This Meme Is Going Viral Among MBA Hopefuls

This is the photo one MBA applicant used to express his emotions after being rejected by Stanford Graduate School of Business

As any MBA applicant will tell you, it’s possible to get admitted to one school and rejected by another, even when the accepting school is ranked higher and is more selective than the school that turned thumbs down on your application.

And then there are the differences between an MBA admissions decision at Stanford and one at Harvard. Rejected by Stanford on March 10th, this MBA candidate was then admitted by Harvard Business School just 20 days later.

In elite MBA admissions, rejections come with little explanation but much grace. Stanford thanked the applicant for the “privilege” of reading their application after noting that “unfortunately we are unable to offer you admission.”

‘THERE ARE RARELY PRECISE REASONS FOR AN APPLICANT’S DENIAL’

The school reminded the crushed applicant that it typically receives about 7,000 applications for about 420 classroom seats. “Most applicants are well-qualified for the Stanford MBA Program,” according to the rejection email. “The admission process is subjective, and there rarely are precise reasons for an applicant’s denial. The final results simply reflect our best efforts.”

It had to be agonizing for any candidate to read those sentences.

But then, on March 30th, a very different kind of email arrived in the applicant’s inbox from Harvard Business School. “The answer is YES! We see in you a leader who will make a difference in the world. I hope you feel happy, proud, and excited to read this letter.”

The candidate’s resulting meme, now circulating the social media, wonderfully captures the the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

An MBA applicant’s meme captures the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat

DON’T MISS: REJECTED BY HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? or DINGED? HERE’S WHY YOU WEREN’T ACCEPTED

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