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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 04 Jun 2012, 08:58
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OhDenny
I wasn't going to weigh in here as I've agreed with most of what everyone's said, (and thanks to Cheetarah for the shoutout), but there is one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Have you considered taking a year off from the application process? The conventional wisdom is that taking a year off will cause you to lose momentum, and give up the process altogether. However, when I made the conscious decision to regroup and rebuild, I felt really energized, and was able to wholeheartedly throw myself into my new job. I'm not saying you have to change jobs, but perhaps doing a pivot to increased responsibilities in your current firm, or getting additional leadership experience in a different practice-area or division. I realized for me, I had just run out of stories to tell that would differentiate me from the pack. The year off gave me a wealth of new stories to tell (overcoming a challenge, facing culture shock, beat expectations, etc.), and even helped me to crystalize WHY I wanted the damn MBA in the first place. In hindsight, I think I just needed that extra year to grow up more than anything else.

I don't think this is a panacea for every multi-year reapplicant, but it certainly helped me a great deal. Just thought I'd mention it for some extra perspective. Again - don't lose hope. You'd be surprised how much capacity people have (including yourself!).
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OhDenny,

Thank you for your feedback.Assuming I don't get into Ross, I am going to take a month or so and seriously evaluate whether or not I want an MBA, as well as my career goals. I am also considering leaving financial services, and pursuing a graduate assistant position with my old ball coach. A free masters degree ain't bad...
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 04 Jun 2012, 09:00
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I have the same work experience as you and got similar results (waitlisted across the board). My stats are better than yours, but you have much better "softs" than me. Part of the problem, I've come to think, is that risk just isn't a great feeder into business school (not that it can't or hasn't been done).

First off, your app is in the finance bucket, which as a whole is one of the most competitive groups in MBA admissions. But then there's the heirarchy of front, middle, and back office. Getting into a top 10 school is tough enough for front office guys; there's just not much space for someone from the middle or the back.

Even then, not all front office jobs are considered equal. I've heard that admissions prefers banker/PE types to traders because the former are much more business-y of roles. Risk falls more toward the trader side of the spectrum, so that may play into it as well.

Also, I agree with what OhDenny said.
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 04 Jun 2012, 10:11
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SCBooth
Thank you all for the good advice. If I had to guess, I would assume that my career goals may not be as clear and concise as I thought. Hopefully, Ross works out and I can put this matter to rest.
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I definitely cosign everything said above, especially cheetarah's advice. I would also add that you should make sure your recommendations are from your manager/supervisors, just in case they weren't. Also, if you haven't heard of MLT https://www.ml4t.org/, you should consider applying to the program. They specialize in getting URM's with the right stats into good schools and if you get into the program, they can help you with your execution, which seems to be the issue. Best of luck.
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 04 Jun 2012, 11:38
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I'm so with OhDenny regarding R&R - but I am happy to look at your resume (which to me can tell TONS about your candidacy) and/or an essay to give you some more detailed feedback.

I'm no expert - but I've spent the last year on the boards and would be happy to help.

SCBooth
OhDenny
I wasn't going to weigh in here as I've agreed with most of what everyone's said, (and thanks to Cheetarah for the shoutout), but there is one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Have you considered taking a year off from the application process? The conventional wisdom is that taking a year off will cause you to lose momentum, and give up the process altogether. However, when I made the conscious decision to regroup and rebuild, I felt really energized, and was able to wholeheartedly throw myself into my new job. I'm not saying you have to change jobs, but perhaps doing a pivot to increased responsibilities in your current firm, or getting additional leadership experience in a different practice-area or division. I realized for me, I had just run out of stories to tell that would differentiate me from the pack. The year off gave me a wealth of new stories to tell (overcoming a challenge, facing culture shock, beat expectations, etc.), and even helped me to crystalize WHY I wanted the damn MBA in the first place. In hindsight, I think I just needed that extra year to grow up more than anything else.

I don't think this is a panacea for every multi-year reapplicant, but it certainly helped me a great deal. Just thought I'd mention it for some extra perspective. Again - don't lose hope. You'd be surprised how much capacity people have (including yourself!).

OhDenny,

Thank you for your feedback.Assuming I don't get into Ross, I am going to take a month or so and seriously evaluate whether or not I want an MBA, as well as my career goals. I am also considering leaving financial services, and pursuing a graduate assistant position with my old ball coach. A free masters degree ain't bad...
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 27 Jun 2012, 13:53
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You all have been so helpful, so I thought I'd provide an update. I just received my ding from Ross, so I won't be matriculating at a school this year. Thank you all for your help and encouraging words.
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 27 Jun 2012, 19:59
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Sorry to hear about the ding. That's a bummer. I really do hope that after you take some time to decompress that you will try one more time. The WL from Ross shows that you're definitely a competitive candidate. Don't give up before the results happen.
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 28 Jun 2012, 06:53
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Hey there - sorry to hear about the ding from Ross. I know there's nothing I can say to make it sting less, but after you decompress a la Cheetarah's advice, I think you should try again. Maybe not right away, but, if this is really what you want, you can make a drastic change like you mentioned - just make it in a direction that sets you up for your next round of apps. Join a start-up. Become a CFO at a growing non-profit. Show that you have the balls and passion to make yourself a leader, even in the face of rejection. You're gonna be fine. Hang in there.
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 28 Jun 2012, 10:07
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Have you considered applying to MLT?
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Rejected three years in a row ..quit trying? 09 Mar 2015, 01:06
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The original poster is not alone in repeated rejections from all schools applied. It likely means that there is something seriously wrong with your profile on paper. I've worked in admissions and done an MBA myself, so I've written a guidebook to help navigate situations like these. The book is everything I spent months learning as an newbie MBA applicant myself, combined with insights I now have having worked in admissions. It's called MBA 101 and you can find it on Amazon.

There's advice specific to this, such as retaking some quant college courses, retaking the GMAT, making sure you're understanding what the admissions committee is looking for, etc. One of the simplest pieces of advice I give is to speak with the admissions officers directly. If you've been rejected several times, they'll be keen on giving some advice. It's an expensive process in time and energy to apply and we don't like to see applicants going through that repeatedly without success. At least one of those schools WILL give you feedback, so ask.

Good luck!
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