April 14th, last Wednesday, was the final notification date for Columbia's Full-Time September Start program. Congratulations to all the new potential members of the Class of 2012! (And don't forget to do the Pre-MBA courses - they take them very seriously here!) For those who maybe didn't get the response they would have liked (from Columbia or ANY business school out there) - dust yourself off, evaluate your options, measure how badly that ONE school means to you (rationally, although we know it's difficult to emotionally detach from it), and apply again.
I can't stress the importance of having the logical frame of mind and emotional strength to apply again. A friend of mine applied to Haas two years ago. He was ~3.5 years out of an Ivy League undergrad and had been working in one function at a prestigious financial institution. He had a stellar GMAT, references, recommendations, etc. He was set on Haas - loved the culture, loved the NorCal scene, wanted to get more into tech - it was the perfect fit. He didn't get in.
At this point, he was crushed. While there more certainly more schools out there, he sincerely felt that Haas was the right school for him. What did he do? He sought feedback from the school as to how he could strengthen his application. One factor was his work experience - it had been in one function/one office his entire career. Career diversity in the community is so important (and totally underestimated and undervalued by most applicants). He worked hard to get opportunities to expand his skills set and to work abroad (within the same firm). He applied again this year, and, I'm very happy to say, he was accepted in the 1st round.
No comments:
Post a Comment