No Interviews - worth applying next year?

Agree with this statement - especially since Hass, despite not being M7, actually has a lower acceptance rate than Wharton and Kellogg.

The big question is how much do you want an MBA and do you only want an MBA from the uber-elite schools? Competition is fierce for a limited amount of seats at the top schools and if schools like Duke/Darden/Ross/etc can help you meet your goals, why not give them a look?

The trick with re-applying is not making the same mistakes that you made in this application cycle. I recommend that you have a consultant review your applications and provide feedback on why your candidacy did not work this year. Whether you want to use a consultant for your applications next year is up to you, but you do need feedback on what you did wrong. Also, be aware that all schools are not equally receptive to re-applicants so you might want to also revise your list a bit and be a bit more flexible on which schools to apply to.

Please do not give up hope. Getting into a premier MBA program is achievable for most people - it just takes some people a bit longer to get there.

Good luck.

Kimberly Plaga
Senior Admissions Consultant
Manhattan Review

Call for a free candidacy assessment.

If you didn't get any interviews, you are likely applying to schools that are out of your range. Either that or you didn't properly explain why you want an MBA. I'm not trying to be mean in any way, but the fact that you only applied to the highest ranked schools and now want to throw in the towel makes me question your motives. Are you just doing this for the pedigree and prestige? You should really think about why you want an MBA and what your future goals are. An MBA from a school ranked 8-16 can still get your foot in the door with pretty much any company that recruits MBA's. And once you get a job, where you went to school is pretty much meaningless. At that point your performance will be all that matters to future progression.

Think about that and if an MBA makes sense for your goals, then figure out what is holding you back, and try to address it - then yes take another run at it next year. I'd say apply to a couple stretch schools, like harvard and stanford, but take a look at some schools outside the m7, and maybe apply to a safety school as well.

Who knows, maybe your profile is worthy of h/s/w and it was a fluke. At that level it's a crap shoot even for those with perfect gmat/gpa and blue chip work experience, simply because it is so competitive.

Anyway, your GMAT is pretty decent, but if you tell us about the rest of your profile and goals, we might be able to suggest some other schools to look at.

Why throw in the towel? After all that hard work??? And now that you are halfway there?

First things first: find out what went wrong.

And I totally agree that running a ding analysis is the way to go about that.

Agreed with most.. Expand your list a bit and enroll a consultant - I used one and wouldn't have had a decent interview rate without their help. Do your homework, make sure you get a good recommendation from someone who's used them. If financial resources are scarce, I would definitely do at least 1 or 2 schools with them and try to see if you can manage essays from then on (if you're only doing 1 or 2, don't do HBS - it's too short and you won't get value from the consultant that you can translate to your other apps). Try to pick 2 like Stanford and Wharton which make you think more about your application and offer 6 questions.

I remember you mentioned before that you are a low GPA applicant. If I recall you said you had around a 3.2 gpa, or maybe a little lower. For the schools that you applied to, that GPA is a jagged pill for the AdComs to swallow.

For reference, US News publishes the middle 80% of GPA's of accepted applicants:

Harvard - not published but probably similar to Stanford
Stanford - 3.36 - 3.97
Wharton - 3.18 - 3.87
Kellogg - 3.19 - 3.88
Berkley - 3.39 - 3.90

So as you can see, your GPA is generally in the bottom 10% of those accepted for these schools. It isn't impossible to get in, but you also have to keep in mind that the lower echelons are generally reserved for princelings and under represented minorities (if you are one of those, well then that changes things). Otherwise, a really awesome story and perfect execution on the rest of your application is your best hope of cracking that tier.

If you haven't done so I'd recommend taking some extension classes and build an alternate transcript. As others have said, you should also consider expanding your list of schools that you are applying to. Tell us what you want to do after B-school and people can tell you what schools outside of the top 5 have strengths in those areas.

But just based on your GMAT/GPA I'd suggest looking at some schools just outside the top 10. Again see the GPA ranges:
Duke - 3.06 - 3.79
NYU - 3.02 - 3.72
Michigan - 3.0 - 3.8
Cornell - 2.78 - 3.77

These are excellent schools with great recruiting and reputations. Of course you should also apply to a couple stretch schools as well. You might just hit the jackpot on one.

Don't give up.

Tell us sir. What will you do?

It appears as though our friend has indeed thrown in the towel

Don't give up! There are plenty of folks who are dinged everywhere that come back stronger and get into multiple schools the following year. I'd suggest reading the "Zero Admit Club" series for motivation. Start here: the-2012-2013-zero-admit-club-144164.html.

It is always better to apply with some experience of applying , anyways I had 0 interviews last year I applied to 9 schools , this year its better with 2 invites. The whole process of application is grueling and year after year the approach is refined. I would suggest the following approach :

1) Write to the schools that did not accept you in the first time. Try to get as much feedback as possible. But when you ask questions don't just ask questions for the sake of asking. See if you can get feedback on specific areas of your application.

2) Try to improve areas where you can improve - GMAT , better job vs more responsibilities on the same job, involvement in community services.

3) Try to connect and visit the schools you are interested to apply. I know this is an individual call and might not be feasible given the geographic constraints. But I feel a strong connect with the school shows in your application and a visit is a step in right direction.

4)As far as I know people in the top schools didn't get it right in the first time (there are exceptions to it), but I am yet to find a person who got into top schools in a single shot. Its a arduous and time consuming mutli- year process. So have faith in yourself and always keep the bigger picture of getting an MBA in mind.

Hope this will get you started.

Thanks all - I think I was just feeling really bummed about the news and being a bit of a whiner.

I really cant believe the amount of positive encouragement - so thank you! As for me, I have not thrown in the towel. I took a few weeks off from even thinking about the MBA process to get back into shape and clear my head.

I re-read my applications and feel like I could definitely improve the overall package and demonstrate my reasons for going to business school. I also plan to open my scope of schools as I know GPA is a big factor. I think I read too many examples of where people got in despite a low gpa and became a little delusional!

Also, it's kind of funny to reflect, but when I was 17 and thought I wanted to go to Tuck, the average GPAs were 3.3-3.5. I never thought they'd get closer to 3.5-3.7 for top schools. Its crazy how hard it gets every year.

That's great to hear man. I know how the rejections feel as a low GPA/high gmat applicant. I applied to 3 of the M7 schools round 1 and didn't get a single interview. Round 2 I went to town and applied to Duke, Michigan, Darden, and Texas. I already got accepted to Texas with a scholarship, and I was invited to interview at the other 3. I'll find out within the next week or so if I got into them but I think my chances are good.

Yes these schools are a step down from the ones you applied to, but I'd feel pretty good about going to any of them. And I think they would give you a good shot at any company you want to work for.

Try improving your profile (especially work experience) and applying next year. You can also try to figure out where you have a good chance of acceptance by using this online chances calculator: https://www.aringo.com/MBA_admission_cha ... ulator.htm
Good luck and don't give up!