Hey BSer! Are you thinking about this opportunity in the right way???
Based on some comments we’ve been getting and the plans that have been shared, we can suggest that for some of you, maybe not. 🙁
Many of you are now in the throes of writing essays and gathering recommendation letters for your Rd 3 Flex applications (or Round 4, or Round 3 rolling, or whatever your target school is calling it — though we detest the term “Coronavirus Round” because that’s just so negative; 45,000+ Americans have died from coronavirus already, why would you call it that?).
And, you’ve heard that some schools, notably Kellogg, have said that they are open to reconsidering you if they rejected you from their earlier rounds.
THIS POST IS FOR YOU.
First: What do you need to do to get a reconsideration?
Premium content starts here…
———–
Are you ready? We can help!! Don’t blow this second chance, Brave Supplicant!!!
Separately to international candidates: You may have heard the announcement yesterday, that the U.S. is freezing all immigration for the next 60 days. Yeah, apparently this asshole president we have can do that (sorry-not sorry to state our opinions like that). If you’re a foreign candidate who’se pitching any schools right now, be explicit on your plans, flexibility, expectations, and fall-back options, in line with what we have mapped out in this post. Even if the schools open on-campus instruction for fall (unlikely) it might now be impossible for you to move to the U.S. on time. That might mean some schools stop admitting internationals entirely right now; it’s really hard to know what each one will do. You can still make your bid for admission in light of this change — but as we’ve laid out: You need to play your cards carefully!!! (yes we can help with this too — hit us up in SnarkCenter with your situation if you want pointers on best options to work with us directly!!)
(Re)Applying for an MBA Right Now
- What to consider with your Kellogg (or other school’s Rd 3 Flex) app: Recs, timing, optional essay
- What “rolling admissions” means right now
leoyizhou says
Hi, thanks for the detailed analysis. Just wonder as HBS just announced that it will allow incoming student to apply for deferral for one year or two, could that improve the odds for previous rejected applicants to successfully ask for reconsideration?
essaysnark says
@leoyizhou – thanks for the question! Unfortunately it’s highly unlikely that HBS will consider requests to reconsider. 🙁 Like all schools with Rd 2 decisions, Harvard put a lot of candidates on their waitlist, so they’ve already got a deep pool of people waiting in the wings even if there is significant shuffling of the committed students across multiple future classes. And, we don’t really expect that many people to be deferring from HBS. Lots of folks are watching the economy with trepidation; it’s looking like it’s going to get bad, even if not everyone is feeling it acutely yet. Being safely in school when the economy comes crashing down is likely an attractive proposition for many.
It sounds like you’re thinking that “Hey! If I applied in Rd 2, I might have gotten waitlisted instead of rejected!” If you got the interview in Rd 1 then you might have an argument to make – but even if so, it’s going to be an uphill battle. If you feel motivated to try, then certainly you should do so!! Make a case for reconsideration – make it solid!! – and send it to them! (no more than 500 words though!) The worst they can do is say no, right?
Please keep us posted if you decide to do so!!!
EssaySnark