A Ding From Chicago Booth Sparks A Reassessment

After waiting all week to learn my fate, Booth wished me a happy Valentine’s Day with a denial. Bummer.

That means I’m one application away from being a reapplicant next year. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ve earned an acceptance from Kellogg, but considering the previous outcomes, and my interview experience on-campus, I’m not very hopeful.

Random asides:

I’ve had some time to process the whole, erm…process…of applying to MBA programs, and I think the outcomes so far reflect the product. What I mean is that I’m striking out for a reason on these apps, so I really need to dig into them and see if everything I think I’m communicating is actually coming through. Basically, why am I not making that connection with the adcom? My instincts say it’s a combination of factors – my GPA, as expected, still haunts me; my relative youth doesn’t help; and although I thought I had a solid post-MBA career goal piece, that probably needs some work as well. Overall, my profile was not quite up to snuff for the schools I applied to, and it’s about time I start implementing my reapplicant strategy. This is all a little premature because I still haven’t heard back from Kellogg, but the planner in me can’t help but think about next steps. Heck, I’m already thinking about which schools I’ll reapply to and which new schools I’ll add to the list.

I was warned by friends and family that this would be an arduous journey, and they weren’t kidding. There’s been some ups, but these downs are rough. I think this is just one of those times I need to keep moving forward and not dwell on the results. By adjusting my pitch and shoring up my weaknesses, I’m hopeful I’ll start seeing more highs than lows.

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

My Round Two Apps Are In The Bag

The Lowdown On My Kellogg Interview