UCLA Waitlist Question:

Question

Hi Paul,

Thanks for all the great input and advice, and I would like to get your insights with regards to UCLA waitlist chances, especially given your association with UCLA over the years.

Just to give you a quick background, I applied Round 1 and was waitlisted with a pending decision on March 31st. A snapshot of my profile: 32 M, Indian, engineering consultant, 710 GMAT, GPA-3.3 UG, 3.5 G, Work experience - 8 years, Post-MBA: Management Consulting.

Ok, now to the question. The waitlisted candidates have only two options in terms of recommended updates. 1) Improved GMAT and 2) Updated Grades/Transcripts. Anderson waitlist guidelines clearly state that any other materials/updates will not be accepted.

Since I graduated many years ago, the only option available to me as opposed to "do nothing" is to retake GMAT. My GMAT is 710 (Q-85th;V-89th;Overall-93rd). In the light of my engineering consulting background and a GPA of 3.3 UG and 3.5 G, is it worth retaking GMAT and hopefully increasing it by 30 pts or so?

I can't decide if my GMAT, which falls very close to the school’s average (711), is a factor or not in the waitlist decision. I am stuck on the fence about this. Your thoughts??

Another option I may have is to ask an alum (he attended FEMBA) I know who is very involved with an entrepreneurs association affiliated with both UCLA and USC to put in a good word for me?

Thanks in advance.

PaulLanzillotti · Answer

Hey Diego:
As much as I hate to tell you this, you are going to want to retake the GMAT. It is really your only option.

To be completely honest with you -- and I cringe when I see this a little -- your solid 710 GMAT is going to be lower than your applicant sub group. This subgroup consists of Indian male engineers (who will have higher than average GMAT scores.) So while Anderson's average may be 710, yours will probably be lower than your subgroup average by 20 points or so.
 
As much as I love Anderson (and thankful for all the things the UCLA degree has allowed me to achieve), the school (in my opinion) as a habit of focusing heavily on GMAT in the admissions process -- more so I believe than other MBA programs and their range. If you want evidence of this, I point to Anderson's long history of having above a 700 average GMAT score, what other top programs average scores in the high 600s. This goes back to when I was applying about eight years ago. In my personal experience as a consultant, I have had clients waitlisted at Anderson with sub 700 GMAT scores (670 - 690) -- candidates who I believe would have been excellent in the classroom and would have contributed much to Anderson.

TL:DR (too long -- did not have time to read) -  retake the GMAT

Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti

diego77 · Answer

I appreciate your quick response, Paul. If I take the GMAT by March 1st week and hopefully score higher, will it give enough time for the Adcom to consider it in Rd 2? Just to reiterate, Rd 1 waitlisted candidates will hear on the same day as Rd 2 applicants (March 31st).

Thanks for your valuable input.

Thanks for your valuable input.

PaulLanzillotti · Answer

Diego:
I would send them an e-mail update stating that you plan on taking the GMAT again. They will put that in your file and will wait to evaluate your file when they receive your updated GMAT score. Just get it on the record before they start evaluating the waitlist. there are no guarantees that they will keep you on the waitlist, but it will help when they open up your file again.
Respectfully,
Paul Lanzillotti

diego77 · Answer

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your continued input. Your thoughts on retaking the GMAT to get off the waitlist certainly made things clear for me and pushed me off the fence to take action before I read this message (attached below) from last year posted in the UCLA MBA Insider's Blog. Before I make a decision to retake the GMAT and hopefully increase my score from 710 (Q-85th;V-89th;Overall-93rd) to something higher which is going to demand a lot of time and effort (I'm probably preaching to the choir), I would like to get your final thoughts as related to Adcom's reasons for waitlist. You sound well-informed and are straight-forward in your communication, and I value your input as part of my decision-making process.

Thanks so much in advance.

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April 01, 2009

Reasons UCLA Anderson MBA Applicants are Placed on the Waitlist

Each year the UCLA Anderson MBA Program places a small percent of its applicants on the waitlist. (For instructions on how to handle the waitlist process, please view our blog posting on waitlist guidelines). Typically applicants are waitlisted for the following reasons:

1. Capacity Constraints

The majority of waitlisted candidates are individuals who would be fine admits and successful contributors to the program, but there are simply more qualified applicants than there are spaces in the class in any given year.

2. Competitiveness of the pool

Other waitlisted individuals would also be fine admits, but are relatively less competitive across areas of their application, especially in a very strong applicant pool:

o full-time professional work experience 
o leadership / management experience or potential 
o readiness for an MBA based on written presentation and / or interview 
o record of contributions to community, school, and / or work 
o demonstrated ability to successful work on or lead teams 
o fit for a highly collaborative student and school culture

For these individuals, there is no need to submit additional materials to enhance their candidacy. Since decisions are made across multiple criteria, the addition of a letter of recommendation or job promotion would not change an admissions decision. And, in the spirit of fairness and equity to individuals applying in later rounds, without the same opportunity to augment their application, we are unable to accept new materials.

3. Lower Demonstrated Academic Skills

A small group of waitlisted persons are potentially exceptional admits, but have limited or no demonstration of skills required for success in the MBA program, including:

Preparation for the rigorous quantitative coursework in the MBA curriculum

o low percentile on the quantitative section of the GMAT, 
o no undergraduate quantitative courses (e.g., calculus, statistics), and/or 
o low grades in quantitative coursework in undergraduate or baccalaureate work

English proficiency

o low verbal percentile and/or AWA on the GMAT 
o low TOEFL score (total or in 1 or more areas)

Individuals with this latter profile are typically aware of their developmental needs and may submit updated test scores (e.g., TOEFL or IELTS, GMAT) during the application review process. For more information, please view the Admissions Criteria and FAQ sections of our website.
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