Stanford GSB reapplication

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Stanford GSB reapplication

by xoqapob88 » Sun Aug 14, 2016 2:31 pm
Hi

I applied to Stanford GSB last year (R2). Got an interview but was dinged ultimately. I'm re-applying this year in R1. Given it's been only 8-9 months since the last application, how should I approach my essay, especially Essay 1 (what matters to you and why). Given I had been shortlisted, should I use the same essay answer (theme, stories etc.) with minor changes or should I re-think it from scratch and make sure I provide a different answer (stories, theme) etc. Would be great to understand your thoughts/advice basis your experience of helping re-applicants like me.

Thanks!

- A confused re-applicant

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by MargaretStrother » Wed Aug 17, 2016 6:47 am
This is a tough question: Stanford's famous What Matters Most essay is so personal, it's hard to imagine writing about something ELSE only a few months later. It's also hard to write a reapplicant essay showing growth after such a short period of time. This is one of those cases where I would recommend a review by a professional consultant such as our staff here at SBC: normally I would say "assume that everything needs to be redone from scratch," but the fact that you got an interview, which is quite rare in itself, indicates that you put together a terrific application last time. I would want to analyze your essays in depth to see whether they are delivering maximum value for you, and what if anything needs to be tweaked.

Sorry I can't be more specific about your approach here, but it's a unique case and general rules don't apply. I would need to review the materials before weighing in.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother
Senior Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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