Here’s the next installment of our recent Success Story from a long-ago BSer. Last we heard, they were waitlisted at Columbia after applying in January 2012. We’ve included links to some posts related to the decisions this BSer was faced with, in case you’re in any of these situations. If you missed Part 1 of this person’s story, you can read it here.
After finishing my Columbia application, I had set things into motion for applying in the fall of 2012. I took a stats class to build up my quantitative background. I signed up to take the GMAT again (sigh, I thought I was done!). I got an A in the stats class and managed to improve my GMAT score to 700, which felt good.
I sent in a report to the Columbia AdCom. However, I never got off the waitlist. That was okay. I planned to do the full cycle of business school applications in the fall of 2012. UCLA, Booth, NYU, etc. I would reapply to Columbia early decision this time. It would all work out…right?
However, I didn’t anticipate what was going to happen next. During the summer of 2012, my company was not doing well–part of an overall 5-year decline. My boss, who cared about my future, was sending me job listings! I was very torn, because while I wasn’t happy at a company with low morale and dire prospects, switching jobs at this time was problematic. I didn’t want to apply to business school having been at a new job for only a month or two, nor did I want to leave a new job after just one year.
I received a great job offer with a better title and a big bump in pay. I liked the opportunity. My boss told me that I needed to go and our company was doomed. So I went. (He was right, by the way.)
And I didn’t regret it, but I thought that was the end of my full-time b-school prospects. I thought, well, maybe after I’ve been here a year, I will approach my boss about going to a part-time business school.
So that was it. I didn’t go to any MBA fairs in the fall of 2012. I didn’t visit any schools. I didn’t re-apply to Columbia, UCLA, or any of the other schools I had researched. I started a new job and didn’t have time for thoughts of an MBA. I put all of that on a shelf. It just seemed that at this stage in my career, 2 years is a long time to be out of the workforce, it’s very expensive, etc. I was left considering the part-time program, which has its strengths, but it would also take forever.
To be continued… HERE!
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