Waitlist Strategies

You’ve made it through the admission process, completed your interview and think you have a good shot at being admitted. However, you get that discouraging letter that you aren’t in, at least not yet. There is good news and bad news when it comes to being put on the waitlist for the business school of your dreams. The bad news is that you’ll have to wait a bit longer to get in. The good news is that the waitlist is not the death of your MBA admissions campaign. Think of it as a new beginning, another chance to prove to the admissions committee why you are deserving of admittance to their school. Remember, business schools only put people on the waitlist who they think are good candidates and should be admitted. Very often it simply becomes a numbers game and schools have to wait and see how students from you demographic are accepting or not accepting their admission offers. So if you end up on the waitlist, here are some tips for how you can help improve your situation.
Read the waitlist letter and follow its instructions – Some schools want you to follow up with additional information, such as a new recommender, update on your job or progress report on classes you might be taking. However, some schools make it clear that they will reach out to you when the time comes. Whatever they say, do it. Don’t think you’ll be able to get on the good side of the committee by reaching out to the admissions director with a “question” about your status. Follow the instructions.
Asked for additional information? – If the waitlist letter does give you the chance to provide additional information consider the following:
• Providing an update on recent projects at work or sharing a recent promotion or achievement award
• Making clear how passionate you are about the school
• Showing how you have or are addressing shortfalls in your application. For example, know you have a low quant score on the GMAT? Make sure you are taking some stats classes at your local community college.
Have a backup plan – Now is the time to build and put into action a backup plan. Whether that is applying to more schools or staying at your job for another year, you never want to leave yourself with no options.
Be patient – No one likes being told “no,” and our first instinct is to make that person change your mind. However, admission committees have been reviewing thousands of candidates for a long time, they know what they are looking for. Now is not the time to panic and risk embarrassing yourself with constant calls to the admissions office. Instead, focus on other applications you might be working on, maintain a high work output and try to remain positive. Worst case scenario you will be reapplying next year.
Good luck and if it’s meant to be, don’t hold the fact you were put on the waitlist against the school. Just remember, your diploma won’t say anything about you getting in off the waitlist.