Here are the answers to all your queries on the MBA waitlist:
- What Is the MBA waitlist?
- Why Are Applicants Waitlisted?
- Immediate Steps After Being Waitlisted For MBA
- Step 1: Self-Assessment
- Step 2: Accept or Decline?
- Step 3: Obey Admission Committee's Guidelines
- Step 4: Updating The Admission Committee
- Step 5: Make A Back-up Plan
- How To Get Off The MBA Waitlist?
- What Not To Do As A Waitlisted MBA Applicant
- Should You Stay On The MBA Waitlist?
Waitlisted for MBA despite all your best efforts? You did all you could – from impressive academic and work record to impactful essay and interview and yet you landed on the waitlist. It is natural to feel crushed and devastated but hey, you still have the chance to get an MBA admission. But what should your MBA waitlist strategy be? Read on as we answer all your questions:
What Is The MBA Waitlist?
Business schools make a waitlist of candidates who will be accepted if their application improves in certain aspects or if accepted candidates refuse to enroll. B-schools use this list to manage their intake of applicants over multiple application rounds to ensure that they select the most impressive and diverse batch of students.
While getting accepted is the goal, a waitlist, especially by your target school, is definitely a good sign. It means you had a great application that missed the mark by a small margin. The ad-com would like to have you in their class but one or more factors are holding them up before they take the final call. Let us understand why are applicants put on the waitlist.
Why Are Applicants Waitlisted?
There are several reasons for the admissions committee’s ambivalence towards your application. The most common reasons for being waitlisted are:
- Low GMAT score
- Low GPA
- Relative inexperience
- Inconsistent track record
- Doubts regarding the MBA program is your first choice
- Concern if the applicant would be a great fit for the school
- Belonging to a very competitive applicant pool in terms of country or profile
- Unrealistic or confusing career goals that do not connect with your previous experience
Immediate Steps After Being Waitlisted For MBA
The MBA waitlist is a much better option than rejection. It is a clear signal that you are still in the game. Remember, you still have a chance to secure admission; so instead of feeling defeated, it’s time to spring into action. Read on to understand what your strategy and next course of action should be:
Step 1: Self-Assessment
Ponder over what could be the potential weakness in your application – low GMAT score, essays that failed to leave an impact. Examine the areas that can be worked upon to impress the ad-com. Unless you identify what could have kept them from complete conviction, you cannot spring to action.
Step 2: Accept Or Decline?
It’s now time to consider whether you should accept or decline the waitlist offer. If it is your dream b-school, then you should definitely accept it, otherwise, research the yield rate of the school. The yield rate is the percentage of candidates who choose to accept the admission offer. The higher the yield rate, the lower the chances of the admission committee having to scan the waitlist.
Step 3: Obey Admission Committee's Guidelines
Read the guidelines of the school carefully and act accordingly. Some business schools are open to receiving additional information about the candidate while others explicitly ask them to improve certain parts of their application. If the business school is open to receiving updates, then take your time to carefully think through them without flooding them with emails.
If the admission team does not want you to send any follow-up material, do not succumb to the temptation of sending them updates despite that. There are also business schools that seek an additional 250-300 word essay from the MBA waitlisted candidates. Schools like Berkeley’s Haas School of Business invite all its waitlisted candidates to complete an additional interview and submit a supplemental update to their application. Decide your course of action only based on what the admission team wants.
Step 4: Updating The Admission Committee
Do not send an update letter immediately after the waitlist mail. You should ideally wait for a month since this time will allow you to show genuine improvement. Send the first update after a month or two and the second 2-3 weeks before the deadline of the next round. This will ensure that they have enough time to read your update letter before they are inundated with the next round of applications.
Two updates with an ample gap of a month or more are more than enough. Refrain from the temptation of sending every piece of information you can think of. Since you get only two chances, you need to be succinct and offer only the information that can bolster your case.
What should you share with the admissions team?
- Promising changes to your profile – a challenging project executed by you, promotion, award, increase in salary, taking on new responsibilities within your company or community
- Increase in GMAT score – if you reattempted and succeeded in achieving an impressive hike. Consider retaking the GMAT only if your score is below the program average and you are sure you can work towards a substantial score hike.
- Desire to join – Often admission committee is left wondering if you are truly eager to join their program or was it your backup option? Sometimes, an applicant’s essays or interviews do not completely convince them. Hence, reasserting a firm commitment to join the school can truly help your odds.
Exercise restraint in your communications with the b-school but also convey your enthusiasm whenever possible.
Step 5: Make A Back-up Plan
It is the bitter truth that most people do not get the offer of acceptance despite all their efforts. Thus, it is a smart strategy to formulate a backup plan– to think about whether you want to reapply to the same program or perhaps to other schools during the next cycle. While weighing your course of action, try to strengthen your profile to increase your chances of success.
| Business School | <700 | 700-730 | 740+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard Business School | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| Stanford GSB | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| Wharton | 0% | 0% | 5% |
| Columbia Business School | 0% | 0% | 16% |
| Kellogg School of Management | 6% | 2% | 11% |
| Dartmouth College (Tuck) | 0% | 8% | 6% |
| Duke University | 0% | 6% | 4% |
| University of Virginia | 20% | 17% | 27% |
| Georgetown University (McDonough) | 0% | 14% | 20% |
| University of California-Berkeley (Haas) | 0% | 6% | 3% |
| Yale School of Management | 0% | 17% | 4% |
| Michigan Ross | 10% | 18% | 11% |
| UCLA Anderson | 27% | 19% | 6% |
| University of Texas- Austin (McCombs) | 8% | 9% | 6% |
| Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) | 9% | 9% | 3% |
| Booth School of Business | 18% | 15% | 19% |
| Cornell University (Johnson) | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| MIT Sloan | 14% | 14% | 8% |
| NYU Stern | 8% | 6% | 7% |
How To Get Off The MBA Waitlist?
Showing remarkable improvement is key to getting off the business school waitlist. If some business schools ask you to improve certain part(s) of your application, make sure to implement it and offer updates only pertaining to these parts. In case, the admissions committee has not specified anything, there are certain things you can do to help your case:
- GMAT score: The GMAT alone has a 22% weightage in the MBA application. If you are aiming for the top MBA programs and have a score below 740, consider retaking the exam and aiming for a 740+. Need some help? We are here to guide you through:
2. Additional LoR: If the admissions committee allows it, consider sending an additional letter of support. It should not look like a formal letter of recommendation but a short write-up of a page is enough.
Ideally, pick a recommender who knows you personally and is connected to the school where you are waitlisted. If the recommender is a notable alum or a donor, that would work really well towards getting you off the waitlist. Make sure that the letter makes a winning case for your seat in the MBA program.
If you do not know an alum personally, assess what would have been seen as your weaknesses and pick a recommender who attests to your constant improvement after the submission of your application.
3. Specific career goals: Vague career goals often reflect a lack of clarity in thought. If you provided broad career goals, take this opportunity to narrow their scope and reinforce their attainability. Convince the admissions committee why these goals are important to you and how their program is pivotal in making your dreams come true.
4. Professional growth: Sometimes candidates do not have a professional background that shows growth and initiative. Actively seek new projects, take on new responsibilities, or look for a job change that can add a dynamic element to your career.
5. Stay engaged with the school: Visit the campus if you can, and engage and connect with alumni and currently enrolled students. Often if you have impressed someone within the school’s community, they also volunteer to speak on your behalf to the ad-com. Attend the events, and webinars organized by the school clubs and interact with people to show consistent interest in the b-school. In your subsequent update to the admissions team, highlight what you learned about the school, its students, and events that further reinforced your interest.
Bonus tip: Update your LinkedIn profile. Get recommendations from seniors and supervisors. Add photos and videos to supplement your achievements. Network with the school community on LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile can do much more than you expect!
What Not To Do As A Waitlisted MBA Applicant
- No emotional response: It is natural to despair but do not let your personal emotions reflect anywhere in your official communication with the admissions committee. There cannot be even a hint of resentful feelings or disappointment in your interaction with school members. Conduct yourself in a positive and professional manner.
- Don’t overstep your bounds: If the admission team has clarified that it wants only a certain set of information or does not want any updates, follow it to the T.
- Do not spam: No matter which school’s waitlist you may land on, make sure every interaction you have with the admissions department adds value to your file. Do not bother them with details that are redundant, obvious, or vague.
Remain friendly in your relations with the MBA admissions staff. The MBA waitlist is not the end of your journey with your dream business school.
Should You Stay On The MBA Waitlist?
There is no guarantee that you will get off the waitlist. All you can do is give it your best shot and wait. On average, one in five MBA waitlisted applicants get admitted finally. You can make a pragmatic decision based on the yield rate and your GMAT score about waiting or going with plan B. Your decision should be based on:
- Your interest in the program: If it’s your top choice, you may want to remain on the list until school begins. That could mean moving quickly and giving up a deposit on a school that has offered you firm admission. If the program is not your first choice, or you would like to settle your MBA plans before school starts, you may choose to remove your name from the list. If that’s the case, do so promptly and give someone else a chance at their MBA dream.
- The yield rate: Take an informed decision and assess the yield rate. If it’s very high, the chances of you getting off the MBA waitlist can be slim.
- Round 3 results: If you are waitlisted even after Round 3, then start looking into other schools. Consider accepting a spot at your next choice of school and submitting the deposit to ensure you have an alternative plan as you wait for the final decision of your target school.
| Business School | Yield Rate | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard Business School | 90.90% | 9.90% |
| Wharton | 67.10% | 19.20% |
| Stanford GSB | 5.70% | 89.10% |
| Kellogg School of Management | 51.60% | 20.20% |
| Booth School of Business | 52.90% | 23.50% |
| Dartmouth Tuck | 48.80% | 23.00% |
| MIT Sloan | 60.30% | 11.00% |
| Columbia Business School | 73.90% | 16.50% |
| UC - Berkeley Haas | 50.90% | 12.90% |
Conclusion:
When the ad-com decides between waitlisted applicants, they are bound to favor those who improved their profile and stayed in touch with them to indicate their interest in the program. Do not take the waitlist as the end of your journey, but as a new challenge that you can easily conquer.
Comment below if you have any other questions on the MBA waitlist.
