Admitted? Waitlisted? Rejected? Here’s What To Do In Each

An MBA decision can be nerve-wracking. However, it’s important to know what to do once your decision arrives.

The MBA Exchange, an admissions and career consultancy, recently discussed what types of decisions you can expect and what next steps you should take.

Admitted

Admission is, of course, the best outcome. However, before you get too excited, it’s critical to know that after you’ve been admitted, there are still a few steps you’ll need to take.

“Most business schools engage eagle-eyed, background-checking firms to revisit admits’ applications in search of gaps, overlaps, disconnects, exaggerations, misstatements, fabrications, etc.,” according to The MBA Exchange.

To ensure you’re in the clear, The MBA Exchange recommends that applicants go over their application one more time to spot any mishaps.

“So, as you re-read your application now with fresh eyes, is there any content that might prompt a query or concern during background verification? If so, consider enlisting the guidance and support of a savvy, trustworthy expert and proven approach to help you prepare and, if necessary, pre-empt or respond in the best way.”

Yet, experts say, most applicants won’t have to worry about background checks.

“The vast majority of people shouldn’t stress over this verification process,” Stacy Blackman, of Stacy Blackman Consulting, writes. “Business schools aren’t on a mission to grill candidates about every last detail of their applications. They simply want to ensure that applicants have honestly represented themselves, their experience and their accomplishments.”

Waitlisted

Being waitlisted can be a letdown, but experts say there are still strategies you can take on to increase your chances of being accepted.

“A smart move would be to engage a professional admissions consultant who has helped other waitlistees succeed at your target school in recent years,” according to The MBA Exchange. “Following a customized plan that considers the adcom’s policies and preferences is most likely to produce the positive result you had in mind when you submitted your application.”

Rejection

While being denied acceptance is the last thing you want, it can serve as a useful learning opportunity.

One thing experts say applicants can do after a rejection is to objectively look at your qualification.

“If you had weak test scores, low grades, or insufficient work experience either quantitatively or qualitatively relative to your target school’s current class profile, then it’s easier to understand why you were dinged,” Jen Weld, of Accepted, writes for P&Q. “The good news: these are all circumstances you can mitigate or change!”

Doing so can help you understand what you need to improve on.

“If your grades were low, take some courses to show that the circumstances that led to those grades in undergrad are gone now,” Weld writes. “If you have inadequate work experience, you presumably continue to work, and each passing day adds to that experience. If you take it one step further and actively seek out more responsibility and leadership roles, you will increase the possibility of measuring up to the schools you are seeking acceptance at.”

Sources: The MBA Exchange, Stacy Blackman Consulting, Poets & Quants