they didn't choose you, so you need to do something different to figure out the problem this time around.

Hope that helps!

Jillian
MBA Ivy League
(646) 276-7042
www.MBAIvyLeague.com


2.