Acceptance to an M7 in Round 3? Yes it’s possible!

Round 3 (“R3”) deadlines approach. For some applicants, this represents the last chance for 2017 MBA admission. For others, it’s a “do-over” round after unsatisfactory Round 2 results. As we discussed in The Truth About Round 3, chances of admission in R3 are notoriously low, particularly at the top programs. However, they’re not impossible, and if you’re either considering throwing in a “hail mary” application in R3 or you’re hoping to better gauge your odds, we thought it would be helpful to hear from a successful R3 applicant to an M7 program from a few years back.

So we interviewed Lisa*, who applied to Columbia Business School one day before the final deadline in April. (Please note that we did not work with Lisa on her applications; she classmates with Vantage Point Co-Founder Melody. However, we receive many inquiries about R3 timing every year. We think it’s valuable to share a real example. Here’s someone who navigated the process successfully.

Here’s a bit more about her profile:

Now let’s dive into our conversation!

Columbia was the only school for R3 but I had applied to Booth and Duke (Fuqua) in R2 and had been admitted to both with scholarships.

Well, I wasn’t really planning on applying to Columbia initially but after attending the admitted students weekends for Booth and Fuqua, Neither school really excited me. My cousin was a current Columbia student. She encouraged me to apply. She said I should feel super excited about any program taking two years of my life. After further researching Columbia, I realized that it was a great fit for me and my goals. My decision to apply so late carried little downside. I already had two acceptance offers. I could choose between them.

Yes, I knew the odds were lower. But the upside far outweighed the downside. I really didn’t have much to lose. Only the time and money for the application itself. I went into it knowing the other downsides. No scholarships. Low likelihood of on-campus housing. But I would go without those for the chance to attend a school that made me happier.

No, not really. I had put a lot of work into strong R2 applications. I knew my “story” was working. I had already gained admission to two other schools – so no need to fix what wasn’t broken. I put my Columbia application together in 2 weeks and leveraged a lot of the prior strategy, essays, and core message that I had developed for my other applications. If I had not been admitted to any programs in R2, then yes, I definitely would have re-evaluated my approach.

Great question but no, I didn’t address it at all and frankly, it didn’t come up even in my interview. But I hear that’s often not the case for R3 applicants so maybe my experience was unique!

Yes, I was! And I didn’t think twice about accepting the offer, even though it didn’t come with a scholarship. Fit was more important to me than anything and I knew that Columbia was the place for me. I only wish I had been more thorough in choosing schools earlier in the process!

Honestly, success came from a combination of factors, plus a bit of luck. My cousin definitely helped guide me. She put in a good word with someone she knew in admissions. But I’m not going to pretend that was a “silver bullet.” Confidence helped a lot too – I didn’t go into it discounting myself or feeling like an underdog. I figured I’ll never know for sure until I try. I think my personal story was also a compelling one – I’m a first generation immigrant to Canada from Russia and I think I did a decent job at conveying how my family history has impacted my drive and my goals – i.e. story of a woman pursuing her passion because other women in her family before her couldn’t. That personal story together with my slightly less traditional professional background probably helped me stand out so late in the season. I imagine admissions saying “wow, we don’t have one of her in our class yet!”

Well, yes, of course I would have started earlier! I could have gotten scholarship money, at the very least.

Well, I’d say apply earlier! But if that’s a moot point, commit fully. If you’ve decided on R3, give it your all.
Make sure you present your best application. Every element matters. Your story. Your goals. Your reasons for pursuing an MBA. Your reasons for each specific school. Be thoughtful about school selection. I applied to Columbia because I had done my homework. I determined it was the right fit. That likely contributed to my acceptance.
Don’t apply R3 out of desperation. Don’t make a final attempt to get in “somewhere” instead of the “right where.” That could easily hurt you. Watch out.
Lastly, be confident. Believe in yourself! When classes start in the fall, everyone is equal. No matter what round admitted you.

Great insights from Lisa! We hope this gave you some added clarity, or at the very least, some added confidence going into R3 or even R4. Late round applications aren’t right for everyone and if you can delay until R1 of the following year, that very well may be the best option for you – especially if you’re an over-represented applicant profile (i.e. banker, consultant, Indian engineer, etc.) But if you’ve decided to go for it, Lisa’s experience shows some key best practices for R3 success: apply to the right schools (and do your homework on those schools), submit your very best application, and believe in yourself.

If you have any questions about your late round applications, please reach out to us. We’re happy to help. You can sign up for a free 30-minute consultation. Best of luck & we look forward to hearing from you!

* Name has been changed for privacy purposes.