What would you do if not accepted?

Question

What should be the strategy to answer this question?

Can we say that I would accept the other school's offer if I happen to get one? - But this answer may lead to which other school's have you applied to, which we all want to avoid.

mba2010 · Answer

I got this question yesterday, but the stipulation was "what if I didn't get into ANY school and we assumed that you did not apply next year"

gmatclb · Answer

apply again.

trahul4 · Answer

No dont say you will go to other school. 
Try to think innovative and give a completly different answer nto related to getting MBA. Something like joining a start up, getting certifications in your area, or an EMBA . Think with passion and energy to come up with other good options. Somehow you need to tell the adcom that you can still reach your gaols without MBA but you are considering MBA since it is the best option.

sangoman · Answer

Sounds like good advice ..........in fact for me my goals remain the same irrespective of whether I get into a B-school or not. Will give that as my answer

mba2010 · Answer

The stipulatiion that I hypothetically couldn't apply next year threw me off a bit.

However, I think I recovered fairly well. Talked about all the people I've contacted throughout my bschool research, knocking on their doors, leveraging my existing relationships, making new ones, and getting where I need to the more difficult way.

Basically, the terrier route.

adcxaway · Answer

liquidate my meager asset and play poker professionally for 2 years before winning the world series of poker....

i would probably look at a secondary goal that can be achieved without an MBA?

riverripper · Answer

Take an engineering position in my desired field. After a year get them to send me to a part time program and then over the next several years work my way up...a fulltime is basically a shortcut to my end goal. I could take the longer path but it would take another 3 or 4 years which would set me behind for the rest of my career.

kryzak · Answer

I personally believe that after the inflection we all did while writing our essays, most of us should have a good idea of where our careers should go if we were denied from all schools. Just from the people I've talked to, I have a few leads on good startups I can join if I don't get into any schools, and that will probably be my answer if I get denied.

jjanders · Answer

Unfortunately this has become my reality.

After going 0/4 in R1 I have decided to put my MBA plans on hold. I thought I had a pretty interesting profile but maybe not. Given my age I can't see having a "better" profile anytime in the future so perhaps I'll have to look into other options.

I'll go back to lurking, I might post if any random MMA discussions pop up. There has been a ton of great advice on this forum, and I am grateful for that. Congrats to everyone who has been accepted already and best of luck to those in R2 and R3!

riverripper · Answer

Any reason you wont go for some schools in R2. HBS and Wharton are long shots for anyone...Yale for not being a top 10 ranked school has a very low acceptance rate (less than a lot of top 10s).

Maybe try for Duke and Darden in R2. Both are great schools with pretty high acceptance rates compared to your R1 schools. If you have your heart set on a school you can make it happen. Could always work on stregthening aspects of your profile and making a run next year at it.

hbs.aspirant · Answer

It's just one event with an outcome not in your favour. Any loss that you can try to gain again with a chance of favourable outcome > 0 is not a loss. It's just that life hasn't tested you enough to shower fortune on you.

You can try again and get what you want, or you can choose to fail.

TimeSquareDesi · Answer

Modifying the lyrics of an Aaliyah song: If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and apply again! :lol:

aviroop · Answer

Desi, you stole the words right off my mouth. I am actually listening to that song now...every week I have a theme song for inspiration..

lanter1 · Answer

Ok, a liitle MMA motivation...Chuck Liddell has lost two in row and he is not giving up....fighting Vandy for another title shot. Randy Couture lost to Chuck twice and then became heavyweight champ again. You should not give up. People on GMAT club are not quitters, we are winners.

Maybe you are not top-10 material...so what! Go to a top 20 school and when you get a job with a guy/gal who went to a top-10 work everyday to beat him or her, but don't give up.

riverripper · Answer

Plus stay on here and build a network that includes people from every top school (hopefully this year Stanford is added). Half of an MBA is the network you build...so GMATClub is half the battle.

hbs.aspirant · Answer

Taliking about inspirational songs, I had to post this:

Soulshine
The Allman Brothers
Transcribed by sean carpenter

When you can’t find the light,
That got you through the cloudy days,
When the stars ain’t shinin’ bright,
You feel like you’ve lost you’re way,
When those candle lights of home,
Burn so very far away,
Well you got to let your soul shine,
Just like my daddy used to say.

[chorus]
He used to say soulshine,
It’s better than sunshine,
It’s better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Hey now people don’t mind,
We all get this way sometime,
Got to let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

I grew up thinkin’ that I had it made,
Gonna make it on my own.
Life can take the strongest man,
Make him feel so alone.
Now and then I feel a cold wind,
Blowin’ through my achin’ bones,
I think back to what my daddy said,
He said boy, in the darkness before the dawn:

[chorus]
Let your soul shine,
It’s better than sunshine,
It’s better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Yeah now people don’t mind,
We all get this way sometimes,
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

Sometimes a man can feel this emptiness,
Like a woman has robbed him of his very soul.
A woman too, God knows, she can feel like this.
And when your world seems cold, you got to let your spirit take control.

[chorus]
Let your soul shine,
It’s better than sunshine,
It’s better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Lord now people don’t mind,
We all get this way sometimes,
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

Oh, it’s better than sunshine,
It’s better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Yeah now people don’t mind,
We all get this way sometimes,
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.

Here is the link to original, but you have to sign in to read:

https://www.achaheart.org/boards/viewtop ... nspiration

aviroop · Answer

Open an import-export business... now that medicines, clothes, electronics, cars..are cheaper in USA compared to EU or our cold neighbours up north... sell that stuff there..

nick_sun · Answer

Will continue my current work to raise enough capital to run a start-up. Probably, invest the money to some mutual fund. Whatever I like... But in any case, will follow my values and goals that I have crystallized through these b-school applications. Hopefully, I can improve using my well-thought guidelines

Once Chuck Palahniuk (the author of "The Fight Club") said, “Our Generation has had no Great war, no Great Depression. Our war is spiritual. Our depression is our lives.” Well, I am going to win that war. Nick

MBAbot · Answer

Hello from the GMAT Club MBAbot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

What would you do if not accepted?

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