The End Is Near

The end of the business school application process – for me, anyway – is almost within reach. I recently completed my third and final admissions interview, and am now just waiting for the admissions committees of Chicago Booth and Kellogg to make the same decision that the admissions committee of NYU Stern did over a month ago.

While I wait for up to three weeks for Booth to release its final decision and then a couple of weeks on top of that for Kellogg to do the same, at least I can take some small comfort in knowing (or at least thinking) that my last interview went smoothly. Perhaps it was my cumulative interview preparation and experience, the congenial personality of the alumnus that I met with, my recent haircut, or something about the abundant rays of sunshine beaming down after multiple days of blustery weather – whatever it was, when I exited the cafe after my interview, I felt that I had given myself at least a decent chance at being admitted to Booth.

In the black box of admissions, though, I won’t have a good idea of how my candidacy is being evaluated and weighed in the mind of the admissions staff until I get my results next month. This is particularly true with Kellogg, where nearly all applicants have an opportunity to interview, so it’s harder to tell where I stand. Even with Booth, all I know is that about half of all applicants get invited to interview and then less than half of those interviewed eventually get admitted.

In any case, I take solace in knowing that my applications have gotten stronger with each round of edits. So, with applications #4 and #5, I am entering this final stretch with my best foot forward, and will hope that is enough. In the meantime, I will be doing my best to avoid unproductive conjecturing and focus on things that matter, inside and outside of the realm of business school.

This post is adapted from Just Ship, a blog written by an anonymous MBA applicant who has a GMAT score above 760 and is targeting six or seven of the top ten business schools. You can read all of his posts at Just Ship.

“Just One of 4,653 Applicants Trying To Get Into A Top B-School”

“Why I’m Not Applying to Harvard Business School”

“The Deafening Silence Is Broken: An Invitation to Interview from NYU’s Stern School”

“Why An Applicant Interview Requires A Different State of Mind”

“All Is Quiet on the MIT Sloan Front”

“A ‘Yes” from NYU Stern. A ‘No’ from MIT Sloan”

“Kellogg Gets His (Likely) Final Application”

“A Rejection from Columbia B-School”

“Prepping for a Kellogg Interview”

“Doing the Analysis on the Pros & Cons of Going to B-School”

“The Road Not Yet Taken & What Motivated Me To Apply to B-School”

“Waiting for An Invite from Chicago’s Booth School of Business”