Recently I've quite a few aspiring business school students approach me for advice on what to do after being waitlisted. Given this I thought it would be useful to blog about what being waitlisted actually means and how best to approach the situation.

Firstly, I want to point out that I understand how it feels to be waitlisted. My initial reaction when it happened to me was that I had just missed out on a place in the class and that the only way I was going to get admitted was if someone better than me declined their offer. I can tell you from experience that this is not actually true. Many business schools use a waitlist system to manage their acceptance rate, a metric used to rank institutions. As such business schools often waitlist talented candidates to determine if they are actually committed to attending.

Given the above, how should a waitlist candidate respond? The best response is to show commitment and growth through a follow up letter to the admissions committee. A great letter will outline a candidate's interactions with the business school community, new achievements, and value to the class. It is also worth reaching out to current students and alumni who can support your application. Every bit of support will help.

Getting off the waitlist and admitted is easier than you think! If you put in the effort and show your commitment to the admissions committee I'm sure you be rewarded with admission.