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.
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?
Was not interviewed at any of the three schools
defer booth and reapply
what are you planning to recruit for? Should mostly matter for buy side recruiting, which you can still land from Booth
Don’t go to Booth
Reasons?
Depends on what job you want after business school but if it's PE, you'll barely get any looks from Booth other than from a small handful of LMM firms in Chicago. If you're going for IB / Consulting, Booth is fine.
Question is impossible to answer without knowing what your job goals are, whether you want to stay in the US or return to your region, where in the world your region is (Booth has very strong presence in LATAM for instance), and whether you think your profile will improve for next year to meaningfully change your admissions luck
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Currently in Big 4 TAS (say valuation/FDD/restructuring) and want to work in the US, at least in the short term. Given my background, PE seems almost impossible straight after an MBA. I'm from Asia, and from conversations I've had plus general perception, Booth doesn't seem to have the same level of brand recognition internationally as HSW/Sloan/CBS. That makes me wonder whether it's worth reapplying.
I've also spent a lot of time on LinkedIn and noticed that very few people seem to go directly from Big 4 TAS to HSW/Sloan. Most appear to have first pivoted into IB, corp dev or industry.
That's what's causing the confusion. I'm not sure if I'm being realistic about my chances, or if I'm overthinking the school brand factor (particularly from an international perspective).
I don't have any stats, but there are a bunch of people every year coming out of Big 4 advisory groups (including TAS) applying to business school. It's almost a median background at some programs. I say that because I don't think it will be easy to get HSW without some other hook on your application, and Booth is already a great outcome.
What are you trying to recruit for? You're right that PE is a stretch no matter where you go. Since you want to work in the US first, I think setting yourself up well for recruiting likely matters more than some marginal increase in layman brand prestige in Asia. If you want IB for example, Booth is a no brainer. Caveating I have no experience in Asia though.
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