My Round Two Apps Are In The Bag

studyingWith my R2 submissions in the bag (Kellogg & Booth), I’m having a tough time relaxing or taking Essay Snark’s advice to use my application momentum for some (non-MBA related) good. I’ve given myself only a few short weeks before I’ll be interviewing on-campus at Kellogg, so I can’t rest or turn my focus elsewhere just yet. Instead, my time will be filled with a lot of interview prep sprinkled with some social-time sanity checks before taking my trip up north.

In spite of the expected temperature adjustment I’ll have to undergo when visiting Evanston, I’m really looking forward to checking out the campus, sitting in on a class or two, and lunching with the students. I’ve heard it’s a gorgeous campus, and the pictures – when the sun is out – look great. I’m just not sure how it presents itself in the middle of winter, although if I’m lucky enough to get in, I think I can find a way to get used to all weather ;).

As far as the two applications went, I came away pretty pleased with how I presented myself. I think they were two of my better efforts and I’m hopeful for a positive result.

For one, my essays seem, to me at least, to be much improved from my first drafts I pulled together way back when I was applying to CBS in October. I think the standard advice to apply to your favorite schools after you’ve got a few applications under your belt proved itself here. There’s something about the iterative process of essay writing where your last draft is always better than your previous attempts.

And if you joined me in applying to both Chicago-area schools, you know the applications went beyond the standard essays many schools use. Booth also has a presentation option, PowerPoint for me, and Kellogg adds a video interview piece that’s pretty unique (Yale does this, as well). I liked the change of pace in both, and I think they really did allow me to present another side of myself that could not be captured in the essays.

A management consultant, FromGMATToMBA is blogging about his journey into a top 10 business school with what he calls a “low-ish GPA.”  In the first round, he was dinged from both Columbia Business School and Wharton. He also plans to apply in round two to Chicago Booth and Northwestern Kellogg. He blogs at FromGMATToMBA.

Previous Posts:

The Unpleasant Reality of Taking the GMAT: From a 700 to a 730

After Dings From Columbia & Wharton, A Focus on Kellogg & Booth

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