2013-2014 B-School Application Cycle Thread

Not sure if anybody has started a similar thread yet but I was wondering if anybody applied to a top-25 business school and heard back yet. I figured I start this post in case other applicants were anxious like me. Basically, I envision this thread as place to post interview invitations and admission decisions as time goes by (I know that there are other sites similar to this).

Anybody else? Also, feel free to leave tips/suggestions regarding prep for interviews.

122 Comments
 

Cool - I didn't realize that you have already started a thread. What other schools did you apply to? Have you heard back from them yet?

 

Applied Rd1 to Stanford, Booth, Berkeley and UCLA.

So far have received invitations to interview from Booth and UCLA, have not heard from Berkeley or Stanford (my #1 choice).

Should have apps out to Columbia/Harvard well before thanksgiving.

 

Thanks man, you too.

For UCLA, just planned to search Clear Admit and GMat Club to see what kinds of questions people have been asked and practice answering them.

What about you?

 

At least you got all of them out of the way. My old guidance counselor used to say that if the average acceptance rate for top schools is 25%, you should apply to 4 schools and statistically one of them should end up accepting you. Cheers and good luck.

 
mbahopeful

At least you got all of them out of the way. My old guidance counselor used to say that if the average acceptance rate for top schools is 25%, you should apply to 4 schools and statistically one of them should end up accepting you. Cheers and good luck.

Don't think probability works like that...

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So who else took a DING to the face from Stanford yesterday? Their application process seems Teflon from where i'm standing. 760----3.6----URM----International-----WB/IMF Work experience----notable extraCs.......still no love. Not even an interview.

 
HBS1989

So who else took a DING to the face from Stanford yesterday? Their application process seems Teflon from where i'm standing. 760----3.6----URM----International-----WB/IMF Work experience----notable extraCs.......still no love. Not even an interview.

Stanford is pretty much impossible to crack. I'm convinced that they have a very particular profile that they are looking for and if you don't match it, you don't stand a prayer.
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HBS1989

So who else took a DING to the face from Stanford yesterday? Their application process seems Teflon from where i'm standing. 760----3.6----URM----International-----WB/IMF Work experience----notable extraCs.......still no love. Not even an interview.

Not to nitpick, but in order to be considered a true URM (in the adcom's eyes and for their stats) don't you have to be a US citizen? Not that this would have had any impact, since GSB just seems to be nearly impossible for anyone to get into. Or maybe you were saying that you have international work experience.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 

I'm a naturalized dual citizen, which from what I've heard "counts" (whatever that means). But, c'est la vie, like you said GSB is nearly impossible to get into. I guess all I can do now is hope my other options pan out.

 

Had an interview 3-4 weeks back. The only advice i'd give is; know your resume and your application. The entire discussion will succeed or fail based on how excited YOU can get THEM about having you in their program. At the end of the day its a conversation between two people. Be personable, be interesting, and be intelligent (one of which is probably a given based on the fact you have an interview).

 
HBS1989

I'm a naturalized dual citizen, which from what I've heard "counts" (whatever that means). But, c'est la vie, like you said GSB is nearly impossible to get into. I guess all I can do now is hope my other options pan out.

Interesting - I wonder if that does count. It must, but it's a situation I've never heard specifically about.

Good luck with the rest of your interviews. I've finished all my interviews (except Columbia, and I just haven't heard from them period) so am just playing the waiting game.

Speaking of, has anyone who applied RD heard from Columbia? I know they read applications in the order in which they were received, so it's possible I'm later in the game than most as I applied in late October.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 
HBS1989

Anyone else hear back (positively) from Sloan yesterday?

I'm in at Sloan and likely going in the fall.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 

Obviously will depend on your specific alumnus, but mine was pretty easy. Make sure to go onto ClearAdmit and look at the sample questions to prep for some of the behavioral interview questions. Be ready to hammer home why Columbia (and hence, why New York). Basically, all your answers should come back to that. I think some of their other standard behavioral q's are an adversity one, a team one, ethical dilemma, and a backup plan if you don't get your intended internship/job. Also know some CBS specifics, including classes, what extra curriculars you'll get involved with, and other stuff like that.

Since you didn't apply early decision, I would also prep an answer for why you didn't apply early. I didn't get that question, but I know a couple people that have.

 

I'm actually also having my interview next week. There was a slight delay in scheduling an interview - due to work commitments (mine and the alumni). I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Hey IMax, did you have your interview yet? How did it go?

I had mine this past week and the interview was pretty relaxed. It was more of a conversation with a few behavioral questions (why MBA, strengths/weaknesses). I think it went well but who knows. Praying for the best.

 

770 GMAT; sub-3.0 GPA. International, successful entrepreneur; extensive global experiences.

Submitted to Ross, Tuck, HBS, Fuqua and Darden for R2.

Will submit to Yale on Jan 9 and Cornell Johnson on Feb 12 (R3).

 

Just submitted my last app for R2: I'm doing HBS, Tuck, MIT, and Wharton.

(I'm an nontraditional applicant with shitty stats but an interesting story, and am not applying to any real safety schools because an MBA isn't absolutely necessary for me right now. If I don't get in, I simply won't go.)

 

I submitted to HBS, Wharton and Columbia and will submit to Stanford tonight.

730 GMAT 3.4 GPA at small liberal arts school, varsity football player actuary (FSA) at two large financial services companies over the past 4-5 years strong ECs

I'm in the same boat as holla_back: untraditional applicant not applying to safety schools. I feel like I have a 50-50 chance of getting into at least one of the four schools I listed.

+1 to mbahopeful for the Columbia interview, but more importantly for your avatar (that same pic was once my FB profile pic)

 

Dude, congrats on Stern. It's a great school and will probably do great things for you. If these forums are your barometer for things, I'm not sure if anything would be good.

Stern was one of the two R2 schools I was prepping to do apps for, and it's a great place. Would have been great to go there.

Thanks for the kind words as well. Feel good about my decision, although it was definitely not easy.

 

@BGP2587 @hamm0 and others who got in this year Did you guys send thank you emails after the MBA interview and do you think it matters? Did you ask for their cards at the end?

 
Brian011

@BGP2587 @hamm0 and others who got in this year
Did you guys send thank you emails after the MBA interview and do you think it matters? Did you ask for their cards at the end?

I did. I sent thank yous to anyone I interacted with - probably a bit overkill, but it can't really hurt.

I didn't always get their cards, but made sure to get at least their first name + one other thing about them (last name, previous work experience, location, etc). This made it easy to find them via social media and then you can track down their email with a little more sleuthing.

A contact at one of my school's told me "Plus, you're the first person of the twenty-some I've hosted so far that sent me a thank-you note, which, while superfluous, is a nice touch." That basically sums up the thank-you's to non-interviewers.

 

Agree with hamm0. I sent a thank you note to everyone I interacted with. In some cases I ended up gaining additional insight from current students and have been put in touch with others. Worst case you won't get a response but it can't hurt.

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@Consultingorbust: going to Tuck. Sorry to hear about CBS.

@Brian: To echo what others answered, I did send thank you emails. Nothing fancy - just enough to say thanks and point out something about the interview. Actually ended up emailing back and forth with all of my interviewers multiple times (interestingly), and my Tuck interviewer has been a huge help finding me a place to live.

I'm sure it doesn't really matter, but may as well send them and remind them of who you are and why you're a good fit/that you're excited to go there.

 

@"BGP2587" I made a couple of mistakes in my writing on my Tuck application. Any thoughts on whether these could jeopardize my Tuck application? .

 
Best Response

There's a couple people on here that already go to Tuck that may be able to better speak to this than me, but I can't imagine that it will make any difference. I'd be shocked if I didn't have a typo of some sort somewhere in everyone of my apps, even though I checked them over 100 times. I actually found out in my Columbia Interview (last interview, a week before I got in everywhere I got into) that my resume had an incorrect start date for college that had somehow gotten by 20 version proofreads, an admissions consultant, and multiple other reviews. My interviewer laughed about it and I got in a few days later. That date was off on all my resumes.

I think Tuck, of all places, is likely to overlook it. They have such a strong emphasis on fit (obviously if you're first qualified) that I assume they're most likely to shake off a typo or two. A strong profile, interview, and indication that you want to go have to matter much more than a typo. Then again, I think most of these AdComs are pretty reasonable people, and realize that no matter how often you check something over, you still miss things.

Good luck man. Rooting for you to get in. That GMAT will be tough for schools to turn down (and I got in with a very below avg. GPA as well, so there's definitely hope there).

 

I'm batting 0.000% right now in terms of interview invites, with time slowly slipping away until the official dings come in. My girlfriend got interviews to the two schools she applied to (not hard to guess which) and will likely get into both.

Feels great, man.

 
holla_back

I'm batting 0.000% right now in terms of interview invites, with time slowly slipping away until the official dings come in. My girlfriend got interviews to the two schools she applied to (not hard to guess which) and will likely get into both.

Feels great, man.

Aaaaand just got ding #2.

 
holla_back holla_back:

I'm batting 0.000% right now in terms of interview invites, with time slowly slipping away until the official dings come in. My girlfriend got interviews to the two schools she applied to (not hard to guess which) and will likely get into both.

Feels great, man.

Aaaaand just got ding #2.

One more. Looks like this whole business school thing isn't going to work out.

I'm officially Brady.

 
BGP2587

@holla_back Where else do you have left? Never over til it's over...

Only yours, but I'm not holding my breath for good news on March 14.

While it was definitely my best application, I understand that the odds certainly don't favor me. Guess it's time to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life.

 

Well, it only takes one. And assuming the dings you have are H/W/Sloan, Tuck probably is a bit easier to get into, especially R2 (I think Sloan is a decent amount harder in R2 than it is in R1). Either way, your odds of getting into Tuck were the same as they were before all the dings, so may as well hold out hope for another few weeks.

The wait is brutal though...

 

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