AAR: The (MBA) Dark Knight Rises

What happens when a veteran does not get into business school?  They cowboy up and go at it again!  Incredibly informative post by a recent admit to Columbia Business School.  This veteran failed to win admission on his first try at business school but reapplied and scored big.  His advice….just get your ish together!

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The “You suck” phase

“Thank you for applying to Columbia Business School.  After careful review and consideration by the Admissions Committee, we are unable to offer you admission.”

This was the first of five MBA rejection letters that I received last year.  Each school had a different way of saying it, but they all hit me the same way – devastated.  During the entire application process, you put your entire heart and soul into it and you dread reading any status updates from the schools that carry any phrases such as unfortunately, unable, denied, you lose, nope not getting in, you are a failure.  Like many others that were rejected, I had my mourning phrase.  What may have made this period even worse was the fact that many of my friends and colleagues around me were all getting into top MBA programs.  We’d see each other at social gatherings and there would be this subtle awkwardness of feeling happy for their admittance but not fully because of my own depression.  As a driven and ambitious individual, my pride was also hurt.  I didn’t find it easy to face others with the dark cloud of rejection and “you suck” feeling.

The “Get over it” phase

Nonetheless, like all things, this period passed, and I needed to get over it and figure out what I was going to do now.  This was a crucial phase for me.  A lot of life-changing decisions were being made simultaneously – getting married and possibly filing for another tour extension in Korea, just to name a couple.  Reapplication was on my mind, but it wasn’t that simple.  Pursuing an MBA is a huge career move and what I’ve learned so far in “marriage 101” is that most choices really aren’t your own, especially ones that involve hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Rejection wasn’t easy for me or my wife, so when reapplication was discussed, it involved a lot more than just a simple yes or no.

In the back of my mind, I know I wanted to reapply, even during my mourning phase.  An MBA is something that I was sure of.  Whether staying in the military or not, I was that confident that I needed an MBA in order to achieve my goals.

I give my wife a lot of credit.  When we were dealing with reapplication she supported me and empowered me with the flexibility to pursue my goals, despite her having to sacrifice her own time and preferences – and I love her for that (So if you are reading this right now and you “know” what I’m taking about, stop and thank your significant other for their support. Whether you realize it or not, it’s hard for them too. Support is not that easy and unconditional.).

The “Why?!” phase

So yes, I got back on the horse to reapply, but this involved a very strategic approach.   I had to think – last year, I applied to five different schools, gave each one everything that I had, and got rejected by all of them.  The question that is important to ask here is simply, “why?”  This thought is humbling but important because you have to break down every part of your application with a fine-toothed comb and find what elements were weak or maybe even disqualifying.  Most of the schools that I applied to did not provide feedback for denied applicants, so it was up to my own due diligence to ensure that I started my reapplication process in the right way – and yes, it is a lengthy process.

Before I go into the process that I took, I think it’s important to give a little background on myself (as an applicant, I found that it’s most helpful when you know more about the details of the person). The five schools that I applied to last year were all ranked in the top ten – I did not have any backup schools (bad move). My undergraduate GPA was low – let’s just leave it at that. And I took the GMAT five times without scoring in the middle 80% of the schools that I applied to. Sounds like the perfect applicant right? Well, last year, I definitely wasn’t the best candidate academically, but one of the top schools believed in me and at least offered me an interview. I felt that I interviewed well, but I believe that ultimately, my scores did not match up against the competition (later I realized that this interview was instrumental in my reapplication because it gave me hope. It may sound corny but that’s the truth. A lot of top programs advertise a “holistic” review of your application. They read your entire application and don’t look at just your GPA and GMAT score then throw it in the burn pit. Some may be skeptical of this, but what I will tell you is that it’s true – hope)

So when I looked back at last year’s applications and asked myself “why?” the answer was flashing in bright Broadway lights, “ACADEMICS!” I did not prove to the admissions committee that I could handle the academic rigors of their program. It’s a frustrating feeling when your scores don’t match up with your academic horsepower. At any rate, I had a few good ounces of hope, my wife at my side, and the drive to go through the gauntlet of MBA applications again – it was time to get my ish together.

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How do you get your ish together? Read part II of this fantastic post next week