Rejected From Business School? Find Out Why And What You Can Do To Improve Your MBA Applications

If you were rejected from business school this year, do not give up hope! After dealing with the initial disappointment, you likely tried to pinpoint why you got dinged. Keep in mind that there are countless reasons for an MBA rejection. In fact, in some cases, you may have done everything right and still got rejected.

Whether you have a good idea of where you went wrong or are still unsure, turn your distress into action and begin working on your new MBA application strategy! MBA programs will often reward reapplicants who continue to demonstrate an interest in their programs and Personal MBA Coach successfully guides reapplicants each year.

Below, we have shared some of the top causes for MBA rejections, as well as actions to improve your applications the next time around!

Cause 1: Lack of a Strong Story

Your business school applications must stand out. The admissions committee should have a clear understanding of who you are and what you are passionate about. If your passions are vague and your essays easily could have been written by any other applicant with a similar background, it will be difficult to stand out.

Successful applications are memorable! Regardless of the background you are coming from, you have a story to tell. Personal MBA Coach helps clients craft unique, distinguished essays via our comprehensive packages.

Reapplication Action: Think about everything you have done, even going back to childhood. Consider the decisions you have made, activities you enjoy and, most importantly, what drove you to make those choices. Then, think about your future goals. What do you want to do post-MBA and, again, why? Finally, look for a theme that is unique to your experiences and will help you stand out from other applicants.

Cause 2: Not Enough Leadership Experience

Naturally, business schools want to fill their classes with leaders. While leading a team at work is a more traditional example, taking on an informal leadership position within a team, mentoring a junior team member, or stepping up outside of the office are great ways to show leadership as well. As you begin to think about reapplying, consider how you can improve your leadership experience through work and/or extracurriculars and how you can better articulate this experience in your applications.

Reapplication Action: Take on more at the office in any way possible. While of course, a promotion is ideal, there are many other ways to expand your responsibilities within your existing role. Beyond your professional role, consider volunteering for internal committees or projects to help enhance your company and culture.

Cause 3: A Narrow School List

Personal MBA Coach’s clients apply to 5 to 7 schools on average, with our 6-school package currently being the most popular. Although this is an investment of both time and money, there are many factors in the business school application process to hedge against. If you apply to only a few programs, there is a greater risk of being rejected. Plus, with an increasing number of strong MBA programs, there is no reason to restrict yourself to a small school list.

Reapplication Action: Broaden your school list. For some, this means choosing schools across a range of tiers. For others, this means choosing a variety of top-tier schools.

Of course, your target list must match your candidate profile. Make sure that you have not only a wide enough list but also one that is reasonable based on your professional experience, background, test score, and GPA.

Cause 4: Inconsistent Application Components

All parts of your business school application should fit together when reviewed holistically. This includes your MBA resume, essays, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation. Any two components of your application that do not tie together will raise questions about your sincerity and intentions.

Reapplication Action: Start early to make sure you take the time to fine-tune your personal story, rethink your letter of recommendation strategy and make sure that all aspects of your application work together cohesively.

A few questions you should think about include: Did your essays share what truly makes you shine? Do your extracurriculars paint a similar image of who you are and what is important to you? Do your letters of recommendation match your description of yourself as a candidate?

Cause 5: Low Test Score and/or GPA

While not the be-all and end-all, it goes without saying that test scores and academic records play a key part in your success. If you do not have a competitive test score or GPA, you may not gain admission to your top choice, even if the rest of your application is strong. While some applicants with lower numbers may get admitted (and vice versa), you should set reasonable expectations based on how you stack up compared to recent class profile information.

Reapplication Action: Consider retaking the GMAT/GRE/EA or making the switch from one exam to another. Keep in mind that, depending on your profile and background, you may need to aim for an above-average score to be a competitive applicant (this is especially true if you had a lower undergraduate GPA or come from an overrepresented applicant pool).

As you plan to retake the exam, think about your previous preparation techniques. If you did not get help last time, consider hiring a personal tutor who can provide targeted guidance on how to improve your score.

Cause 6: Unsuccessful Interview

If you interviewed with a school and were rejected following this interview, your on-screen or in-person performance was likely a big factor in your rejection. Whether you failed to prepare adequately or did not have a good connection with your interviewer, remember that interviewing takes practice!

Reapplication Action: Be sure to schedule at least one (if not multiple) mock interviews the second time around! These will equip you with a school-specific guide containing the latest questions that will be asked, the types of answers schools are looking for, and how to best deliver these responses.

Cause 7: Too Many Applicants with a Similar Profile

Sometimes MBA acceptances simply come down to the numbers. While Personal MBA Coach frequently helps clients from overrepresented backgrounds craft standout personal stories, diversity is incredibly important to business schools. They cannot fill a whole class with MBB consultants or investment bankers. This “numbers game” is one of the reasons why we encourage applicants to expand their target school lists.

Reapplication Action: Broaden your school list (revisit cause #3 for more details).

If you are looking for help with your reapplication strategy, reach out to Personal MBA Coach today! We successfully guide reapplicants each year via our Comprehensive Packages.

About Personal MBA Coach:

Founded by a Wharton MBA and MIT Sloan graduate who sits on the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants Board of Directors, Personal MBA Coach has been guiding clients for 15 years and is consistently ranked #1 or #2 by leading sources including Poets&Quants.

We help clients with all aspects of the MBA application process including early planning, GMAT/GRE/EA tutoring, application strategy, school selection, essay editing, and mock interviews. Our team includes former M7 admissions directors and former M7 admissions interviewers.

Last cycle, our clients earned more than $6.5M in scholarships!

Scott Edinburgh is a Wharton MBA and MIT Sloan BS graduate and founded Personal MBA Coach 15 years ago with the goal of providing customized one-on-one support. Scott also serves on the Board of Directors for AIGAC, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants, and is invited to speak at MBA Admissions events globally. Our clients have been accepted to all top schools globally with a 96% success rate. They received $6.5M+ in scholarships last cycle.