MBA Re-Applicants: Provide New Insights

So, the last application cycle did not work out in the way you’d hoped. Follow along on the blog this week, as we cover the steps you will want to take for a successful re-applicant journey. While the disappointment may sting, the good news is that business schools will highly value you, as a re-applicant, for your persistence and tenacity.

When you update your application materials, keep in mind that schools may review your updated submission alongside your initial application. You will want to ensure that your updated materials provide new insight to the Admissions Committee on who you are and how you will fit into their program. 

• Check program policy regarding recommendation letters. Many programs request that you provide new reference letters, although you may opt to use the same recommenders. If possible, include at least one new reference who is in a current managerial role and can speak to your recent professional accomplishments. 

• Update your resume to include results you’ve achieved and impacts you’ve had since your last application. Also, consider what activities may round out your resume. Look for professional or volunteer involvements that may set you apart from other applicants. 

• Submit new essay responses. Show commitment and don’t be afraid to expose some vulnerability. Some MBA programs will provide a re-applicant question, while others (including Stanford and Harvard) do not. If the application does not provide you explicit space, use your personal statement to show the reader your leadership or innovation potential through a recent endeavor. You will also want to explain the reasons behind your re-application. Ensure that your writing is clear, cohesive, and polished. 

• See below some sample re-applicant essay questions. (While some programs deem the question optional, we encourage you to take advantage of this additional space to demonstrate exactly why your candidacy is more compelling than in your previous application.)

Chicago Booth: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words)

UPenn Wharton: Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

Northwestern Kellogg: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)

MIT Sloan: (Optional) Tell us what has changed for you both personally and professionally since you last applied. (short answer) 

Columbia: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate how you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals. (500 words)

NYU Stern: If you wish to highlight any changes from your last application, you may do so in the optional essay 3: Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. (250 words) 

MBA Re-Applicants: Update Your Strategy

So, the last application cycle did not work out in the way you’d hoped. Follow along on the blog this week, as we cover the steps you will want to take for a successful re-applicant journey. While the disappointment may sting, the good news is that business schools will highly value you, as a re-applicant, for your persistence and tenacity.

Once you identify your last submission’s weaknesses, consider some of these strategies to improve your likelihood of success as a re-applicant. 

• Apply in Round 1 or Round 2 of the admissions cycle. 

• Consider if there are other, more accessible, programs that could prepare you for your desired career. 

• If you have a low/marginal undergraduate GPA, consider taking additional courses to bolster it. And be sure to address any red flags, such as a low GPA, in optional essays.  In doing so, you don’t want to make excuses for your low GPA.  Rather, you want to guide the reader to those areas of your life, such as professional projects or leadership roles, that you believe are more indicative of your ability to thrive in a rigorous environment.

• Think about how your test scores compare to those of admitted students. Are you willing to get a tutor or take a course to improve your score? Remember MBA admissions committees will only ever consider your highest score, no matter how many times you’ve taken the exam.

• Try to gain more professional and/ or volunteer experience(s) that will provide leadership and teamwork opportunities, as well as demonstrate your interest in and commitment to your future goals.  

MBA Re-Applicants are Highly Valued by Admissions Committees

So, the last application cycle did not work out in the way you’d hoped. Perhaps you didn’t receive a seat at your dream school or within your desired geographic area. Whatever your experience, you now find yourself thinking about re-applying to business school. Follow along on the blog this week, as we cover the steps you will want to take for a successful re-applicant journey. While the disappointment may sting, the good news is that business schools will highly value you, as a re-applicant, for your persistence and tenacity.

Before you begin the re-applicant process, assess your initial application effort. Did you receive any acceptances, or waitlist offers? What components of your application were weak?

• Consider your school selection. Did you apply only to elite or reach programs? 

• Did your GMAT/GRE score and undergraduate GPA fall within the average ranges for admitted applicants at your preferred schools?

• Did your application materials present your strongest case? Were your written materials clear, grammatically correct, and polished? Did your resume accurately reflect your academic and professional qualifications? Did your essay responses adequately demonstrate your commitment to an MBA, as well as show the reader your abilities in innovation (critical/creative thinking and problem solving) and/or leadership and/or teamwork?

• When in the cycle did you apply? Applying later (after the January deadlines) can negatively impact an otherwise qualified candidate. 

Your 2024-2025 Law School Application Timeline

It’s never too early to create your law school application strategy! Apply Point's ideal schedule looks something like this timeline. 

Never too early 

• If you haven't connected with us yet, do it as soon as you can. We can guide you on your academic choices and advise you on how to land internships or volunteer experiences that will appeal to admissions committees. 

• Investigate the LSAT. The LSAT is typically offered in January, February, April, June, and then monthly from August to November. Taking it in the summer or early fall of your application year gives you some wiggle room if you must retake it. The latest you should retake this test is November 2024 (for Fall 2025 matriculation). 

• Start a journal. You'll raid your journal for details for your Personal Statement, and School-Specific Essays. Make notes on your current experiences as they happen and past ones whenever you have a moment to ponder them. You can keep a paper or digital diary or even record audio and text notes on your phone as they come to you, and organize them into a document later. (You will eventually want all of your experiences in one place.) 

Spring and Summer 2024

• Be all about LSAT preparation. Take a prep course and/or work with a tutor to prepare for the test. 

• Gain meaningful experiences in both academic, internship/volunteer, and extracurricular settings. 

• Visit law schools of interest, if you’re able, and research law programs to understand their offerings and how they align with your goals. 

• Continue keeping a journal. This is repetitive for a reason—never stop doing this. It is so helpful. 

August and September 2024

• Create an LSAC account and register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS).

• Reach out to your recommenders. We'd like you to get three to four letters of recommendation, with at least two from professors who can speak to your ability to thrive in a challenging academic environment.  

• Take the LSAT. 

• Finalize your school list. You want a hearty list of "I could go here" schools and you’ll ultimately want to apply to between 10 and 15 law schools. 

• Move all of your journaled experiences into a brainstorming document. 

• Request your transcripts—and this includes those from schools abroad. 

October-December 2024

• Finalize your Personal Statement and School-Specific Essays. This is going to take a while. If you blast it all out in one week, you haven't done it right. Give yourself time for writing, revisions, and re-writing. 

• Update your resume to showcase the results you’ve achieved and impact you’ve had. 

• Follow up with your recommenders to ensure that they have submitted their Letters of Recommendation through the CAS. 

January 2025

• Fill out the school applications and Character & Fitness questionnaires available through LSAC. 

• Submit your applications by mid-January, at the latest. Most law schools offer rolling admissions and submitting your application on the earlier side will benefit you.  

• Prepare for and participate in interviews, even if they are optional. Your brainstorming document will continue to be useful here. Interviews are a great way for the admissions committee to get to know you as a person (beyond your application) and for you to learn more about a program’s student experience, experiential learning opportunities, and/or alumni network.

How to Use Hobbies to Bolster Your Law School Application

Hobbies. They are not a make or break component of the law school application, but they are an opportunity to provide the admissions committee with a view of the person beyond the test scores and transcripts. Hobbies are also an effective way to demonstrate how you will add to the diversity of the incoming class, showcase qualities you will need as a law student/lawyer, and/or provide insight into how you may relieve stress during law school. With many law schools’ increased focus on student mental health, this is particularly noteworthy. 

Within your application, hobbies might be embedded within your personal statement, included in your resume, or referenced as anecdotes in interview responses. While hobbies can be powerful for demonstrating some of your personal qualities, we recommend considering the following guidelines before you highlight them in your application:

• Be current. If you played the trumpet in the high school band, but haven’t picked it up since then, consider what hobbies are more relevant to your life now. What do you turn to for fun, and what do you see yourself doing for stress relief in law school?

• Be specific in your description. Provide a sense of how often, and how long you have been pursuing the hobby, as well as what the hobby entails. It’s great that you love to read, do yoga, and travel, but so do many others. Consider the unique ways you have engaged with your interests. Did you launch a monthly book club for discussing the NYT best sellers? Write book reviews for the school paper? Did you gain a yoga teaching certification or take part in a unique yoga retreat? Do you travel to particular destinations or did you engage in a volunteer experience while abroad?

• State how your hobby has impacted your personal growth. Did an experience within your hobby contribute to a change in your perspective or influence your decision to apply to law school? What attributes have you developed through your hobby that will benefit you as a law student and lawyer (resilience, effective communication and collaboration skills, the ability to thrive in a diverse environment, etc.)? 

• When possible, provide an experience or milestone that differentiates your involvement in the hobby. Many people play an instrument, but fewer start a quartet or play in the university band. Many people enjoy running or fitness, fewer run the NY marathon to support a favorite cause/organization or start a running club. Providing the specific way(s) that you’ve engaged with your hobby will demonstrate to the admissions committee what you may offer to your incoming class.

Don’t Submit Your MBA Applications Until You Read This

MBA Round One submission dates are upon us. Before you hit “submit,” be sure you’ve avoided some of the most common mistakes applicants make and built your strongest case for the admissions committee.

• Confirm the time (including the time zone) by which you need to submit your application. If you do not submit by the designated time, many schools will move your application to the next round. 

• Read through the entirety of your application. Is it clear why you are pursuing an MBA now? Did you show, through experiences from your life, your abilities in innovation, leadership, and teamwork? Have you highlighted what makes you unique as an applicant, and how you will contribute to your class? 

• Think carefully about any “red flags” that may exist in your application. Did you adequately address any gaps in your work experience or low grades in your transcript? Don’t leave the admissions committee wondering about your MBA readiness. Use the optional essay to explain why certain actions and/or results are not indicative of your abilities. 

• Make sure that each application is customized for that school. Did you address, with specifics, why this MBA program is the right one for you? What specific courses, professors, and experiential learning opportunities appeal to you most?  Why?

• Proofread everything. Again. Editing is never complete. 

Now it’s time to hit submit. Congratulations! The first component of the application process is complete, but your work is not quite finished. 

• Prepare for additional actions you’ll need to take. For example, those applying to the Yale SOM will receive access to their video interview questions only after submitting the application. And video responses for Northwestern’s Kellogg are due within 96 hours of submitting the application. 

• Review your various social media profiles. Do they reflect you as a professional? Are they consistent with your application materials? At the very least, ensure that you have an appropriate level of security around who can view your profiles. 

• Start preparing for interviews. Familiarize yourself with the interview process at all of the schools you’ve applied to. Then start brainstorming ideas for anecdotes you can use in your interview responses. We also recommend reading the news on a regular basis to stay informed.  If you’re asked your opinion on a certain issue during an interview, you don’t want to get caught off-guard. 

• If you haven’t yet, send a thank you note to your recommenders and/or any other contacts who supported your application efforts.