HBS Has 100 MBA Applicants On Wait List

Dillon House is where Harvard Business School makes all of its admission decisions.

Dillon House is where Harvard Business School makes all of its admission decisions.

TWO BASIC APPROACHES TO WAIT LISTERS: ‘BUZZ OFF & DON’T CALL US’ OR OPEN COMMUNICATIONS

How an admissions office handles wait listed candidates differs. Shinewald says there generally are two approaches: Open and closed. “Open schools like to hear from you and closed schools have a buzz-off, don’t-call-us attitude if you are on the wait list,” he says. “Individuals who are persistent in beating down the doors and ignore the advice of the closed schools will identify themselves in a negative light.”

He suggests stealth tactics. “It’s possible if you’re on a closed wait list to have a campaign by proxy,” he adds. “It shouldn’t be a lengthy campaign but if you know someone who can write a letter on your behalf who have have some influence, that ’s fine. It should not be a flood of letters. You shouldn’t get every alumnus you know to call the school because that would impact you negatively.”

A CARDINAL RULE FOR WAIT LISTERS: DON’T BETRAY YOUR ANXIETY TO THE SCHOOL

In cases where schools encourage communication, Shinewald advises a prudent approach. “It shouldn’t be a campaign, either. You need to focus on the pace of your communication and the relevance of the information you provide.  “You can often submit additional recommendations, updated scores, promotions and challenging work assignments. But you have to do so in a paced manner. Don’t contact admissions every day. And the cardinal rule is never ask, ‘How am i doing on the wait list?’ Never show weakness or anxiety. Don’t ask for your odds of success. You never want to be that person who is nervously calling the office and asking for information in a manner that might show you as immature and filled with anxiety.”

Among schools with more open approaches is Darden and Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. Unlike most school admission offices, Darden provides feedback to applicants who end up on the wait list. “As soon as someone lands on the wait list, they can sign up for a feedback appointment,” she says. “If there is something they can do to improve their application, they can do it right away. It can range from retaking a GMAT or TOEFL test. Sometimes, we’re looking for an improvement on only part of the test, a quant score or an IR (integrated reasoning) score.

“Sometimes we have no idea what job you want to get after business school and we need to hear what you really want to do. If that takes you time to figure out by talking to current students or alumni, at this point you could tell us what you hope to accomplish with the MBA. And sometimes in the interview a candidate may not seem genuine about wanting to come to Darden. This would be their change to clear up that impression. They can do this in a Skype call.”

Dan Bauer, founder and CEO of The MBA Exchange, agrees that wait listers tend to be a pessimistic bunch for good reason. “As nearly 90% of applicants offered admission by HBS actually enroll there, those on the wait list tend to be pessimistic,” he says. “However, the good news is that 50 to 60 of individuals on the HBS list can expect an offer at some point before classes start in the fall. Given Harvard’s strict policy against ‘additional information,’ there’s not much that a wait listed applicant can do at this point except have confidence in his or her candidacy — and seriously consider other B-schools.”

However, a former Harvard Business School insider says that while the school is serious about its closed wait list approach, it’s still possible to have some impact on your candidacy. Chioma Isiadinso, founder and CEO of the MBA admissions consulting firm Expartus, used to manage the wait list in Harvard Business School’s admissions office. “Officially,” she says, “the school isn’t keen on new info. But applicants have been known to update on important improvements such as big changes work-wise such as promotions or significant test score improvements.

A PUBLIC AWARD FOR BEING THE LAST ADMIT OFF THE WAIT LIST?

Her advice: “It doesn’t hurt to send those in. You never know if it could move the needle. The key thing is to let them know you are keen on remaining on the list as long as it takes. Even a recommendation from an alum could help but don’t count on it. And whatever you do, don’t overplay your hand and tick them off by too many emails and additional letters.”

This year, HBS is expected to begin releasing wait listers shortly after the deadline for its final round three application cutoff next Monday, April 6th. “At that time we will have a complete picture of the applicant pool for this year and will begin admitting and releasing from the wait list,” she explained.

Consultant Kreisberg quips that Dee Leopold, the managing director of MBA admissions and financial aid at Harvard Business School, should formally announce the school’s last admit–often someone from the wait list–every year. “I think it would be a cool idea if Dee had a special ceremony for the last kid admitted,” he says. “Maybe a crimson blazer with a patch saying LAST ADMIT CLASS OF 2017. That student could be called up before a school-wide assembly, and given the blazer, sort of like winning the Masters. It would really be a hoot and he would get, no doubt,  a thunderous, ten-minute standing ovation.”

DON’T MISS: HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY GET OFF A WAIT LIST or THE WAIT LIST WASTELAND FOR MBA APPLICANTS

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