A WaitLister’s Successful Effort To Get In

Updated resume

Why: Inform the Admissions Committee of most recent work accomplishments (e.g., pro bono consulting project work for a start-up in Guatemala) and current consulting project from when I submitted my application (October) to the submission deadline (first week of February). Big picture, I viewed the updated resume as a broad overview of some new themes expounded upon in the remainder of the supplemental materials. Provide an updated resume if and only if you have material developments.

How: Edited my original resume and added new bullet points explaining the new accomplishments, while simultaneously removing bullet points that were less impactful. The most challenging part of this exercise was to use judgement in what constituted a major achievement as opposed to normal course of business. For me, I wanted to show more analytical chops and managerial responsibilities, so I made sure to incorporate experiences that touched on those that happened between September 2015 and February 2016.

When: I finalized the updated resume by the middle of January. In total, roughly two to three hours.

90-second waitlist video (unique to Booth)

Why: Creatively express to the Admissions Committee that I understood Booth’s DNA (e.g., Booth prides itself in its flexibility, allowing students to pursue whatever courses we want whenever we want). Moreover, I wanted to solidify how my personal experience directly applied to Booth. Shortly after I applied to Booth, I decided to pursue my yoga teacher training certification. By the end of December, I was a certified yoga instructor. In my video, I wanted to abstractly explore the parallels of flexibility in my yoga practice and how I understood Booth’s approach towards flexibility.

How: I wanted to double down on the creativity I exhibited in my original application and layer on how I understood how critical flexibility (a key selling point to Booth) is to personal growth. After brainstorming with past mentors, I decided to create a 90-second video that paralleled the flexibility exhibited in my yoga practice with the flexibility offered in Booth’s program as a catalyst for personal growth. I was living in Chicago at the time and was blessed to have April Wang, a great friend and colleague, willing to film me doing yoga in the snow by Lake Michigan in sub-20 degree weather. I later used iMovie to record a voiceover narrative. Throughout the process, I had sent the video out to various friends for feedback to make sure it carried an energetic yet professional tone and conveyed the intended message.

When: I ideated on this from the beginning of January to the end of January. I filmed and finalized the clip the first week of February. In total, ideation took nearly six hours spread across two weeks. Writing the script took two hours, filming took another two hours, and finalizing took an additional six hours.

Supplemental letters of recommendations

Why: Fill in gaps to my original application that I either thought were ignored altogether (i.e., my first job out of college) or superficially explained (i.e., my professional ambitions).

How: I identified three people in my personal network (granted, in hindsight, three was likely overkill), who could fill gaps in my original story. For example, I reached out to a former mentor and role model of mine, when I worked at a boutique consulting firm for a year. I did not spend much time in my original application detailing what I had done there, so that recommendation provided greater depth into my professional beginnings.

Two others were recent Booth alums — one, who I worked with, who could attest how involved I was with our local office culture and another, who was in tech, who could express how I would use the opportunities at Booth to intelligently pursue my professional ambitions. To my pleasant surprise, the latter had a pseudo-interview with me to gauge my seriousness and fit for the program.

I received guidance that these letters should be emailed directly from my recommenders to Kristen Robinson, who managed Booth’s waitlist at the time of my application.

Alternatively, I know of other waitlisted candidates who were able to secure recommendation writers, who had specific connections to schools and sent their letters of recommendation directly to school administrators on their behalf.

Whichever path you choose, the important thing is that the recommendation writer is able to provide new, meaningful insight into your candidacy.

When: Similar to the initial application, I would give recommendation writers at least three weeks to write and work my way backwards from the submission deadline. I spent roughly one hour per recommendation writer in sharing my predicament and checking in periodically.

Updated GMAT/GRE score

(note: though I did not do this, I know others, who have successfully navigated the waitlist process, that have taken this approach)

Why: if you feel like you can materially improve your GMAT/GRE scores in a short period of time (~2 months), it will improve your overall candidacy.

How: Take a practice test to see if you can materially lift your GMAT/GRE score with preparation in a short period of time, commit to preparing if deemed necessary and attainable, and re-take the exam.

When: Due to the tight timeline, there may not be much time to prepare, but if this is a key weakness from your personal analysis, I would prioritize studying (again) for the GMAT over the month of January. Timing will vary.

Aside from these materials, other invaluable things were my faith and the support of my friends and family (oldest brother, Ho-Jae, in particular, who prayed with me every night over the phone), which not only helped me get through the initial disappointment of not getting accepted but also helped me find the motivation to prepare these materials and persist through the long wait.