UPDATE: This article was originally posted on September 4, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

Rejection can be tough. After the immense time and effort it took to apply to your top choice business schools, it can be disheartening at best to find out you were not accepted.

Here’s the most important thing to do now:

Don’t. Give. Up.

There are many students enrolled in business school right now who were rejected the first time (some even the second time!) they applied. The truth is, reapplicants are usually viewed neutrally at worst and positively at best. 

If you were not accepted on your first try, you now have a great opportunity to take a good look at your previous application and show the admissions committee that you have grown and are now truly a perfect fit for their school. It will take more work and a fresh perspective, but being accepted after an initial rejection is possible!

So without further ado, here is our complete guide to successfully reapplying to business school.

 

Step 1: Get feedback from others

It’s always a challenge to step back and look at our own work from a clear, unbiased perspective. In fact, it’s more or less impossible. 

The first thing you need to do when thinking about reapplying is to find someone with experience in the MBA application process to give you quality feedback about your application. There are two sources we highly recommend:

1. a) The school. What could be more valuable in the reapplication process than finding out right from the source what went wrong? 

Most schools do not offer feedback sessions, but if one of your picks does, be sure to request a session right away. If you reapply to one of these schools without asking for feedback, it might work against you, as the admissions committee will wonder if you are taking the application process and their school seriously.

Though it might sting a little to hear what hindered your application, it’s absolutely crucial that you try to obtain this information. It will give you the perfect starting point for taking action to improve your application for next time.

 

If the school does not offer personalized feedback, speak with current students and alumni to gain greater insights on where you might have failed to show adequate fit with their school. More often than not, schools do not offer individual feedback, so don’t take it personally if the school is not able to provide this service to you. 

1. b) An MBA consultant. After reflecting on your application and checking if your target schools offer personalized feedback, it’s time to turn to an expert in business school applications. 

MBA consultants know more than just what business schools are looking for in applicants – they know the specifics about each school and the difference between their ideal applicants. 

An experienced MBA consultant, like our team at Ellin Lolis Consulting, can look at your application and pick out exactly what you need to change to stand out from your competitors. This second, highly specialized opinion can be the difference between successful reapplication and another rejection.

 

Step 2: Rethink your strategy

An important note about reapplying for business schools: staying the same is not an option.

That’s why, when reapplying to business school, you need a fresh approach, new essay ideas, indicators of growth – basically, you need to accept that if you submit an identical application to the same school, you will likely get an identical answer.

Use the feedback that you received during Step 1 as a starting point. Was your GMAT too low? Did you not show evidence of strong leadership skills? Is your work history too limited? 

Any of these things can be remedied with your second application, you just have to decide what to target and then start there.

 

Time for a rebrand

Like most applicants, chances are your application could use some work in a few areas. Don’t be afraid to really change things up this time – in fact, it may be a good idea to completely “rebrand” yourself. 

A personal brand makes you stand out, and it makes your uniqueness consistent. It’s a powerful tool that we here at Ellin Lolis Consulting use to help our clients throughout their application process. If your first application did not involve defining your personal brand, this is definitely something you should think about.

 

Show growth

One of the most important aspects to include in your second application is evidence of growth. Not only do you need to address the specific elements that you believe held you back the first time (GMAT score, work history, etc) but you also need to make sure your essays demonstrate a larger transformation. 

It is vital that you use the optional or reapplicant (if offered) essay question to explain what has changed in your situation to make you a stronger candidate this time around. 

Though there are many ways to show growth, some of the most effective in a reapplicant essay include:

• A higher GMAT score
• Clarified or refined goals
• Additional leadership or managerial responsibilities at work
• Additional international experience
• New or additional community service experiences
• Any new awards, certifications, or recognitions
• Any other changes or improvements that will enhance your ability to contribute to the diversity of an elite MBA classroom

The admissions committee will appreciate seeing that you made the most of the opportunity to reapply by really working to demonstrate your personal and professional growth.

Looking for real-life reapplicant essays our clients used to get admitted? Check out our MBA Resource Center. With hundreds of essays, interview mocks, CV templates, reapplicant essays, and much more, you’ll have everything you need to make this year your year. Join here!

Consider expanding your school list

One of the most common buzzwords that is tossed around during the MBA application process is “fit.” More than just a fancy term, however, fit describes how well your experiences, career objectives, and personality align with what a certain program offers. 

As such, when working on your reapplication strategy, make sure you carefully examine whether or not you chose the correct schools for your profile the first time around. 

For example, a few years ago, we had the pleasure of working with Heitor, who had been dinged at INSEAD despite his 770 GMAT score and ample international experience. When deeply analyzing his profile, however, it became apparent that his more reserved personality was just not a great fit for the highly-social INSEAD community. To keep in line with his desire for a more diverse, global program, we decided to apply for London Business School, as it offered many of the same benefits as INSEAD does but was a better cultural fit for him. After a diligent reapplication, he was accepted at LBS and ended up loving the program. 

As a final note, while examining your school list, you may also want to expand the list to include new schools you haven’t previously applied to. Though we believe you should never apply to a program you wouldn’t be excited to ultimately attend, widening your scope can ensure that this year, you successfully land a spot in a top MBA program. 

 

Step 3: Take action

Once you’ve talked to the right people and reconsidered your overall strategy, it’s time to take action. Here are a few common problem areas in MBA applications and how to fix them the second time around:

 

Check your recommenders 

Letters of recommendation are a unique chance for business schools to hear about your strengths from an outside perspective. The Stanford Graduate School of Business notes on their website that your recommender should “provide detailed anecdotes and examples to support their assertions” and be “truly enthused to write a recommendation for you.” 

If this does not describe your letters of recommendation, it might be time to find new references or work with your recommenders to ensure your letters this time around truly sell your profile. 

If you do choose to keep your same recommenders, speak with them to align how to add new content to the letter (to demonstrate continued growth) and further strengthen any parts of the letter that may have been slightly weaker (for example, traits that were listed as strengths but were not backed up with examples). 

 

Improve your GMAT

If your GMAT score is not within 20 points of your target school’s average GMAT, it is likely that this played a role in your rejection. 

Instead of rushing to take the test again, allow time to properly prepare this time. Hire a tutor or take a prep course to help you improve your score. It is worth the effort to improve this vitally important aspect of your application. 

If you’ve already taken the GMAT a maximum number of times or feel that perhaps the test is not the best fit for you, you might also consider taking the GRE. Some clients worry about switching tests, however, putting your best foot forward with the highest score possible is your best option. 

 

Strengthen your career progress

This is not an easy thing to do in a short time. However, if you’ve determined that a lack of significant career progress held your application back, it’s a necessary step before reapplying. 

There are a few key ways admissions officers measure career progress: 

• Early promotions
• Increased responsibilities
• New leadership roles
• Raises or bonuses
• Development of important relationships or contact with senior leadership

To achieve these things, you will have to distinguish yourself from your peers. Volunteer for extra assignments and unique projects – don’t be content to just show up for work and do what you’re told. 

 

Demonstrate leadership

Leadership is one of those golden qualities that every business school looks for in potential students. Like improving your career progress, if this is an area that could be strengthened on your application, it might take some time to change. 

However, deepening your leadership abilities will not only pay off when applying for business school but it will also enrich your life and set you up well for your future career.

Some things you might try to make an impact as a leader – both at work and outside of work – are:

• Helping others work together more effectively
• Assembling and leading a high-performing team that achieves something significant
• Coordinating efforts to solve a long-standing problem faced by your organization
• Mentoring and teaching others

Most importantly, make sure you adequately demonstrate your ability to lead in your essays. Improving as a leader will not help you if the admissions committee never learns about your growth in this area! 

 

Show greater community involvement

The truth is, community service is almost a requirement these days when it comes to being accepted into the top business schools, and it will undoubtedly set you apart from the other candidates if you have particularly valuable volunteering experience.

So why do business schools care so much about community service? 

There are several reasons, and using this to your advantage by showing growth in this area can go a long way to show your dream school that you’ve grown both professionally and in your ability to add value to your community.

 

Step 4: Make sure you have the support you need to succeed

Getting rejected by your target school does not mean that you will not attend there. Like anything in life, hard work and perseverance will pay off. 

There is always a way to revamp your application and prove to the admissions committee that you are an excellent candidate for their school. At Ellin Lolis Consulting, we are in the business of doing just that. 

That’s the approach we took with our client Pedro, who had applied to several top business schools only to receive dings from each and every one. After working with us to re-examine his personal brand and better tailor his stories to each school, he was able to earn a spot at his dream school: Columbia. 

In his words, “In a nutshell, I strongly recommend her work, and I believe she is the X factor in preparing for any MBA.”

If you’re considering reapplying to business school, we here at Ellin Lolis Consulting are excited to help add more value to your application than you ever thought possible – all while retaining your unique voice. 

98.9% of our clients get accepted to at least one of their preferred programs, and we’d love to help you, too! If you’re interested in working with us, apply to have us support you on your MBA application journey here.