Belated Round One Update

So it has been a few months since I have last blogged.  Instead of updating you all on everything all at once, I will take you back a couple months.  As of mid-December, I had already learned I was on the Sloan waitlist.  I had yet to be invited to interview at Yale or Haas, so I was not expecting positive news from those programs.  However, I felt my Kellogg and Tuck applications were strong and my interview at Kellogg went really well (I didn't interview at Tuck because they only interview reapplicants on-campus and I could not make it out there), and I was fully expecting an acceptance from at least one of these programs.

December 18th, D-day for Kellogg and Tuck.  By this point, I had already been dinged by Yale.  After having traveled out to Hanover last year to interview, and meeting the students and faculty members, Tuck was definitely my top choice.  There was so much I loved about the program, and I honestly had a hard time picturing myself going anywhere else.  I was hopeful, but as the minutes ticked away on the 18th with no phone call, a pit started to grow in my stomach.  Finally at 5pm EST, I got an email from Tuck saying there was an update to my application status.  Having not received a call, I knew the best case scenario was being waitlisted…

I’ll tell you what, reading those rejection letters never gets easy.  Not long after getting the official ding from Tuck, I received the same news from Kellogg.  It was a tough day.  Although I had started working on some round two applications, mentally I was not prepared to do it all again, for the third time.  Including my apps from last season, I was a depressing 0.5/7 (0.5 for the waitlist at Sloan), soon to be 0.5/8 after Haas’ released their decisions a few weeks later.  I took a few days to let everything sink in before I even thought about round two applications.  After receiving such positive feedback from admissions consultants on my chances at my target schools, no getting into a single one made me question a lot.  Man did December suck!

As hard as it was to accept not getting into my round one schools, especially after two years of trying, I realized it wasn't the end of the world.  The end goal isn't the school I get into, but the having transformative experience at b-school, and using that experience to help my succeed in my future career.  Although all the schools I applied to in round one would have helped me reach those goals, those weren't the only schools.  It was time to refocus and get back to the grind!

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan