Getting Off of the Waitlist and into School - A Few Tips.

1. Getting Off of the
Waitlist and into School
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2. Getting Off of the
Waitlist and into School
A Few Tips
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3. Getting Off of the
Waitlist and into School
Waitlist season is here.
It’s inevitable that you will be waitlisted at some of
your school choices. My opinion is that an effective
hedging strategy should include a stretch, safe-stretch
and backup school selections.
Getting waitlisted at a stretch school means that you
hedged effectively.
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4. If waitlisted, follow this protocol: Before anything else:
Make sure the school accepts additional information
from waitlisted candidates. That is, they want to hear
from you. This is not done via phone call. This is done
by reading the website.
Phone calls inundate the admissions office – so avoid
them if possible. Don’t be the guy/gal who asks a
question by starting off with “Can I ask you a question?”
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5. Moving on:
Communicate to the school that you are indeed serious
about attending their school and that it is your first
choice.
If are indeed the caliber of student that the school wants
to eventually accept, you need to show that you have
been progressing across your “submitted” candidacy
and especially in any area of weakness.
Again, remember not all admissions offices will
appreciate updates. Call the office to find out how they
would like additional information only after you have
referenced their website and application instructions.
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6. Any new information should bolster your positioning.
That is, it shows that you are progressing as a leader
and manager; that you are increasing your role, your
visibility and your responsibilities.
Make sure that if the adcom has requested specific
information, you send that as well. Put that into a short
letter, I recommend no more than one page email (~300
words), and send it to the adcom.
Make sure you include your contact information as well.
This includes your file or applicant number. Refer to your
submitted application form for this information
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7. My view on additional recommendations is that they are
good if the person is connected to the school and/or again
knows you in a professional intimate setting. If the person
knows you and is a significant donor, that works as well.
Trust me, I have seen this happen before. Pick a
recommender who can bolster your weaknesses.
For example, if you have lack of leadership/management,
pick a project manager who can attest to your informal
management. One other thing to note is that current
students vouching for your candidacy also works well, if
they have a relationship with the admissions committee
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8. Timing is also a consideration:
As soon as you receive your waitlist email, respond and
indicate you want to be on the waitlist. It’s as simple as
clicking a few links. It will probably have been around 8
weeks since you submitted.
If the school accepts additional information, send your
update within 2 weeks for being placed on the waitlist.
This is your first update.
Make sure you know when the next round deadline is.
You want to send in your 2nd update approximately 2
weeks before they admissions committee starts to finalize
their list of acceptances for the next round.
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9. I believe that the minimum number of communiques
should be two. A third update is appropriate for significant
events such as promotions or other enhanced leadership
responsibilities.
Remember that you need an ace in the hole, should your
waitlist status extend beyond one round. That is, you get
waitlisted in round one and still remain on the waitlist in
round three. Waitlists are a necessary evil and they can
extend the ultimate decision regarding your application
until a few weeks before school starts.
MBA Admissions Consultant | http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com

10. One more thing — if you are waitlisted at a program with a
high matriculation rate, then the chances of you getting off
that particular waitlist are slim.
HBS is an example of this. They hardly ever go to their
waitlist.
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