Reapplication Questions - How much to repeat in essays?

I agree with you that it is most unlikely to have totally new interests. If I were you I'd do it as follows:

1- show depth in those interests related to Booth values.
2- You may ad one new interest that you discovered along the year.
3- You may want to show them from other perspectives.

Based on above, you need to dig deep in Booth. Try to contact Current students or alumni.

That being said,I'd like to highlight that you may review your whole previous application with Booth last year. I think you may review your interview with them as you was invited based on the essay submitted last season. Maybe you need to review your interview skills.

Do not forget the resume. I strongly to update to show new achievements, courses, promotions...etc. At the end they want to see Different person whom they reject last year.

My final advice is that you may consider a consultant as it is good investment in your dream.

Good luck

Thanks for the feedback. I think my interview actually went quite well. At Booth students read the applications initially but then I think adcom has finally say on who gets in. So it's possible that students may have been interested in my profile and willing to overlook my low GPA but when final decision time came around and adcom saw my GPA, it couldn't hold up. Just my speculation though.

Something most MBA committees don't tell you is that there is a certain BIAS towards re-applicants simply because they have already invested time and energy to evaluate your essay the previous year. For example, assume your colleague says "Hey, I got a candidate for the open position in our department. I don't think he is a good fit but why don't you have a look". Now you will start the interview thinking "Why should I not reject him (again)". Though Adcoms will not admit it - you can do little to fight thousands of years of evolution!

Let me phrase it differently.

Assume you ask a girl out for a date but she refuses. This is similar to the first application. Something about your story - something about how you said it - but she did not like your approach.

Now you have a fresh opportunity to ask her out. Would you say the same things? Or would you try something different?

Unless you surprise her - she is still doing to say "no" because that is what the default answer is now.

Here are a few things to keep in mind for a reapplicant:

1. Talk about growth since the time you applied the last time. It could be professional (change in your role and responsibilities). Or personally, perhaps there were some changes in your attitude and outlook because of some experiences. You could talk about that.

2. Acknowledge that perhaps the previous year was not the best time - show why NOW i.e. the second time the best. If you received feedback from the school - include it in the application essay and show what you have done to overcome the deficiency.

3. The biggest impact to your application is ACTUAL change since the last application. Maybe you are applying this year with a higher GMAT score. Perhaps you have gained international experience, which has broadened your perspective towards an International MBA. Maybe you gained experience in your post-MBA career path, making your career goals essays tighter.

Use the above as a simple checklist to talk about the forward progress you have made towards your CAREER GOALS. So, the MBA committee should think "Hmm, this guy is already heading towards his goals. Perhaps an MBA will help accelerate the journey".

Try, try, try till you succeed is not the mantra here. Try then change your strategy for the next "try" is what you should be doing


Arun

PS: If you are looking at applying to Booth - you can have a look at the Booth Essay analysis I have posted here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyxUwsEeBO8&t=4s