Waitlist

[dreamer1979]

Hi all,

I am really upset at myself. Turned in my app, felt strong. Went into the interview completeley prepared... for a different school. I 100% appreciate Yale's culture now as I came into the interview expecting a hard grilling session and it turned out the other way. Not sure why but that really threw me off.

Anyhow, I'm happy just to be on the waitlist but wanted to know if anyone had any advice on what types of additional materials I could submit to improve my chances?

I know yield rates are really high based on last year's intake so I am not feeling too optimistic but I have to at least give it a shot.

In advance, thanks for any advice!

[soarer]

You might want to send an update once every 3-4 weeks. In the update you should highlight any recent accomplishments at or outside of work. You should also continue to show your commitment to join Yale SOM. If you think you can improve your GMAT by 30-40 points then you might even what to try and do that.

All these points are just the things that I would have done had I been on the waitlist. But I wasnt on the waitlist and neither am I part of the adcom. So take these inputs for what its worth!

All the best and hope you are able to convert the waitlist to an admit.

[lewellen]

I will second soarer's comments. Waitlisted applicants should definitely contact the admissions staff to find out if there is one particular area of your application that needs strengthening. If there are one or two areas that you know you can improve (low GMAT, bad grades in quantitative classes, etc), you should try to do whatever you can to show that you are committed to improving yourself. For example, if you had bad grades in your undergrad quant classes, sign up for a few courses at a local college and/or get an old professor from one of your quant classes to write a recommendation for you. If your GMAT score was on the low end of the spectrum, sign up again and study hard so you can ace the test. Drive, dedication and commitment are key factors in making it through the MBA program here, so the more you can show the admissions committee that you are really doing whatever it takes to strengthen your application, the better your chances of landing a coveted spot in next year's class.

There may also be some cases where waitlisted candidates can't do a whole lot to improve their application (not enough work experience, mediocre interview, systematically low grades, etc). In these scenarios I think it is important to think about why you want to attend SOM and what added value you would bring to the class. If you can clearly articulate your value proposition to the school, I'm sure the admissions committee would gladly read your (brief) statement.

[gambledemon]

I am a waitlisted applicant as well. I have enrolled into a Pre-MBA business extension class offered from my University.

In addition to completing this course, I wanted some advice from current Yale students. The international requirement was the hook for me as to why Yale SOM was my top choice. I studied abroad in Shanghai China for 1 month during my 3rd year summer break at University.

What are your opinions to my strategy of creating an essay speaking about my experience in China studying Chinese language while learning the culture and customs and how I was able to adapt (the teacher spoke no english so we were forced to learn the language in order to communicate)?

Thanks in advance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[lewellen]

If you mentioned this experience in your admissions essays, I would not mention it again. However, if this experience is what led you to apply to SOM, I don't think it would hurt to write a brief essay to the admissions committee explaining how the experience transformed you and how you plan to build on this experience as a student at Yale.

Hope this helps.