Ah.. That time of the year when B-Schools announce their waitlisted candidates. What strategies are you going to follow? There are 100s of tips on how to handle being waitlisted. Some are good but you have to understand one basic thing – “You have NO CONTROL over the sequence of events that are going to happen in the coming months”. Be prepared for the worst. Here is a snapshot of what Wharton School of Business would send you.
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Dear Waitlist Candidate:
As a waitlist candidate, you may have some questions about the admissions process going forward. Below is some information about waitlist procedures that will be helpful to you: We will retain your name on the waitlist for consideration at the end of the next round unless you request your application be withdrawn. If you would like to withdraw, please e-mail <e-mail> using the subject header: “X Remove.”
All waitlist candidates who do not ask to be removed from the list will be reconsidered for admission in Round 3 and notified of the Admissions Committee decision by 5pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) of the Round 3 decision release date of Thursday, <Date>
Decisions include: admit waitlist, waitlist continue, and deny waitlist. In the spirit of fairness and equity, we will not accept additional materials for inclusion in your application. In this same spirit, we do not offer another interview.
There is no point person in the office for the waitlist. All waitlist decisions are handled by the Admissions Committee.
Feedback to candidates is not offered to candidates while they are on the waitlist.
There is no rank order to the waitlist.
The chances of being admitted off the waitlist are not predictable since much depends on the strength of the pool in subsequent rounds. Historically, the admit rate has varied from year to year and has very little correlation with the number of candidates placed on the waitlist.
Thank you in advance for honoring these guidelines.
We sincerely appreciate your interest in the Wharton School.
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1) Thank you Note
Send a brief thank you note reiterating your interest in the MBA program and mention how the school’s philosophy fit your career goals and educational preferences. Confirm that you would like the AdCom to review your application again on the scheduled date. DO NOT ask for feedback. Wait until the next review happens.
2) Next Review
AdCom would communicate the results through phone or e-mail. In most cases, Business Schools publish the results on their website. So keep checking the portal for latest updates
When your name is not in the selected list or you have not been informed about the result through phone or e-mail, send a reminder asking for the status of your application. Once you get a confirmation and you know that you have one final deadline for the results (normally in 2 months time), follow the waitlisted strategy.
3) Do not Rush to the Campus
The worst thing you can do now is to visit the campus in an effort to network with students or the admission committee. Admission Counselor for University of Chicago, Daniel Follmer, strongly advises against campus visit and has this to say
“We strongly discourage waitlisted students from visiting campus (this is another question I get regularly). This is for several reasons. First, because we do not schedule interviews with waitlisted students, and there is nothing we would tell you in person that we could not also tell you over e-mail or over the phone”
4) Why waitlisted?
1) Not a strong Essay?
2) GMAT Score below the median by more than 20 points?
3) GPA below 3?
4) Lack of extra-curricular?
5) Poor Recommendation Letter?
Be brutally honest here. Find out the exact reason why you were waitlisted. Review your essays with professional services, if necessary, but get to the crux of the problem. If your weakness lies in 2 and 4, at least you have some control over rectifying your weakness. Retake the GMAT or send updates on what you have achieved between the time you have submitted your application and now (focus on the leadership aspect of the achievement)
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