Why a 'Perfect' MBA Candidate gets Waitlisted

You've been waitlisted. How the heck did this happen? You worked so hard to make sure that everything was just perfect, but maybe that was the problem. In your pursuit of presenting yourself as the ultimate candidate, did you inadvertently fall into one of these pitfalls of the ‘perfection trap’?

1. Crossing the boundary between placing yourself in the best light and untruthfulness

You'll notice that I avoided the word ‘lying’ because it's just not applicable here. I'm not talking about an MBA candidate who is dishonest ending up on the waitlist. What I'm referring to is presenting a situation in your MBA essay in such a slanted way that other people would not be able to verify that things happened in the way you wrote or said they happened. Are you leaving off details that most people would consider to be crucial? Are you overemphasizing an aspect that others would consider to be minor, maybe even something that nobody else would remember? Expect that the admissions officers will fact-check you and become suspicious if there's too much discrepancy between what you say and what others say.

2. Not giving enough credit to others in your MBA essay or interview

Of course, you want the MBA selection committee to view you as Wonder Woman or Superman. However, that's not really what they're seeking in an MBA candidate. Don't write or speak about situations in your MBA essay as if you were the only one who took action and everyone else stood idly by waiting for the hero to save the day, as that is almost assuredly grounds to get waitlisted. Even if you were the first to take action, give others credit for their contribution and ultimate willingness to participate in the process, regardless of how much convincing and negotiating you had to do in order to secure their buy-in.

3. Blaming others - even if it really was their fault

It is common for MBA program to ask applicants to write about having faced ethical dilemmas. By definition, this means writing your MBA essay about a situation where you had to deal with an individual who was engaging in behavior that was at least unscrupulous and possibly criminal. While it is important for an MBA candidate to be forthright about the facts of the situation, the MBA admissions officers are not looking for a deposition on the other person. They want you to focus on yourself, your reactions, and your choices. Show that you took responsibility and matured from this process.

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4. Unwillingness to admit mistakes

If your program asks about a time that you made a mistake or a time when you received difficult feedback due to an error, they're not joking. They really want to read an MBA essay about a time that this happened. They don't want to read about a mistake that a friend made. Unless you were the team leader and ultimately responsible for the team's outcomes, they don't want to read about a mistake that your team made. Why do they ask for this? Your MBA program's admissions committee members want to know that you are both willing to take risks, which means making mistakes, and able to listen and grow when your professors or cohorts point those mistakes out to you.

5. Failing to show that you need the program

As much as you are trying to prove your worthiness for a top MBA program, keep in mind that the program wants to help each student it selects. Every business school is searching for an MBA candidate who is both far enough along in their career progress that they can make a substantial contribution to the program, and who is at a crossroads or plateau in their career such that they need this particular MBA program in order to advance. We all love to be loved, and MBA programs are no exception. Help them see that they have the professors, classes, cohort, and opportunities that you need to progress in your career and you will help yourself avoid the waitlist.