AAR: The (MBA) Dark Knight Rises Part II

Last week, we heard about the heartache of not getting into business on a first try.  Today, our MBA Dark Knight tells us how he assessed his weaknesses, worked on them, and ultimately won admission to Columbia’s Graduate School of Business

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The “get your ish together” phase

I was self-aware of my weakness and my plan was simple:

–       Apply early action and definitely in Round 1

–       Re-access which programs to apply to and definitely apply to backup schools (get your head and pride out of the clouds and give yourself some options, just in case)

–       Stay connected to the programs and people

–       Take a Financial Accounting course and earn an A

–       Contemplate taking the GMAT… again (why WHY ME!)

I was focused. Although it was expensive, I enrolled in a Financial Accounting class on base. It was about a three-month course, and the pace was doable. The challenge was that I was in company command and planning a California wedding from Korea. I didn’t sleep more than 4 hours a night those three months, but in the end I earned an “A” in the course (and among other things, completed a successful 2-year command and had a happy bride – now wife – on our wedding day).

At this point, I took a hard look at the schools I wanted to (re)apply to. You know how everyone says, don’t look at rankings and find the school that is the best fit for you? Well, after gaining “veteran” status in the MBA application world, I was really able to understand which schools were the best fit for me. I had my sights set on the following:

–       Columbia Business School (reapplication)

–       Chicago Booth (reapplication)

–       UCLA Anderson

–       USC Marshall

During the couple of weeks I was on leave in California for my wedding, I took the time to visit UCLA and USC for a campus visit. I already knew from last year that visiting the school is vital in checking fit (visited CBS and Booth last year – both amazing fit). Some disagree and feel they don’t need to spend the time and money to visit the schools, and they are entitled to their opinion. But what I will say is that I paid for an international flight from Korea to visit all my schools. I gained an understanding of the programs that you could never get from the marketing material, and although I spend thousands of dollars and about 10 days of leave, I look back and it was worth every penny. Would you buy a car without test-driving it or without seeing it in person? My car cost me $35,000, and I definitely test-drove it. MBAs generally cost over $180,000 – you bet I’m checking all the nooks and crannies.

I felt a real LA comfort at Anderson (since I’m from the area) and Marshall’s “Trojan Network” was something that couldn’t be dismissed. I cannot stress enough how important it is to stay connected to the schools that you are applying to. With each school, I stayed in touch either with admissions and/or the current students to gain vital knowledge and insight. It’s important to be real and honest with them, so the feedback that they provide is most impactful. For example, I asked current students whether they believe I should take the GMAT again. Although it was embarrassing, I told them how many times I took it and my highest score. When I look back, this was so important because putting my pride aside allowed me to get unfiltered feedback that ultimately led me to restudy for the GMAT… I almost wanted to cry just thinking about taking it again, but it had to be done.

After not touching the GMAT for about 6 months, I hit the books again for about 6 weeks and took the test for the sixth time. This time I approached the test with a more relaxed and thoughtful tactic and was able to improve my score by 90 points.  Understanding the concepts was never my problem, so it was refreshing to shake the test day nerves and obtain a respectable score – curse broken and what a boost in confidence!

From here, I was now off to the essays again. Some people hate this part, but I absolutely loved it. My story really came from my heart, so it was easy to write. After all my “soul searching” last year, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my career.

I never considered myself a great writer, but I had friends and colleagues who were. I wrote the story and sought their edits for grammar and structure and to ensure that I wasn’t writing military jargon that civilians wouldn’t understand (super important). I owe them all so much for believing in me enough to really take the time and help me get my essays to the level that it needed. I’d also like to mention that veteran clubs and Service2School were a tremendous help. To reiterate the “stay connected” point I made earlier, most MBA programs have a veterans club – reach out to them and start a dialog. They’ve been in your shoes before, and the experience they have is priceless. They and organizations like Service2School are here for you and want to help you; all you have to do is reach out.

Before I knew it, I submitted my early action app to Columbia Business School and Round 1 to Chicago Booth.

The “final stretch of the IOCT” phase

What is the IOCT you ask? Some of the most revered hardest crusty combat generals have come back to West Point to give speeches and said that the Indoor Obstacle Course Test is still the hardest thing they’ve ever done in their lives.

Okay, so you dumped the medicine ball in the laundry bin and just finished running with the baton, now it’s time to tap into whatever you got left and finish strong.

About 2.5 weeks after submitting my CBS application, I got an invite for an interview – ecstatic. After an undisclosed amount of beers to celebrate, I spent about a week to prep myself for my interview. I prepped by understanding the type of interview CBS would give and feel comfortable with all the possible questions that could be asked. After hours of mock interviewing, I felt completely 100% ready for my interview.

I think some people take the interview for granted and don’t take it seriously. I believe this is a huge mistake. Although for a small number of brilliant applicants, the interview may just be a “check the block,” for most, it’s important to finish strong.

My interview lasted about 2 hours and my best advice is to know yourself, know the school, and be yourself.

The Final Phase

Five days after my interview, I got an international phone call from CBS admissions, personally notifying me that I gained admittance. This was such a classy move. A personal phone call just reaffirmed why CBS is the best fit for me.

Having gone through everything that I did and facing rejection with perseverance and focused hard work, I cannot fully express how humbled, ecstatic, and blessed I felt. In that moment, I thought about all the people that I needed to thank for allowing me the privilege of reading these words:

“…on behalf of the Admissions Committee and after careful review and consideration, we are pleased to offer you admission to the Columbia Business School Class of 2015 for the term beginning August 2013. Congratulations and welcome to Columbia Business School!”

More undisclosed amount of beers!