VP Weekly Three: Top Three Questions About the Waitlist
Finding yourself on the MBA waitlist can feel frustrating after months of hard work. However, being waitlisted doesn’t mean sitting idle—most schools welcome updates that strengthen your candidacy. We’ve received countless questions about the MBA admissions waitlist over the past month. Here are the top three questions answered to help you navigate this critical phase.
1) Will visiting the school improve my chances? Will visiting the school improve my chances? Maybe. The visit itself won’t win brownie points with the adcom—lots of applicants visit. Many schools even state outright that campus visits don’t impact admissions decisions.
However, what you learn from the visit matters. It shapes your reasons for attending—insights very relevant to share in an update letter. That letter could certainly influence the final decision.
I worked with a client who visited Booth for the first time after landing on the MBA waitlist. From that visit, he became much clearer on how the community and values fit him beyond the professional reasons in his original application. He explained this thinking in an update letter and got accepted a few months later. While the visit alone likely didn’t move the needle, how he leveraged the experience to argue his case probably did.
2) Will it help if an alum/friend/co-worker submits an additional letter of support? Will an additional letter of support help? It could! First, confirm that the adcom accepts additional letters. If they don’t, approach carefully. But if they do, this provides fresh perspective on your MBA waitlist candidacy.
Ask your recommender to address an application weakness or speak to additional fit reasons. Alums who know the school well work best—they can offer specific insights outsiders cannot.
Follow these best practices: First, ensure the author knows you well and can write a positive, detailed, supportive letter. The key takeaway should be: “this is exactly what you’ll miss if you don’t admit this candidate.” Second, don’t bombard the adcom. Resist calling in favors from 20 friends. One or two thoughtful, passionate letters beat 20 generic ones.
3) What kind of updates should I share with admissions while I’m on the waitlist? To answer this question thoroughly, let’s start with what you shouldn’t share: stories/experiences already included in your application. This isn’t the place to re-hash your essays. An update letter is just that: an update on what has changed with you since you submitted your application (or interviewed, depending on the timing). You should focus on sharing relevant and tangible changes to your candidacy. Appropriate topics vary by candidate. Consider: promotions, new jobs, leadership projects, improved GMAT scores, completed coursework (MBA Math, etc.), deeper “why school X” insights, career goal developments, or extra-curricular changes. No matter what topic(s) you choose for your update letter, be sure that you’re succinct (no more than 1 page), clearly directed, and give a clear “so what”.
Best of luck to you!
After embarking on my own MBA journey, I founded Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting to help aspiring business school students get accepted to the top MBA programs in the U.S. and Europe. As President, I currently lead a team of over 25 superstar consultants to give our clients an unmatched experience, with a focus on white glove, personalized collaboration and mentorship.
