The 2009 ZERO admits club

Hm I am close to this too!

I received interviews at every school I applied to.

CBS - dinged with a what I believed to be a great interview.

Cornell - this is a funny predicament. I was contacted for an interview on Feb 28th. Called up to schedule an interview for the week of the 15th. No availability since the ad-com will be in closed meetings for decisions. Couldn't do earlier since I caught a nasty cold. Taking vacation from the 20th until the 24th. So my interview is scheduled almost a month later (after decisions are released!). I am not kidding. I tried to allude that it might be better to do a off-campus interview but the phone assistant didn't pick up on my verbal cues.

NYU - invited to interview for the summer start program. They have until Wed to notify me (that is the 3 week mark). I had a terrible interview (actually no fault of my own). I got a bad vibe from the counselor - like she had some agenda and wanted me to mess up. Played a few mind games with me. I hear they get back to you pretty quickly so hope is fading.

Georgetown - had an interview this past Friday. Thought it went really well. G-town may be my last hope.

Ozzie - aren't you on the tepper WL? If so, pursue them - they are very open to updates and want you to show them love! If you are serious about Tepper - I think getting off the wl is very doable - follow what raabend did (cornell thread). Good luck!

I surprised you mentioned this since not even my mom remembered it

My main reason for not actively pursuing it is that if I postponed my MBA study this year, my company is going to put me in charge on our next project (which is very significant for my career, this means more responsibility, expanded network, and more money that I can put toward b-school). So I guess rejection by all school that I applied to this year is a blessing in disguise because next year (or two - let's see how the project going) my application will be stronger overall.

DK,

Welcome your NEWEST MEMBER!!!

<Cheers>

GPA: 2.1 Enough Said
GMAT: 760
WE: 4 Years

DONG: CBS ED, Booth R2
DING: Ross R2
WL: Kellogg R2

Which school hurt the most?
Ross - I thought Booth will, but Ross hurts because I know they are low GPA friendly and offered me an interview.

Why lack of success?
Grades? Grades? Grades?
Ross: Bad interview + grades
CBS: Bad essays (which I thought were decent until I started my other essays) + Grades
Booth: Last minute essay, Errors in my optional essay, and completed the whole app in 2 days + Grades

Next year?
1) Reapp, same schools may or maynot reapply CBS... May or May not apply UCLA.
2) OR start Stanfords MS Program in engineering management
3) Just go on with life without another degree

GMAT Score : 730
GPA : 2.9 (from small, private US school)
Age : 29
Work Experience : 5.5 years
Location : UK
Nationality : Indian
#Applications : 3 (Columbia, Wharton, and LBS)
#Dings : 3
#Interviews : 0
#WL : 0

Which ding hurt the most and why?
Columbia. Thought the school was a great fit for me. I would have picked it over Wharton. Love the electives they have to offer. Like their emphasis on a more practical approach to academics. Would've loved to live in NY.

Why the lack of success?
1) GPA
2) Lack of a global brand on my resume
3) Nationality didn't help either . ( Have a Finance background though)

What next?
I'm doing quite well already and am going to take my savings and invest them myself. Let's see how my currency trading takes off . Plan to work for a few more years and then take my savings and start my own thing.


Just want to point out to fellow members of the Zero Admits Club that an MBA is one way of getting to wherever it is you want to be, but not the ONLY way to get there. Good Luck with your careers.

You might want to consider some part-time programs too (UCLA, Haas, USC, UCI, UCD).

GMAT is very nice...

GPA: 3.9
GMAT: 700
Work Experience: 2.5 Years
#Applications : 3
#Dings : 2 (soon to be 3)
#Interviews : 1
#WL : 0

What next?
Seeing where life takes me and retake the GMAT.

GPA: 3.3 (massive upward trend after first year)
GMAT: 710
WE: 2
# of applications: 5
# of interviews: 2 (3 if you count Kellogg).
Dings: 4
Waitlists: 1

What's next? Since my ideal is a JD/MBA, and I've been admitted to a couple of law schools, looks like that might be where I'll be in the fall, unless Darden pulls me off the W/L.

With my waitlist at Darden, I have officially been admitted into the Zero Admit Club!

GMAT Score : 710
GPA : 3.0
Work Experience : 4.5 years
Location : NYC
#Applications : 5
#Dings : 3
#Interviews : 3
#WL : 2

Which ding hurt the most and why?
Cornell. It was my first and didn't bode well for the rest of my applications. It really left a sour taste in my mouth.

What next?
Move on and focus on something new. I will still actively pursue my W/L's, but my heart isn't really into it any more. I might re-app next year, but that's to be determined. I have a new opportunity at work, which I originally was hoping to skirt by heading to school. Since that won't be the case, I will refocus and try it out.

Why the lack of success?
1) Grades/GMAT didn't help, but I don't think they really hurt me (except at CBS).
2) Interview at Cornell didn't go well at all, but I thought I killed it at UVA and still managed to get W/L'ed.
3) Lack of extra-curricular leadership? I think I'm grasping at straws here.
4) Overall, I think the whole package was mediocre. As a white guy working in finance looking to head back to finance, I certainly didn't stand out this year.
5) Timing - along the same lines as not standing out. With an increase in the number of finance-type apps, applying this year didn't help at all.

I'm in the club as well. Rejects at Kellogg, Darden and Ross.
The Darden ding hurt the most, though I would say I had an average interview.

Yet to decide on re-app. Need to focus at work and get my career back on track. Haven't been focusing too well since the start of the app season.

GMAT: 730
GPA: 8+ on a 10 scale (International)
Nationality/Industry: Indian/IT
Age: <25. Workex: 4 years.