How an HBS Re-Applicant Made Sure That She Got In This Year

Getting rejected from Harvard Business School is devastating. Many HBS reapplicants give up entirely. But with the right strategy, reapplying can succeed. This case study shows how Callie transformed her candidacy after rejection—and got into HBS and other top programs the second time around.

From our initial conversations with Callie, we could tell she was a compelling candidate. Her test scores were below average but in range. Her GPA aligned with top-tier school averages. She had interesting goals and strong work experience. Of course, like most applicants, she did have some hurdles to overcome. Her GMAT quant score fell significantly under the threshold you’d want to see. She was also older than the average candidate for most top programs (especially HBS).

However, her personal story truly struck us. She explained her goals and their backstory in an articulate, inspiring way. This was her real selling point. A good story can overcome almost anything else. We recommended that she go ahead and reapply to HBS among other top programs.

Katherine, Callie’s VP consultant, reviewed her previous applications. She guided Callie through a different approach this year. Through hard work and a new strategy, Callie earned acceptance from HBS, Haas, MIT, and other top programs.

So, how did she do it:

• Mitigated GMAT Quant Score: We always recommend that applicants directly address ANY potential weakness in his/her application. In her previous application, Callie had forced the adcom reader to guess whether her quant score indicated her true ability. Not wanting to leave much room for assumption, Katherine recommended that Callie take an online course. Callie noted her scores in her application as a better indication of her quantitative skills than her GMAT score.
• Linked Personal Story, Passions and Goals:  In her previous essays, Callie had rightly recognized that her personal story was compelling. However, the way that she laid it out led one to view it as overly negative. It also lacked any link to the rest of her story or goals.

  Katherine helped Callie determine how to link her personal story and passions to what drove her interest in her long term goals. She then helped Callie communicate her story in a more effective way (eg, for a skimming audience who won’t take the time to read and re-read themes that aren’t clear).And ultimately, after many iterations and reworks, her overall story became more clear and easy to follow (and be inspired by!)

  This strategy was critical not only for writing strong essays but also for mitigating the age factor. Given where she was in her career, she needed to be more clear about her desired path forward. The adcom could then see clearly that an MBA made sense for her.

• Gained a Promotion: Callie worked hard. She was offered a promotion between the time she applied last year and this year, which she accepted. This promotion included an overseas assignment and significant increases in responsibility (ie. more leadership stories!)
• Took On Meaningful Community Leadership:  Callie seized an opportunity to share her passion for diversity and inclusion with her local community. She took on a significant and impressive extracurricular leadership role. This experience augmented her application and further reinforced what motivated her.

Her scores didn’t change; neither did her industry or goals. However, the way that she positioned herself changed dramatically. Callie connected the dots for the adcom so that they could see her full story. They could get a feel for the type of person that she is (motivated, passionate and out to change the world!)

In addition, the promotion and extracurricular leadership opportunities were vital. In the year between her application decisions and starting the process again, she gained great leadership experience. This is the backbone of any great application.

We’re very excited for Callie and hope that her story inspires others who are wondering if reapplying is truly worth all of the effort!

As always, we’re happy to chat if you have questions about how you could use a similar strategy:  www.vantagepointmba.com.