Hello P&R readers, and welcome to my advice column! My name is Karen Marx, and I am the founder and president of the Northern Star Admission Counseling. I have helped people get into their dream schools since 2012, and before that I was the Associate Principal of Admissions at TUCK Business School in Dartmouth. Today, my goal is to give applicants the correct, internal information they need in order to succeed and make good decisions. Want your question to answer in a future column? Ask far, no topic is out of bounds!
In 2024, I wrote how to decide whether to accept an MBA offer, or try again next year. Today, I want to share a mirror from the first of the two customers who decided to reapply this cycle – with amazing results. (I met the two after they had passed an application cycle without my support, and then we worked together on their repurchases.)
You were accepted at the Business School when you first applied, what made you decide to reject that offer and reapply?
- It really went down to the personal calculation of the ‘investment return’ I made given the offer I had at the time. As I received a scholarship, participation for that program was still at a prohibition cost. Based on my current position in biofarmic engineering and my short and long -term goals, I was not sure the program was suitable for me.
How your strategy changed as a reaplicant, in the following fields:
1. School list
- This was probably the most significant change – I went from 6 schools and a mix of MS/MBA and MBA programs in four MBA programs. I reapply in two schools and added two new schools to the second cycle.
2. Postgraduate goals
- While my long -term goals were consistent between the two cycles, I updated my short -term goals. I currently work in operations and initially had my short -term purpose as management of operations. After a few conversations with Karen and my mentors at work, I realized that a leadership development program was a short -term goal that better approximated MBA with my long -term goals.
3. Essay
- In general, I thought that my essays from the first cycle of application were strong, but eventually not perfect. I took this opportunity to polish every essay I would retell. I wrote new essays about the schools that were added to the list.
4. Deadline
- I went to round 1 which significantly reduced time between applications. This was a goal I gave myself because I really wanted to continue the momentum. Applying a business school requires a lot of time and emotional effort, so I knew that the best way to target myself was to aim for that first round. Karen worked with me to make sure I was ready.
5. Preparation of the interview
- This was an area where I definitely needed improvement and worked closely with Karen to help my interview process. The general strategy did not change significantly, but we have worked to ensure that I could open during interviews and promote connections.
Karen Note: I really appreciated this applicant’s willingness to work with me in preparing the interview, which was really challenging. Changing gears in a less corporate style is difficult but really important to Interviews on MBA.
Besides, what else did you do otherwise?
- I changed tests and found that it was really helpful. Tests play in different forces and I was really struggling to get my intended score during the first cycle. I saw improvements after replacement and completed my test preparation with private tutoring to help me nail my intended result.
What do you think made the biggest change?
- I found out that working with Karen really helped. She was able to give advice adapted to my specific situation. The first cycle, I thought I ‘checked all the boxes’, but ended up being rejected by most the programs I applied for. Karen helped me direct me through some very necessary introspection after I tried to apply round 1. This helped me find programs that would be more suitable for me and make improvements in the main areas of my application.
Karani marking: It is so common not to understand what schools are looking for, and it is also easy to accidentally follow bad advice. (There are many of them there!) This client was extremely ready to review their goals and the list of schools – and to become more honest in their repurchases. This led to both admissions and SCHOLARSHIPS.
Advice what advice do you have for future reapplicants?
- Be very honest with yourself for what you are willing and not willing to do. I knew early on that I had to change the tests because I didn’t want to put myself through another GMAT focus, but I still had to improve the test results if I wanted to be competitive. I passed to GRE and managed to achieve my intended score.
Are you quiet about the sharing where you went inside?
- The first time I applied, I applied to 6 schools with a mix of double MS/MBA and MBA programs. I was accepted into 1 double -scale program (MBA/MS) and was listed in an MBA program. This time, I aimed at four MBA programs I loved and received Accepted in Cornell and Carnegie Mello, with scholarships in both! I am also on the waiting list in the other two programs.
Karani marking: So exciting !! I am excited that you have such excellent opportunities!
Karan There are more than 15 years of experience in evaluating candidates for admission to Dartmouth College and TUCK Business School in Dartmouth. Since the founding Northern stars admission counseling In 2012, it helped applicants admit high schools in the country, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, Mit, Tuck, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, Haas, Johnson, Ross, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown and more. Customers have been given more than $ 70 million on scholarships, and more than 98% have been put into one of their highest choice schools.