Booth Admit (No $$) vs Reapplying for Wharton/MIT/HBS

Would love some perspective from people who’ve been through multiple MBA application cycles or had to make a similar decision.

I was admitted to Booth this year (no scholarship), but got dinged at my targets (Wharton, HBS and MIT Sloan). 

Part of me feels like I should absolutely take Booth and not overthink it. I was a reapplicant this cycle already, Booth is obviously an incredible school, and there’s no guarantee another cycle goes better.

But another part of me keeps wondering whether I’d regret not pushing one more year and reapplying with potentially better score / profile positioning / story overall. Primary reason is brand value in the long term as an overseas student.

Would really appreciate opinions from people who faced a similar crossroads.

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I went to HBS after applying to other grad programs in prior cycles. I applied and was waitlisted to Penn JD/MBA, accepted to a couple T10 law schools. 

My approach to MBA was that I was in no rushed timeline to go, other than test scores remaining valid. I decided to apply to my top, reach programs like Penn JD/MBA and HBS. If I didn’t get in, I was going to just continue reapplying and would only broaden my applications in my final year of GMAT validity. 

I had very early on applied and got into a couple law schools. It was validating to get into but I realized I wasn’t super excited about those programs. That realization made me only apply to programs that I was really excited about in future cycles to avoid the situation you’re in—getting into a great but not top choice. 

If you decline booth, I would not bank on being re-accepted by them. But that can be okay. If you feel like you’re going to regret not trying again then you should try again. 

Were you interviewed at any other schools? Are your stats and work experience competitive?

 

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