Waitlist Strategy - Yale & Duke

Question

R2 Applicant.

ARINGO · Answer

Recommended waitlist strategy may include:

1. Take the GMAT again if you think there’s some chance you can improve your grade by 20 points or more.

2. Visit campus and request, in advance, a (second) interview with an admissions officer.

3. Get a couple more support emails from students/professors/alumni.

4. Write a cover letter to the head of admissions detailing recent, significant, positive developments in your career / life and restating your strong interest in the program.

For more waitlist tips, please visit: https://aringo.com/waitlist-campaign/

sandip2295 · Answer

As you have already mentioned, you should reach out to the alums/current students and find out if they know someone who experienced the same situation as yours during their admission process and talk to them about how did they come out of it.
See if you can improve your application aspects. You can send request to the AdCom for a feedback on your application. If you already know your weak spot in the App, try to address it and mention your willingness and plan to rectify it.
Provide them with your latest achievements and credentials, and show your interest to getting an interview/admit.
Additional recommendations/references can be of help, too.

At last, have patience and hope for the best.
Good luck.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Honestly, I would say to engage a trustworthy admissions consultant with a solid reputation to review your applications and identify why adcom has pause. This might be a matter of too much competition or there might be something actionable. After reviewing your app then take the appropriate actions (improve leadership profile, redo test, etc), or incorporate resolution to problems (impractical goals, etc) in the update letter. If you plan to reapply, the input will be really helpful, especially because consultants know how your merits stack up against others in your profile group. This gives you a plan going into the reapplication process should things not go your way, this season.

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Admissionado · Answer

jeonacivil :

I do like the suggestions that the others have made; they're all within the realm of what is appropriate and effective.

That said, I do think it's important to manage expectations that being waitlisted without an interview does not bode well for acceptance. This classification is almost unfair to candidates as the interview is generally a requisite. It's become an option for some schools to keep more folks in the mix, but we have yet to come across a candidate that was admitted without first conducted the interview.

We say this because we want you to spend your time wisely this application season. You are better off trying to get tactical feedback and using that for a potential reapplication in the future. That will be a better use of your time than trying hard to get off the waitlist without an interview, especially in R2.

Good luck,
Admissionado

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

jeonacivil  - I had missed reading the part without interview. Fully agree with Admissionado; would count those as dings basically and focus now on the upcoming cycle. Even my 2 Indian clients on the Duke WL w/o interview submitting superb updates (got a job, promoted, etc) to Fuqua haven't received interviews but thankfully one is headed to IESE and the other Booth. Would recommend you apply to a lot more schools next time.

jeonacivil · Answer

ARINGO   MBAPrepCoach   Admissionado

Thank you so much for your feedback! I had given up hope completely but what a turnaround. I got accepted at Kellogg! (wasn't even expecting it after WLs at Yale/Duke and ding at Tuck). On top of that, yesterday, I got invited to interview at Duke without even submitting an update or reaching out to AdCom. It has been a roller coaster ride these past couple months!

bb · Answer

Wow. That's amazing! Congratulations!
Was Kellogg R3 application?

P.S. Sorry I missed the ping.

jeonacivil · Answer

Thank you so much! 
No, Kellogg was R2 as well. But I wasn't hopeful at all as Kellogg interviews everyone and I got dinged at lower ranked schools before the Kellogg result was out (March 28).
I've to decide between Kellogg and Rotman now but will do a separate post and tag you!

bb · Answer

Congarats again and thaanks 😎.

That may be a pretty quick and simple decision but we’ll see 🤔🤷‍♂️

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Admissionado · Answer

jeonacivil :

That's really fantastic news. To all those reading this who aren't  jeonacivil , it goes to show you that there is a randomness to the process and you shouldn't count anything or yourself out!

Please let us know if we can help in any other way.

Best,
Admissionado

MBAbot · Answer

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Waitlist Strategy - Yale & Duke

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