UPDATE: This article was originally posted on December 19, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
You’ve spent months diligently preparing your application and weeks waiting for an admissions decision only to be told to wait a little longer. Though disappointing for many candidates, being “waitlisted” is not a death sentence for your application but is a chance for you to learn more about the program and really prove you are passionate about attending their school. It might seem impossible at first, but every year, many of our clients are able to gain admission to their top choice programs after initially being placed on the waitlist.
With the right plan of attack, you can overcome the odds and ensure you turn a spot on the waitlist into a spot in your dream school.
Follow instructions
First and foremost: follow all instructions.
When you receive notification that you have been placed on the waitlist, each school will also send over highly detailed instructions regarding what steps, if any, you need to take to reinforce your interest in the school.
It is extremely important that you follow these instructions, especially when these instructions are simply to wait and refrain from sending additional non-essential materials (essential updates would include a higher GMAT score, recent promotion, etc.).
If you are asked to send additional materials, make sure you take the time to prepare them carefully.
This is a chance to show the school another side of you, though you should be careful to reinforce the brand you have been pitching to the school since the beginning. If you need to write an update email, getting professional help to craft this all-important document could be an excellent investment.
Reflect on your application’s weaknesses
Self-awareness is a critical part of the MBA application, and this extends to the waitlist process.
That’s why the first step of your waitlist plan is to reflect on your application and understand what might have led you to not quite make the cut. Common reasons include:
- Low GMAT score
- Doubts about whether the program was your “top choice”
- Confusing or unrealistic career goals
- Competitiveness of the pool in general
Though these are the most common weak points in an application, each case is different. As such, if you’re having trouble identifying your weaknesses, you may want to get a second opinion to ensure you’re able to optimize your waitlist strategy.
Connect with the school
During the waitlist period, it’s important that you deepen your connection with the school. This not only shows the school that you’re genuinely interested in their program it also gives you a chance to identify weak spots in your application and clarify your reasons for wanting to attend a certain school.
Visit Campus
Though not a mandatory part of the process, visiting the school you were waitlisted at can be an essential step in proving your interest in joining that particular program while also getting a real taste of what it would be like to be a student at that business school.
Photo courtesy of @nyustern on Instagram
Each school has many different types of programs available for waitlisted students visiting campus. However, the most common offerings include a campus tour, an information session with admissions, and class visits.
The campus tour is a great way for you to learn about the school’s facilities and to get a sneak peek of what your life at that university would be like. These tours are often led by current students, who can often answer many of your questions about all aspects of the MBA and tell you about their application experience.
Information sessions are presentations offered by members of the school’s admissions staff. In general, they will outline key information about the program (such as average GMAT score, number of countries represented, and number of students in the class) as well as information about new initiatives on campus. Most info sessions will end with a short question and answer session with admissions officers. You should not use this time to promote your profile, nor to ask for personal advice (such as “I have a ## GMAT score, what are my chances of being accepted?”). Instead, try to ask questions like (at Kellogg), “How do you think the Global Hub has changed the MBA experience?” This shows you’ve already done your homework and are eager to learn more.
Many schools will also allow you to schedule a class visit. For many business schools, the class you attend is “the luck of the draw” based on which classes align with your scheduled visit. However, if you have the choice of several classes, try to choose one that is aligned with your interests.
During the class, you should follow any instructions given to you by admissions and should only participate in class if the professor invites visiting students to chime in. Otherwise, use this time to examine how the class is taught and how students interact with each other and with the professor. This can give you great insights into what it might be like to be a student at this school, so make sure you turn your phone off before joining the class.
Finally, some schools will allow waitlisted candidates to have a one-on-one meeting with a member of the admissions committee, while other schools strictly refuse to meet individually. Read all the materials you receive from your target school carefully to determine if it is appropriate to ask for a meeting. If you’re not sure, email your waitlist manager to confirm.
During your entire visit, make sure to take diligent notes on what you experience. It’s easy to forget small details that you can later use in your waitlist letter.
What to do if you can’t visit
During COVID, many schools began offering many new ways for waitlisted students to interact with their programs. For example, many schools started holding specific webinars only for waitlisted students to understand their next steps and to ask any questions they may have.
In other cases, some schools now allow waitlisted candidates to have a one-on-one meeting with a member of the admissions committee, while other schools strictly refuse to meet individually. Read all the materials you receive from your target school carefully to determine if it is appropriate to ask for a meeting. If you’re not sure, email your waitlist manager to confirm.
Finally, even if you can’t visit campus, you can still reach out to numerous people, including students.
During this entire process, make sure to take diligent notes on what you experience. It’s easy to forget small details that you can later use in your waitlist letter.
Connect with current students and alumni
One of the best resources you have to learn more about what the school is looking for and how you can improve the image you present is to connect with current students and alumni. We recommend you try to speak to several from both categories in order to ensure you get the most accurate picture of the ideal profile at your dream school.
By speaking with current students, you will have access to the most up-to-date information about new campus initiatives, classes, and recruiting information at your target school. Not only does this “insider” information help you write a killer waitlist essay, but it also helps you look beyond a business school’s marketing pitches and really understand how the community at that school functions.
Source: @kelloggschool on Instagram
If you don’t know any current students, check your network to see if any of your friends or colleagues can introduce you to a current student. You can also reach out to current students and alumni on LinkedIn if you’re not able to arrange personal introductions.
Alumni can also offer excellent insights into their alma maters. In addition to giving you information about their MBA experiences, alumni can help you understand more about the recruiting process and the strength of the alumni network in your home region.
As many schools conduct admissions interviews through alumni, you can also potentially learn more about any potential weak spots in your application.
If you want to get a head start, you can check out this Q&A with our former client, Luiz, in which he discusses how he leveraged a campus visit and contact with Boothies to get off the Chicago Booth waitlist.
When possible, write a waitlist letter
Again, the #1 tip here is to follow instructions.
That’s why, if you find yourself on Harvard Business School’s waitlist, we suggest you do not send additional information unless prompted to do so. They are very clear about not wanting unsolicited additional materials and sending more is likely to hurt your application more than help it.
For many other schools, however, including Stanford Business School, you’re encouraged to write a “waitlist letter” or “update letter” to share additional information you find pertinent with the admissions committee. Thus, if you’re given this chance, take it!
Address your weaknesses
One of the first steps you took when developing your waitlist strategy was to identify your application’s weak spots. In the waitlist letter, you want not only to show that you have identified your weaknesses, but have taken clear steps to address them.
Let’s imagine, for instance, that you applied to a school whose average GMAT is 730. When you sent your initial application, your GMAT was 680, several points below peers from your industry and region who also applied to the same school. After getting waitlisted, you hit the books again and were able to increase your score to 720. In your waitlist letter, you want to be sure to include this achievement, contextualizing it by showing you knew you were capable of obtaining a higher score on the test. As such, you might include a paragraph like this in your waitlist letter:
“After having the privilege to interview at Stern in November and being offered a spot on the waitlist at my top choice program, I have taken several steps to enhance what I bring to the classroom. First of all, I had always been confident that I could improve my GMAT score, so I decided to retake the test and was able to increase it from 700 (89%) to 740 (97%).”
In addition to addressing your weaknesses, you want to demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are still growing as a professional.
If you’ve received a promotion, have taken on additional leadership capacities, or perhaps were transferred to work in one of your company’s international branches, you want to be sure to show the admissions committee that you’re able to contribute more than ever to enhance the diversity of their class and contribute to your colleague’s education. Here’s a sample paragraph addressing our client Bruno’s recent promotion:
“At work, I was recently granted a promotion, and thus have been given major responsibility managing the deployment of the company’s largest project in Latin America. It is the greatest challenge that I have faced so far, and I am excited to challenge myself and to test my leadership and managerial skills in the context of this new project, which will wrap up by late summer (just in time to start the MBA program). Furthermore, I am thrilled by the opportunity of getting out of my comfort zone, starting such a great project with a new team in a new city. As Project Manager, I am now responsible for creating a productive environment for both the customer and my team to work together, solving conflicts and reporting financial performance to upper management. The project is worth almost double my whole previous portfolio and about 30% of the entire department’s revenue in Brazil this year. I believe that successfully executing it will allow me to bring a unique operations management expertise to the class.”
Though there are countless ways an applicant can address weaknesses and demonstrate growth, having a clear understanding of your profile and the self-awareness necessary to show improvement is essential.
Show you’re still interested
There are numerous reasons candidates end up on the waitlist, but one common reason is that the schools just aren’t sure you’re really passionate about their program. They can reach this conclusion for a number of reasons, but regardless, it’s essential that you demonstrate a clear interest in attending the school.
First, it is important that you quickly confirm your place on the waitlist, if asked to do so. Often, our clients receive numerous offers of admission at their priority programs before finding out they have been waitlisted at one of their “backup” schools. Since many other candidates who are offered places on the waitlist might be in similar situations, you can indicate clear interest by quickly accepting your place on the waitlist and promptly sending any additional materials.
Second, make sure you answer all emails sent by the school and quickly address any issues they bring up.
For example, if they’d like you to send another letter of recommendation or schedule an interview (some schools, such as NYU Stern, often don’t interview candidates before placing them on the waitlist), make sure you provide the requested information as quickly as possible. Not communicating with the school or taking a long time to provide additional materials may signal to the school that you’ve clearly got other priorities. Just be sure not to bother the admissions committee – you won’t win any favor by pestering them.
Finally, if you haven’t visited the school or have spoken with a few alumni and current students, you may want to consider redoubling your efforts in this area. Though it’s certainly not required to visit, showing you’re taking the opportunity of being on the waitlist to learn as much about the school as possible is a very positive sign in the eyes of the admissions committee.
How to structure your waitlist letter
Unless you’re given specific instructions (remember: follow all directions!), you should ensure you include the following points in your waitlist letter. Though this order most commonly works best, feel free to move sections around if you feel a different structure is better suited to your case.
- Start by thanking the admissions committee and letting them know you’re excited to be on the waiting list.
- Identify your application’s weak points and show how you have or are going to address them.
- Identify any recent updates and/or improvements to your profile, such as a promotion or increased leadership responsibilities.
- Mention any additional contact you’ve had with the school (including visits or meaningful connections with alumni and current students).
- Discuss any additional reasons you want to attend the school and demonstrate your passion for their program. If you didn’t fully explore this topic before, show what you can contribute to their program.
- If you were waitlisted without an interview, request the opportunity to interview.
In general, we recommend you write between 500-1000 words in your waitlist letter (unless otherwise stated). Remember that they have many applicants to consider, so only include highly relevant information. If you’re not sure exactly how to structure your waitlist letter, click the link below to download past sample essays.
Special note on Chicago Booth
This year, Chicago Booth has asked waitlisted candidates to respond to a video question. For the video, you have 1 minute to answer one of the following questions.
- In your interactions with the Booth community, what is one of the core values of the community that resonates with you the most, and why?
- Based on your knowledge of Booth, how do you envision yourself getting involved in the community?
- If there are any areas of your application that you would like to address as potential weaknesses or points that warrant clarification, please discuss them.
When deciding which one to approach, first consider what element of your profile was the weakest. You may want to reach out to current students or alumni you know for feedback or may want help from a professional in identifying which aspects of your application may have held you up.
After identifying your weakest point, match your topic to the question that best suits you. For example, if you believe you didn’t stress why you value the Booth community (and how you’ve interacted with this community) in your original application, you could address this shortcoming in any of the 3 above questions. Ultimately, we recommend choosing the one that helps you A) best answer the question, and B) show off your personality and/or creativity.
We suggest that you first write up a script (usually 160-170 words is a good target for 1 minute) and then practice recording yourself several times until you’re perfectly satisfied with your video presence and with your audio/image quality. Though Booth does not expect a “high-production value” video, it’s important to make sure we can see and hear you clearly during the whole video.
Once you’ve got your video recorded, submit it as soon as possible to ensure you don’t miss any deadlines.
Draft a winning strategy
During the MBA application process, you will need to make thousands of decisions that will impact your life for decades to come.
These decisions are even more critical if you find yourself on a waitlist.
Though you may be tempted just to hope for the best, having a trusted ally who can use their deep knowledge of your profile and what different business schools look for can be the difference between getting into your dream MBA program and wishing you’d done everything differently.
Many of our clients come to us with a general idea of what they need to do after being placed on a waitlist but lack specifics.
Our application coaches step in at this point to help you define your application’s weak spots then craft and execute the perfect strategy to ensure you gain that coveted spot at your dream school.
If you’d like to start putting the Ellin Lolis Advantage to work for you right from the very start, apply to work with us today!
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
