Getting off of the waitlist and into school

http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/
Getting Off of the Waitlist and into School.
A Few Tips.

By the Amerasia Consulting Group,
Boutique MBA Admissions Consulting
Getting Off of the Waitlist and into School.
A Few Tips.
MBA Admissions Consultant | http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com

Waitlist season is in full bloom and with R3 notification
deadlines wrapping up the countdown clock is ticking for
those still waiting in line. Of course it’s inevitable that
most of you will be waitlisted at some of your top school
choices - after all, getting waitlisted at a stretch school
means that you hedged effectively.
(Note - my opinion is that an effective hedging strategy
should include a stretch, safe-stretch and backup school
selections.)

But what can you do at this point in the game? 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 the “Can I ask you a question?”
question...

Moving on:
1.Communicate to the school that you are indeed serious
about attending their school and that it is your first choice.
By communicating them you increasingly more likely to
move up the waitlist (if schools rank the waitlist), get off
the waitlist and matriculate.
2.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. Communicate this to
the admissions office in one or two notices at the most
(as new information may become available on your part).

3. 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.
Some schools do not want updates. Some schools
want updates only after a certain date. Do not
constantly call the admissions office as well. Show
enthusiasm. Be polite.
4. 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.

This evidenced by promotions, awards and new
leadership responsibilities. Search your application for
any part that is weaker than the rest (ideally, you will
know this before submitting). Address that area with
your update.
5. 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. Be sure to
reiterate your reasons concerning what you would
contribute to the program, that you are a good fit and
you most definitely want to attend. This is where good
cover letter type structure will really help your cause.

6. 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.
When the adcom goes to the bullpen, they want to
make sure you are ready to go. Do not make them
hunt you down, they won’t.
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
Timing is also a consideration:
1. 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.

2. If the school accepts additional information, send your
update within 2 weeks for being placed on the waitlist.
This is your first update.
3. 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.
4. 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.

5. 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.
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 deep into their
waitlist pool.

If you are interested in a free initial consultation, please email
mba@amerasiaconsulting.com.
Our boutique approach pairs you with a consultant capable of walking you
through the above steps and perfecting your application.
http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/

Getting off of the waitlist and into school

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