Per Wharton’s Adcom Blog, "Feedback sessions for Wharton MBA applicants denied within the last two years who plan to re-apply for the entering Fall 2008 class are now full." Considering that Wharton started taking calls for appointments this morning, that’s pretty fast.
To help you make the most of your feedback session, be it at Wharton or another school, I decided to post an excerpt from Create A Better Sequel: How to Reapply Right to Business School, which deals with the questions you should have answered in the course of your feedback session. (BTW, Create A Better Sequel, is Accepted’s featured ebook of the month. Save 20% if you buy it now through May 31, 2007.)
Questions for Your Feedback Sessions
The feedback session is not a good time to be shy or bashful. And it certainly isn’t an opportunity to express your frustration and resentment at being rejected. It is an opportunity for constructive feedback, and you should be prepared to make the most of it.
Before your feedback session ends, make sure you know the answer to these critical five questions:
- Could you point out areas of weakness in my application that contributed to the rejection?
- Were my academic stats competitive?
- Was my work experience MBA quality? If not, what can I do to make it more competitive?
- Did my essays convey the personal qualities you value? If not, how can I do better?
- Did I show why I want to attend your school?
In addition, if you have a particular concern — for example about your TOEFL or a C- your freshman year or your GMAT quant score — ask if that weakness played a role in your rejection.
Usually the adcom member takes the lead during the session and provides you with feedback on your application. When finished, he or she will give you a chance to ask questions. If you don’t know the answer to the above five, then ask any that are unanswered. If they have all been answered, then you should have some additional queries that you prepared ahead of time. Don’t go into the session without knowing the information you want to have at the end. Obviously, issues may also come to mind during the session, and you can raise those too if you have the time.
If you are a Wharton applicant who did not get one of the coveted spots, the schools that rejected you do not provide feedback, or you want a second opinion after receiving your school’s feedback, please check out Accepted’s MBA Application Review.
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