McCombs vs Reapply next year

Question

Hi,

I applied to multiple b-schools this year but was waitlisted in most of the schools. I got an admit from McCombs today (was waitlisted) without any scholarship and I have only two days to respond back. I am confused about accepting the decision vs reapplying next year.

Profile - Indian, 27y, male, IIT, Software Engineer at Microsoft, GMAT-750, total WE - 4yrs (as of now).
Post-MBA - Tech or Consulting

Right from the beginning, I thought that I could crack a school in top-10 but was fairly disappointed with my results. Need suggestions on this.

bb

Thanks

JasperSin · Answer

Congratulations on your admit. This proves that your profile was worthy of top B schools so don't be downcast about other results.
Reapplication would seem the a great option unless you are urgently looking for an MBA. You have a strong profile overall with a strong GMAT score and if you could work on improving your story, I definitely see you landing good T15 and T20 offers next year with scholarships. T 10 is just too competitive for Indians in general to predict.

bb · Answer

Wow. That sounds like a pretty strong profile. What went wrong? Are your goals disconnected from your profile or did your essays were really that bad? Or did you apply in R3?

Did you use a consultant? Or at least a friend?

Posted from my mobile device

MBAGuide · Answer

kushsal  Tough luck! Congratulations on getting through McCombs though

As you may know, schools look beyond academics, the GMAT, the undergrad pedigree, and the strong employer brand to judge your potential. Where is the "hook factor" in your profile?

4 years is ample time for someone who is conscientious about doing a top 10 MBA, to grab projects and professional opportunities that add a new dimension to one's portfolio. If you feel you missed having that realization earlier, it is still not too late.
If you are ok to dedicate another 1-2 years working to enhance your profile, you can have a fair shot at the top 10 Schools down the line. This profile enhancement would need to show as a take-off point in your career graph. For example, you could negotiate an international assignment with your employer, or get into an early-stage start-up in an impact role that's working on a phenomenal idea. I feel there would be no dearth of opportunities for someone with your credentials. You may even consider getting into product mgt roles in a startup for now and then try for a 1 yr MBA at Kellogg or Columbia J term if you plan to continue in tech.

Having said the above, I suggest that you consider it if you feel your applications and essays did not do justice to your experience and true potential or you applied in the late rounds. Would be happy to give a candid feedback on your essays should you need one.

Best wishes

ankushban · Answer

My post-MBA goals were to get into Prod Management in Tech. I got my essays verified from multiple people and I don't think that they were too bad. My resume definitely could have been better but still good enough to get me into a T20 school. I applied in R2 this year. Very difficult to find what went wrong this year, it could be due to over-representation, resume, essays or anything else.

JasperSin · Answer

As you pointed out you already have the most of the potential pain points listed and could address each of them in the following ways:
1) The problem in your case may have been the 2nd round application maybe in your case, so an early application in either early or 1st round would definitely benefit you. 
2) Also since you did find your resume could be improved, maybe try improving on it and you could get help from some top consultants just for your essays
3) This 3rd point is  very subjective advice  so make of it what you can and  it may sound a bit critical but sometimes we(Indians) end up being shallow in our essays as we often get distracted by the more hard statistics such as Gmat scores, top undergrad  and tend to hope that those credentials will carry us through the application process. But often at all these top B schools the adcoms hope to hear your personal story cause there are quite a few top Indian candidates competing for the same spots with almost similar hard stats. So try pondering on points like how you could add value to the program, what other qualities apart from your excellent academic profile can add more flair to your profile.

Good luck on whatever is your final decision. McCombs itself is an excellent B school to go to with access to probably the most exciting and diverse job market in US right now.

bb · Answer

I totally agree. McCombs is a great school. I’m just surprised the only gotten through a wait list. I have seen folks with lower scores and less prestigious work… by the way, what kind of a result do you get if you use WAMC ?

PS. I think you can definitely improve your chances. You can get a ding analysis from one of the consultants. A number of them offer this service. Also you can probably find some of the current students at Top 10 or M7 who could give you feedback at a fraction of the cost…

Posted from my mobile device

ankushban · Answer

Below is the screenshot for WAMC result. Mccombs has agreed to grant me one-year deferral but no update on the scholarship yet. Would it make sense to pay 2000$ and secure a seat at McCombs before applying next year?

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hi  kushsal ,

You should definitely secure that seat at McCombs.

Good luck!

ankushban · Answer

*Final Update*

I decided to give another try to myself. I worked harder on my applications (tbh I did work hard the first time too but somehow it didn't work for me), crafted more compelling stories, and the most improvement I did was on my resume. Earlier, I just followed school's resume guidelines and created very shallow resume. This time I decided to add as many points as possible without going too much into readability and all, and I think it was the biggest factor. For three years of work ex, I had added about 10 points last year but this time for 4 years of work ex, I added around 20 points.
I was waitlisted in a number of schools last time so this time I worked on my interviewing skills too.

Result:- I'm heading to Wharton

bb · Answer

Oh my word! 
This is amazing progress 😱👍🎉

From McCombs to Wharton? 
Wow. Thanks so much for sharing your update and your story.

Posted from my mobile device

McCombs vs Reapply next year

McCombs vs reapply next year?

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