Reapplying and Applying in Later Admissions Rounds if You’re Dinged

There can be few worse feelings than rejection from something on which you had pinned your hopes – particularly if you’ve put a lot of yourself into it. Perhaps it sounds like we’re about to launch into a dating column, but we’re talking, of course, about the equally romantic topic of MBA admissions. We’re just about reaching the point in the year when the big names have sent out their round one decisions, and round two deadlines are approaching.

While there will be no shortage of those who are delighted with their outcome, many others will have experienced the sinking feeling that comes from being dinged. But, take heart; though it may have been The Plan, it’s not the end of world. There are – back into that dating column lingo again – plenty of other fish in the sea. And who knows, maybe this application just came in the wrong moment and you can give it another go in the future when circumstances are a bit different?

We spoke to Dawna Levenson, director of admissions at MIT Sloan (DL), Anna Farrus, head of admissions at Oxford Saïd (AF), and Whitney Kestner, associate director of admissions at the Darden School (WK), on how you can get over a ding from the school of your dreams.

What did I do wrong? Getting feedback

WK: We provide an opportunity for applicants who aren’t offered admissions to sign up for a 15 minute feedback call, but we don’t offer this until June when the admissions cycle is over. So it wouldn’t be feedback that is actionable in the current cycle, but for applying in the next year.

We look favorably upon those who ask for feedback, and we’ll make notes on the call. And if a candidate can show they’ve taken that feedback and really tried to act on it next year, this is also something we’ll look favorably upon.

DL: Our policy is not to provide people with feedback. We don’t have the capacity to do so and it’s really difficult, because often it makes people think that if you fix that one thing, then next time around you’re going to get admitted. In any admissions cycle you’re going to be compared to the pool – so, to be perfectly honest, your exact same application may be good enough.

Or you might go and improve your GMAT by 10 points, but find that the rest of the pool has also improved its GMAT score by 10 points, so it’s actually very hard to actually, from an admissions standpoint, to provide constructive feedback.

The majority of applicants who have really thought about it will know where their weak spot is, whether it’s their GMAT or their GPA or the number of years of work experience. Perhaps they didn’t get recommendations from the best sources. They would know that. I really do feel that most people would.

A little bit of self-reflection, though, might get you there. You’ll have a friend, a colleague, someone who’s knowledgeable, someone you respect. Get their thoughts, show them your application – “This is what I submitted to school X, Y, Z, I didn’t get in – from your perspective, what do you think I can do to improve this?”

AF: Saïd Business School’s policy is not to provide feedback on final admission decisions, and so we cannot discuss the reasons why unsuccessful candidates did not receive an offer from the admissions committee. It’s really important that candidates are self-aware and able to identify their weaknesses as much as their strengths.

All candidates should be aware of the weaknesses in their applications - it might be a low GPA and/or GMAT/GRE, less than stellar work experience, or weak essays. But we take a holistic view of each applicant so candidates weaker in one area might be considered for demonstrating strong credentials in others and we try to tease this out in the interview process.  If a candidate is rejected then they need to rethink how they are approaching their weaknesses and build on those positive elements.

Should you move on?

DL: You apply to Sloan in round one and you don’t get in, why not apply to other schools in round two? If you do get in then you can consider it, but if you don’t apply in round two then you’re missing a known commodity; it never hurts to apply, get in and then weigh your options.

There’s a lot of time and effort involved, and application fees – you might say why should I go through all the effort if the only school I want to go to is MIT? But, you can get valuable data from applying to other schools; you might make it further in the application process, get an interview experience, and it might help with your decision. There are a lot of advantages in applying to other schools in round two or three.

WK: As candidates begin the process, they understand that top schools are very competitive. They will be applying to multiple schools, and know that there is the possibility of not being accepted. I hope they come in with that mindset, but the ‘grieving’ is part of it if they’re not accepted, of course.

The candidate puts so much into it, with each application they share so much with us. They are researching different schools, working with recommendation writers, studying for standardized tests, working on their essays. We appreciate and understand the time and effort.

Of course, if you don’t receive the outcome you’d been hoping for, you will be deflated. But we’d hope that you could pick yourself up and reassess and think back.  I wouldn’t recommend that you reach back out to us straight away. The onus is more on the candidate to do some personal reflection, continue to research different schools, see what the cultures are, in terms of fit, redirect their focus for putting together the best application package for whatever other schools they wanted to apply to.

At many top schools we are seeing applications from many, many qualified candidates; often we’re in a position where we don’t have the space and ability to give people who have a lot to share and gain from the experience. Have the understanding that there are a lot of great candidates out there, and many times it might not be something specifically in your application. There might not have been the fit, maybe you don’t align, then perhaps we’re not able to extend that offer. Recognize that it is a competitive process, and ultimately schools are looking at best fit as much as candidates.

Is there any disadvantage to applying in a later round?

DL: We have two rounds. We’re looking for the most qualified people in both. From an applicant standpoint, your decision should be based on when you feel best about your application, when you feel good about your GMAT score, you have your recommendations lined up, you’re happy with your essays. However, the reality is that if you have your application ready for round one, you should apply in round one because you could get admitted, waitlisted or rejected. If you’re waitlisted, you’re reconsidered with all round two candidates. It means that there is another opportunity for your application to be considered.

AF: At Oxford we have six stages. I would strongly recommend applying during stages one, two or three, particularly if candidates are looking for scholarship funding, as most of our scholarships are only available in these first stages. But, those applying during the later stages will be given the same consideration and if we receive a strong application we will make an offer regardless of the stage a candidate has applied in.

I think candidates should apply to all of their chosen business schools around the same time to ensure that they receive the decisions simultaneously; this way they will be able to have all the facts in front of them and can make an informed decision on which school to choose. I would recommend that candidates apply to all schools in their first stages. If a candidate is rejected from all of their chosen schools they should think deeply about what they’re looking for in a business school and whether they are a best fit for these schools.

WK: There are three rounds at Darden. I think the third round is the most competitive and the smallest. Round two is historically the largest, and there is no disadvantage to applying then. By the time we’ve got to round three we’ve largely shaped our class and received a response from those to whom we’ve made an offer. The yield will directly impact round three.

Fewer scholarships remain in round three as well. The disadvantage there is this reduced ability to win a merit scholarship. We in the admissions business understand that applicants are going to be applying to multiple schools – we’ll understand that they’re looking elsewhere, with various timelines. What round they apply in may not reflect their preference. We don’t ask the candidates where they have been applying. We might ask candidates that apply in round three why they’ve applied so late in the cycle – sometimes that’s about work, opportunities, it just became the right time. And sometimes it was because they were not offered admissions to other schools earlier – and that’s okay, but we will be more direct about asking at that point.

Is it worth reapplying next year?

AF: Some candidates have a very clear idea of which school they want to attend, and so I wouldn’t discourage anyone from trying again the following year. We have many examples of candidates that have improved their application and have been admitted.

It's important to identify why you are doing an MBA, what you want out of it and decide on the school which best fits the bill for you personally. If an individual has been rejected and decides to reapply to the same school the following year, they should ensure that the committee is aware of the improvements they have made in their application. This can be easily done in the Oxford MBA application as we have an extra essay for reapplicants. Reapplying to the same school can work out well for candidates if they are able to demonstrate their improvement and dedication to the program and the school.

WK: We offer to reapplicants every year – there’s great precedent for this. There’s always going to be things they can potentially improve on, and things that they can’t. But standardized tests, taking on more significant roles at work can certainly be improved upon. Sometimes they don’t tell a cohesive story – and they just need to fine tune that story.

DL: Thoughts for a reapplicant: you should take the opportunity to highlight what is different. We have access to your file, so if we want, we can compare the two applications. Our essays change so you can’t resubmit your old application.

Regarding your recommendations, you can have the same people, but you should get them to write a new one, highlighting new skills. I would never hide the fact that you are a reapplicant. Not getting into your first choice schools can just be a numbers game; the fact that you are reapplying shows a level of interest – a quality we actually look for and admire. To be honest, some of the most successful people in our program anecdotally have been reapplicants.