2010 Accepted.com MBA Waitlist Q&A with Linda Abraham & Inge Miller

Please feel free to let us know if you would like to be informed of future chats by sending e-mail to chat@accepted.com. We would also be interested in knowing if you would prefer a different format or different topics.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 11:57:39 AM)
Hello. My name is Linda Abraham, and I am the founder of Accepted.com. I will moderate today’s chat and also respond to questions. First, however, I want to extend some welcomes. I want to welcome all applicants to the chat today.

I want to also extend a warm, special welcome to Inge Miller, Former Associate Director of Admissions at Ross where she spent four years coordinating the recruitment and admissions process for applicants to the Ross MBA and BBA programs. She also worked closely with prospective, admitted, and enrolled students as well as provided countless interviews and student counseling sessions.

Thanks to everyone for joining.

Before taking your questions, I want to introduce the ABC’s of MBA waitlists. These are the goals of your waitlist contact and communication with your waitlisting school(s).

• Address and ameliorate weaknesses (without magnifying them).
• Boost strengths by revealing recent promotions, projects, and awards, and achievements.
• Confirm fit by revealing how recent visits to the schools and events have confirmed Waitlisting School is the place for you.

These ABC’s should be your strategic goals while you on the waitlist.

Now for a few tips:

1. Follow the school’s instructions.
2. Keep your letters to 1-2 pages. Do not be verbose. For tips on content, please see this article on our blog . Letters should be 1-2 pages. For tips on the letters’ content, please see these suggestions for waitlist letters.
   
3. If you can get feedback, ask if there is anything you can do to improve your candidacy. (There usually isn’t, but if there is you want to know about it.) If there is something, do it.
4. Seek 1-2 letters of support from supervisors on and off the job. Current students and recent alumni who know you can also write letters of support and emphasize your fit with the program. Letters from big names who don’t know you are not effective and letters that simply reiterate information found in other letters are also not effective.
5. Always remember that quality trumps quantity. Do not waste their time (and annoy the readers) by sending in meaningless, wordy drivel or long-winded repetitions of your essays.

Inge, in our recent waitlist chat with Michigan Ross and in many previous chats, a lot of the questions and discussion focused on how much content is too much and what events constitute “significant” news. In other words, people were asking about matters where judgment plays a roll. I’m going to ask several questions that deal with this fuzzy area and hope that you can give some guidelines. Applicants, realize that because you are all different, these are only guidelines, not rules cast in concrete.

GoBlue (Jan 28, 2010 12:03:19 PM)
I moved to a different team in June 2009 which is aligned with what I want to do post MBA. At the time of application in October, I had not spent enough time in the team to seek a recommendation from the manager who I think can judge my potential after MBA as well, considering the nature of the work and composition of the team. Also the projects I was involved in were in progress, so my application doesn't contain my current work information in detail. How should I inform the Adcom?

1. Ask my manager to send a letter to me and then I send the letter to adcom.
2. I send a letter detailing what I have done in the last 7 months.
   
3. My manager sends the letter directly to the adcom.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:03:59 PM)

1. Ask your manager to send in a letter to the school. It doesn't need to go through you.
2. You can submit a letter outlining achievement on the job in the last 7 months.
3. Yes.

Bharath (Jan 28, 2010 12:04:42 PM)
I have a waitlist from Indian School of Business, and I would like to know whether we can send any significant updates to our profile?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:05:21 PM)
Bharath, I am not familiar with ISB's policies. However, if they do not specifically discourage contact, I would take initiative and send in updates as outlined above.

hbs_wl (Jan 28, 2010 12:05:26 PM)
I've been waitlisted at HBS, which is one of the schools that specifically asks candidates to not send in more information. I'm visiting the school next month. How can I approach this situation? Can I send in an email to the MBA email id expressing my renewed interest after my class visit (despite their instructions to not send in any material)? Also, I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical from consulting to explore my career vision area - should I mention this?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:06:27 PM)
HBS_WL, personally, I would follow the HBS guidelines. I believe they decide based on the information they were provided by you originally.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:06:35 PM)
I would send a thank you note to admissions thanking them for showing you around, expressing how the visit confirmed your fit with HBS. However, I really don't think that will make a lot of difference because HBS is confident of its yield. And I agree with Inge, that you need to follow the directions.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:07:20 PM)
Inge, what would schools want to know about in the professional arena?

ABC (Jan 28, 2010 12:07:27 PM)
If you are waitlisted and you provide the right material and get selected, then is there any chance that you might get any scholarship? :-)

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:07:42 PM)
ABC, your chances of scholarship go down when waitlisted,   although that is not true at all schools. At most schools, there is less scholarship money available as the season winds down.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:08:12 PM)
Linda - In the professional arena, you want to stick with information that is new since you submitted your application - promotions and the successful completion of projects come to mind first.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:08:32 PM)
Inge, what would schools want to know about in an applicant’s non-professional life?

almost_bigred (Jan 28, 2010 12:08:42 PM)
To improve my candidacy, I have already requested an additional recommendation from my volunteer director. Do you think adding one more from a peer would help?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:09:08 PM)
If the peer can comment on your teamwork skills or (better) on your fit with your target program, then it might add value. As usual, it depends what the writer has to say.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:09:18 PM)
ABC - It's not as likely that you would get a scholarship. However, once you are admitted, the school will try to help in any way to convince you to attend, so it never hurts to ask, in my opinion.

ron (Jan 28, 2010 12:09:48 PM)
Hi Inge, what can people waitlisted at Ross do?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:10:40 PM)
Linda - Outside of your professional life, community service activities or hobbies that you are heavily involved in would provide good material for updates. Maybe traveling or things of that nature, but it would need to be meaningful.

qs (Jan 28, 2010 12:11:22 PM)
Linda: So if we had no significant changes, do we want to send something to indicate our continued strong interest?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:12:08 PM)
QS, I would send something indicating your interest and updating them on whatever you can, but I would only send subsequent updates when you have something to say.

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 12:12:26 PM)
I'm waitlisted by Wharton. What percentage of the waitlisters is admitted every year?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:12:38 PM)
Ron - your question is fairly general, but based on my experience, Ross welcomes periodic updates. A rule of thumb is to send an email update (with new information addressing any areas of weakness) every 3-4 weeks. This keeps your name in the forefront of the adcom's mind so they know you're interested and willing to come if and when they admit you.

balboa (Jan 28, 2010 12:12:43 PM)
Inge: What happens if you re-take the GMAT and the score does not improve? Will the schools still have access to them and get an alert? Will it affect the candidacy adversely?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:13:01 PM)
Ozge, I don't know the number, but I do know it varies from year to year and you really can't take stats from one year or even several years and assume they are predictive.

almost_bigred (Jan 28, 2010 12:13:08 PM)
Whatever updates we send them, should those be in an essay form or bullet points?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:13:38 PM)
Almost_bigred: They should be in the form of a business letter. If bullets are appropriate, use them.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:14:09 PM)
Ozge - It's not possible to know what percentage of the waitlist is admitted every year because each year is different. It's based on how many admitted students actually pay their deposit and therefore how many spaces are left in the class. The size of the waitlist can fluctuate from year to year.

aki23 (Jan 28, 2010 12:14:13 PM)
Inge: I am waitlisted at Tepper School of Business. I have recently faced a failure situation and am also currently trying to deal with a difficult situation as a team leader. Do you advise I should update the adcom with this information?

CatOnTheWall (Jan 28, 2010 12:14:35 PM)
I am on the waitlist at Ross. Ross does not provide feedback on waitlisted candidate's applications. As an applicant, I find it difficult to actually identify my area of improvement. How would I go about it?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:15:34 PM)
Cat on the Wall, in their recent chat, Ross said that they don't provide feedback. But they encourage you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. FYI: Accepted can help you with that.

kbl (Jan 28, 2010 12:15:44 PM)
Mine is a general question - Is anyone accepted off of the waitlist before the summertime?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:15:50 PM)
Kbl: Yes.

IndM (Jan 28, 2010 12:15:52 PM)
@CatOnTheWall: Pay Accepted.com!

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:16:01 PM)
IndM: Thanks :-D

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:16:28 PM)
Balboa - If you tell the school that you are retaking the test, I would send them the scores regardless so that they can make an informed decision. They either have to get comfortable with your best score or decide they can't live with it. If you haven't told them, then they likely would not add that information to your file unless you had the scores sent to the school by the testing service.

Elena (Jan 28, 2010 12:17:06 PM)
If waitlisted, is it ok to re-take the GMAT, considering that the deadline for taking the test was before the application was due? Will this updated score be considered?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:17:58 PM)
Elena: At almost all schools, an updated score will be considered. Wharton at one point claimed they would not consider it, but I think that has changed. Yes, retake the GMAT if your GMAT is low.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:18:03 PM)
Aki23 - I think it's fine as long as you provide the proper analysis of the situation. What did you learn from the failure? How would Tepper's program have prepared you better for handling that situation? Keep it concise, not too long.

balboa (Jan 28, 2010 12:18:08 PM)
Inge: How do schools evaluate the waitlist? Do they rank the candidates? If I live near the school at which I have been waitlisted , how can I take advantage of that fact?

IndM (Jan 28, 2010 12:18:17 PM)
I am waitlisted at Ross. I wrote to the Adcom twice, but they still have not given me the name of admissions director in charge of my application file

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:19:14 PM)
IndM: You will need to contact Ross for that info, but check out the recent chat's transcript for some suggestions.

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 12:19:49 PM)
Hi, Wharton is one of the schools which don't want any additional information from waitlisters. Unfortunately, as an international candidate, it's almost impossible for me to join any activities about school unless they are held in Turkey. I visited Wharton twice, and joined an information session in Turkey. So what do you advise to a waitlister in my position?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:20:07 PM)
Basically, you have to sit tight. Do you know any current students at Wharton or recent alumni?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:20:10 PM)
Balboa - Every school has their own procedures. Tuck used to and may still loosely rank their waitlist, but others may start with the highest GMAT scores and work their way down. In terms of taking advantage of being local, you can step up contact with current students and possibly alumni if you didn't have much contact before. But you don't want to show up on admission's doorstep!

aki23 (Jan 28, 2010 12:20:16 PM)
Inge: I am a waitlisted candidate at Tepper School of Business. The adcom is conducting an event in India and has invited waitlisted members, admitted students and alumni. How can I best use this opportunity?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:20:46 PM)
Ozge - I agree with Linda.

almost_bigred (Jan 28, 2010 12:21:31 PM)
Inge: Can an applicant's TOEFL score be one of the reasons for waitlist?

Dinesh (Jan 28, 2010 12:21:38 PM)
Linda: I'm a R1 waitlist candidate at Kellogg. I sent in an update letter a few days after I was notified, mentioning a recent promotion and additional responsibilities at work. I also visited the campus and had a chance to speak to my waitlist manager in person while there. At the end of my visit, I asked her if it would be worthwhile to submit an additional letter covering my visit experience, and she told me that it would not make a difference. This seems contradictory to what I've read and heard about confirming fit and showing interest by visiting campus and sending an update. Any recommendations?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:22:11 PM)
Aki23 - Wow - that's a great chance to make a good impression. Ask insightful questions to learn more about the Tepper experience and demonstrate your interest and "fit" with the program. Be enthusiastic, but don't be annoying or overzealous.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:22:16 PM)
Dinesh, you wouldn't ask a host if sending a thank you letter will help your relationship, would you? Just send them a nice thank you letter. That's courtesy.

CatOnTheWall (Jan 28, 2010 12:22:39 PM)
Inge: I received an innovation award and as part of the award, I collected feedback (as a video recording) from my colleagues on the innovation. Apart from sending the award citation, can I also send this video?

qs (Jan 28, 2010 12:22:46 PM)
Linda: How do we know what our area of weakness is in the application? Would schools let you know of them when they waitlist you?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:23:10 PM)
A few schools will let you know about a weakness, but most expect you to self-evaluate.

gabriele.c (Jan 28, 2010 12:23:19 PM)
What suggestions do you have for waitlisted people that didn't get accepted, got feedback and want to reapply to the school (IMD in my case)?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:23:34 PM)
Almost_Bigred - Sure, TOEFL could be one reason, but I don't think it would be the only reason. So, retake the test or enroll in English classes to increase your skills, but also continue to look critically at the rest of your application so you don't overlook other areas of concern. Verbal (oral) skills are critical for the classroom.

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 12:24:01 PM)
Inge: How about Stanford waitlisted? I've been waitlisted by Stanford, too. What is your advice about Stanford? Can a peer letter who is a current student at Stanford work?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:24:18 PM)
Gabriele: Here are 3 suggestions: (I'm assuming that Gabriele is still waitlisted but concerned he will be rejected, and here are the suggestions:)

1. Make sure your school knows that you will attend if accepted (without telling them about the rejections) because of the great match between their program and your goals and educational needs.
   
2. Work to prepare yourself for a possible reapplication effort. Any steps to improve on weaknesses will help you both as a WL applicant and in preparation for a reapplication effort.
   
3. Take the time to visit schools that you may want to apply to next time.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:24:38 PM)
CatOnTheWall - You may want to check with the school before you send a video. I haven't heard of that before, but some schools might welcome it if it's short.

rossy (Jan 28, 2010 12:25:51 PM)
Inge: I am waitlisted at Ross. I plan to retake the GMAT this summer for recruiting purposes. Should I tell Ross this? I would take it now, but in last week's chat, Soojin mentioned they need scores by Feb. 15th to impact Round 2 admission. I would like to devote more time to studying to ensure I am successful. Any thoughts?

CatOnTheWall (Jan 28, 2010 12:25:54 PM)
Thanks Linda. Who should I contact in Accepted to know more about Accepted waitlist services?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:25:56 PM)
Gabriele.C - Your next application must take care to fully address all of the areas of weakness that they communicated to you. Linda also just gave more info.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:26:16 PM)
Cat on the Wall, please register online. For details about Accepted's waitlist services:

rossy (Jan 28, 2010 12:26:44 PM)
Inge: When I applied, I did not include any recommendations from my current employer because I am very new to the company. I have now told a couple of senior people in my group about my application. Do you think it would be useful to have them submit a letter of recommendation?

CatOnTheWall (Jan 28, 2010 12:26:47 PM)
Thanks Inge!

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:27:23 PM)
Rossy - I wouldn't wait until the summer either way. Round 3 decisions will be made sometime in May, I assume, so you'd want to get your scores in before then to be considered in the first wave of waitlist admits.

almost_bigred (Jan 28, 2010 12:27:29 PM)
Inge: In case I crossed the recommended TOEFL score limit of the school, but am still under the class average, can TOEFL then be an area of concern?

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 12:27:35 PM)
Well, I know a faculty member and a first year student.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:28:15 PM)
Rossy - one new recommendation letter from a current supervisor could be helpful if it's strong.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:28:32 PM)
Ozge: Then you have to weigh up the possible benefit of a meaty letter of support from either of these two people vs. the possibility of irritating them.

ron (Jan 28, 2010 12:28:53 PM)
Hi Inge: How do I provide updates to Ross about professional work, community service, academics, and which area I will focus on?

AdamLewis (Jan 28, 2010 12:29:17 PM)
Linda: Follow up to #1 (Gabriele's question): Does this strategy pose a problem if you're waitlisted at multiple schools? (Shouldn't we be cautious about telling multiple schools that we will attend if accepted?)

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:29:29 PM)
Adam, excellent question.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:30:17 PM)
Almost_Bigred - Sure, it could still be an area of concern, especially if the other international waitlist candidates have better scores than you. They are really your competition when it comes to TOEFL scores. Like I said, though, I don't think TOEFL alone is a reason to waitlist someone. There must be more to the story.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:30:32 PM)
Adam, if waitlisted at multiple schools, don't say you will attend if accepted to all, just the one you would certainly attend. However, in each case provide the reasons you would want to attend and the reasons you fit at that program.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:31:25 PM)
Ron - I am not sure I fully understand your question, but if you want to be able to send periodic updates, then you may want to spread these categories out over the next 2 - 3 months.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:31:33 PM)
Schools put much less stock in the statement "You are my #1 choice" than in " I want to attend for reasons X, Y, and Z" provided that X,Y, and Z are substantive, specific, and logical.

CatOnTheWall (Jan 28, 2010 12:31:44 PM)
Inge: After being waitlisted, I have connected with Alumni (some coincidentally part of the adcom) and with a lot of current students. How do I leverage this in my significant updates?

Jass786 (Jan 28, 2010 12:31:53 PM)
Linda, I am waitlisted at NYU. That's another school that does not give feedback on the application. How much does NYU consider GMAT scores for waitlist ranking?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:32:35 PM)
Jass, GMAT scores will be a factor, but they are a significant factor when your GMAT is low. They are much less of a factor when your GMAT is competitive or high.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:32:50 PM)
CatOnTheWall - These connections can mainly be used to demonstrate your ongoing research into the program as well as fit.

gabriele.c (Jan 28, 2010 12:32:50 PM)
I have been rejected and I am already working on my re-application where I am addressing the weaknesses in the feedback received. Thanks for your suggestions

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:32:55 PM)
You're welcome.

LAT (Jan 28, 2010 12:33:10 PM)
Inge: How do you suggest that applicants leverage the acceptances they have received to get their 1st choice school to take them off the waitlist?

CatOnTheWall (Jan 28, 2010 12:33:20 PM)
I have already  taken my GMAT three times...would you advice taking the GMAT again if I feel GMAT is one of the weak areas in my application that ended me up on a WL. Will the adcom look at this positively or a negatively?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:34:00 PM)
Cat, I would only suggest taking the GMAT again if you feel you can raise it. If you have taken it three times and have not been able to raise it, what do you think will change this time? If nothing, I wouldn't take it again.

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 12:34:06 PM)
Thank you very much for your advice. :)

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:34:12 PM)
You're welcome

qs (Jan 28, 2010 12:34:16 PM)
When would be the best time to send our first update?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:34:36 PM)
QS, ASAP or as soon as you have something to say. Don't send in letters that say nothing or contain nothing no.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:34:59 PM)
LAT - As Linda mentioned above, you may only want to do that with one school. When it's a few weeks out from the deposit deadline for the school where you're admitted, then you can pose the question to the adcom of your favored school. Until then, you still need to provide them with reasons to admit you. Also, know that giving an ultimatum can sometimes backfire if you press too hard.

phoenix (Jan 28, 2010 12:35:20 PM)
I asked my designated point of contact at the school whether I should have additional letters of recommendations sent and she asked me to hold them off. Listening to her seems like a the best step- please advise. Also, I have sent a formal update letter including 4 important developments since applying. There are some other important stories I haven't yet shared with adcom that can be told, but these are about 2 years or more old. Should I share these or sending too many updates is also not a good idea?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:35:54 PM)
Phoenix: I would follow the advice you received regarding the letters. I would not go back two years in this context.

AdamLewis (Jan 28, 2010 12:35:58 PM)
Okay, that makes sense. Thanks. ;-)

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:36:04 PM)
You're welcome.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:36:23 PM)
Phoenix - I completely agree with Linda. Info that occurred before you submitted your application is now off the table.

almost_bigred (Jan 28, 2010 12:36:31 PM)
Thanks Inge. By the way, I don't think I need to worry a lot about my TOEFL as I exceed the class's GMAT average by a HUGE margin, what's your take on it?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:37:20 PM)
Regarding the ultimatum point that Inge made above, I completely agree. I advise waitlisted applicant to keep quiet about other acceptances.

ankit (Jan 28, 2010 12:37:32 PM)
Do you have an idea about the percentage of waitlisted candidates who get accepted at Johnson/Tepper?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:37:45 PM)
Almost_Bigred - You're right, then it's probably not a big issue. You need to ask yourself what other weaknesses might you be missing. Accepted can help with that if you're having difficulty determining.

balboa (Jan 28, 2010 12:37:49 PM)
Inge: If you are invited for an interview as a re-applicant, let's say at a school like Ross, which is by invite only, what are the chances that you will be placed on the waitlist solely on the basis of your GMAT? In other words, does Ross place folks on waitlist just because their GMAT is low, even though they have invited them for an interview or does GMAT become secondary?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:38:14 PM)
Ankit, the schools don't release that information and I certainly don't have it. However, it doesn't matter. At the end of the day you are 100% in or 100% out. And those percentages vary from year to year.

Elena (Jan 28, 2010 12:38:41 PM)
When is the deadline for the GMAT retake if waitlisted for Round 2 at UCLA Anderson?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:38:53 PM)
Elena, I am sorry, but I don't have that date.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:39:52 PM)
If waitlisted with a low GMAT, I would take the GMAT ASAP and submit in the hope that the number would go up and be considered.

phoenix (Jan 28, 2010 12:39:56 PM)
Thanks Linda and Inge!

Elena (Jan 28, 2010 12:40:25 PM)
Are waitlisted people considered for admission after all 3 application rounds at UCLA are over?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:40:37 PM)
Balboa - It's difficult to know for sure without seeing your whole application. But, there really are no set rules or guidelines for placing applicants on the waitlist, so I can't say for sure why that would happen.

ankit (Jan 28, 2010 12:40:40 PM)
Inge: I have a good GMAT score, good academics and I work for a top company. However, I have only two years of full time experience. How can I mitigate lack of leadership experience in a short time?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:41:46 PM)
Elena, I don't know UCLA's procedure specifically, but almost all schools consider waitlisted applicants both during later rounds and after the 3 rounds have been notified. In fact, they send out acceptance even during the first few days of class to waitlisted applicants.

ankit (Jan 28, 2010 12:41:49 PM)
Thanks Linda!

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:41:55 PM)
Elena - Typically that is what schools say to waitlisted people. However, there are times when you might be considered earlier, such as if they do not like their final round pool of applicants.

ankit (Jan 28, 2010 12:41:59 PM)
Inge: If we feel we did not respond to an interview question completely, and have something more to add, how do you suggest we handle that?

qs (Jan 28, 2010 12:42:03 PM)
For updates, do you send hard copy letters or simply email one of the adcom?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:42:19 PM)
QS, follow the school's instructions. Most want an email at this point.

fn (Jan 28, 2010 12:42:36 PM)
If you are waitlisted because of a low GMAT and have already taken the GMAT a few times, what else can you do to improve your chances of getting in?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:43:25 PM)
Ankit - Remember that leadership doesn't always mean being in a designated leadership role. You can show leadership in different ways, such as taking initiative, mentoring less experiences coworkers, and taking on certain tasks within a team, etc. Focus on the bigger picture of leadership.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:43:28 PM)
Fn: Take courses business related courses. If your quantitative score is low, take statistics, calculus, and accounting and earn A's. If your verbal is low, take communications for business,  and join toastmasters, etc.

ron (Jan 28, 2010 12:43:30 PM)
Inge: What percentage of waitlisted candidates get accepted at Ross?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:44:40 PM)
Ankit - You could simply address that area in an update letter.

Elena (Jan 28, 2010 12:44:59 PM)
Inge: Is it bad to have a lot of alumni contact the school on your behalf to say good things about you? Is the adcom going to get annoyed by so many people bothering them about you? Can this have a negative effect on your acceptance?

ankit (Jan 28, 2010 12:45:12 PM)
I'll try that. Thanks Inge.

LAT (Jan 28, 2010 12:45:48 PM)
Any specific advice for a candidate waitlisted at U Chicago Booth?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:45:52 PM)
Ron - Again, it's not possible for us to know that about any of the schools. There are no hard and fast numbers on waitlists each year, so the percentages vary based on yield (how many admits actually pay their deposit).

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:46:10 PM)
LAT: Please see the ABC's I started with at the beginning.

ankit (Jan 28, 2010 12:46:20 PM)
Inge: The school I'm waitlisted at accepts an additional recommendation. Since I have very little work-experience, and since I've already submitted two professional letters, do you think it makes sense to submit an academic letter of recommendation now?

rossy (Jan 28, 2010 12:47:22 PM)
Inge: My husband and I are trying to go to school together. He has already been accepted to our top choice, but I was waitlisted. Would his acceptance be worth mentioning in my letter?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:47:26 PM)
Elena - Yes - I would say that lots of alumni contacting the school may not be a good thing, especially if you know they are doing it. One or two letters (unsolicited) would probably be okay, but beyond that, most adcoms would likely start to get irritated.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:48:44 PM)
Inge, going back to questions of judgment that we started with, how much is too much contact and communication? Does it change between winter and summer?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:49:30 PM)
Ankit - I would not submit a letter from a professor. Maybe a client, but I would really focus on other weak aspects of your application at first. It's unlikely that a recommendation from a professor will help at this point.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:50:46 PM)
Inge, would you view of recommendation from a professor differently if the professor had supervised Ankit in a work-related project or in some position of leadership?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:50:50 PM)
Rossy - I think it would be fine to mention, especially if he's paid his deposit and is planning to attend. You can let them know that you will be moving with him and then give them real reason to admit you by mitigating your weaknesses.

ron (Jan 28, 2010 12:52:18 PM)
Hi Linda, when will be the best time for sending updates, Round 2 or Round 3?

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 12:52:28 PM)
Inge: Do current waitlisted candidates at Stanford and Wharton have more chance to be admitted than the next years' applicants, if those waitlisted candidates reapply?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:52:53 PM)
Ron, the best time to send updates is when you have something to say. You never know when your application will be reviewed.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:52:55 PM)
Linda- Too much contact and communication is difficult to know exactly, but I would say no more than once every 3-4 weeks. More than that just gets to be burdensome for the adcom. Less than that, though, and your name might not be as familiar come waitlist evaluation time. Genuine, sincere, updates with meaningful information is best.

qs (Jan 28, 2010 12:53:16 PM)
Inge: from adcom's perspective, what would make them admit you from the waitlist other than improved stats? What goes through adcom's minds at this point in time?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:53:22 PM)
Great advice, Inge.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:54:02 PM)
Linda - Yes, if the professor had supervised Ankit on a project or during research or something significant, then that could be valuable and it may be his only option in order to take advantage of the additional recommendation.

Expecting (Jan 28, 2010 12:54:43 PM)
Inge: I think community service is my weak spot. Is there anything I can do now?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:55:11 PM)
Ozge - I'm not sure that I would say they have a better chance. I think they have the same chance the following year as they did this year. Remember that the applicant pool changes from year to year, so the competition may change slightly.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:56:29 PM)
Ozge, I think you will get a few brownie points for persistence and serious interest, but reapplication hinges on growth and improvement. Again, assessment and evaluation are key.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 12:57:20 PM)
For all of you not accepted as well as waitlisted, you should be pursuing parallel tracks: Doing what you can to get accepted from the waitlist and preparing for a reapplication.

phoenix (Jan 28, 2010 12:57:40 PM)
Inge: My designated point of contact told me: In my case there was “NO feedback” and it’s more of a “Waiting game”. Typically there could be a case where an applicant may have a lower GMAT score so the adcom may ask him for a retake. Also, it’s not the case that I was not very clear about my goals. None of these apply in my case. Is she indicating that I self assess my weaknesses or does she mean what she is saying? Your take please?

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 12:57:41 PM)
QS - The biggest areas of concern outside of GMAT, in my experience, were clear goals, why you need the MBA, and why our school? Also, clearly showing leadership and team skills is another area where folks tend to fall short.

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 12:58:58 PM)
Yes, I agree. Thank you.

rossy (Jan 28, 2010 1:00:24 PM)
Do you suggest an applicant retake the GMAT if they are at the in the bottom of the school's 80% range?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 1:01:15 PM)
Rossy, yes unless everything else is stellar, and probably even then.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 1:01:27 PM)
Expecting - It's hard to jump into something new at this point, but I always tell people to think outside the box. Again, I doubt that would be the only reason for waitlisting you, but you could update them on how you spend your time outside of work, whether a hobby, taking care of a family member, and church activities, etc.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 1:02:36 PM)
Expecting, getting started now also prepares you for reapplication. When you reapply in the Fall, you will have over six months of participation – not six weeks.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 1:03:02 PM)
Phoenix - does the school welcome updates?

phoenix (Jan 28, 2010 1:03:15 PM)
Yes.

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 1:03:32 PM)
Phoenix - I think she means that you need to self-assess. You may also ask a friend or colleague or hire a consultant to look at your application to see what they might find compared to you.

Elena (Jan 28, 2010 1:03:33 PM)
Linda, do you recommended taking statistics and calculus, etc. classes if the GMAT can't be improved significantly? However, how does this help with the waitlist considering that it will take a while to finish such classes? Does the intention to take these classes have to be mentioned in the waitlist letter to the school or is there a better way to approach this?

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 1:03:50 PM)
Elena, take those classes if your quant score is weak. If you say you are taking the classes, that already helps. Intention is less effective. When you get the grades, hopefully A's, then forward to the schools.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 1:04:43 PM)
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Have a very good day! Good luck with your applications!

ozge (Jan 28, 2010 1:05:05 PM)
You too-- thank you very much!

phoenix (Jan 28, 2010 1:05:26 PM)
Thank you very much!

Inge Miller (Jan 28, 2010 1:05:37 PM)
Thanks!

rossy (Jan 28, 2010 1:05:45 PM)
Yes, thank you! This has been very helpful!

almost_bigred (Jan 28, 2010 1:05:46 PM)
Thanks a lot Linda and Inge for sharing your views on my queries, it's really helpful in providing direction to proceed.

Linda Abraham (Jan 28, 2010 1:05:54 PM)
Thanks for the feedback, Almost_bigred.

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