Decisions

My re-app efforts will officially kick off in June. I will do a little bit of research on schools and stay engaged on the extra-curricular and community fronts but will not be in a position to actually write essays and visit schools. Speaking of schools, some of the schools that I might re-apply to have already been visited multiple times so I dont know if I'll do that again. Luckily, I have made some good friends with people who got in to various schools this year so I can approach them for help.

One major decision made in the last few days was to not re-apply to Harvard. I loved the school, facilities are top notch, students are sharp and its a great experience for anyone attending, but after repeated self-evaluations I dont think I am ever getting in there (or let me say the chances are really slim). But isnt that applicable to most applicants who still get in? Yes it is, but my candidacy lacks certain elements that seem to matter a lot at HBS. I have plenty of leadership experiences to share but none that are full of 'stardust' as Sandy puts it. The time and effort needed to write those 7 essays will be well spent on another school. I tried once, put in a solid app and didnt get in, time to get real, so goodbye HBS.

The other decision I took was to not take another attempt at the GMAT. Again, when I look over my application, I dont think the GMAT was my undoing. I have a balanced score (both Q and V above 80%) so I guess it was ok on that count. Agreed I dont have a 760+ that most guys from my demographic seem to have but I have seen too many of those guys get dinged this year as well. Also, it will require intense preparation to get that score. With the time I have (aside from work, extra curricular and family commitments), at best I may raise my score by 20-30 points and I seriously doubt that will have any impact on my overall application. I could use that time to make my essays as close to perfect as they can get instead.

What else can I do? Differentiate my story, make it unique, compelling and strategic. How? Dont have a clue right now but am working on it. I do think my story is compelling and strategic but probably is short on the uniqueness. There is not a lot I can do to change that but better presentation and style of story telling might do the trick. I can see how my HBS essays read so much better than my Columbia ones, even though they communicate the same story.

Lastly, why wait till June? Because May is vacation month for me and my wife! We go for a back-packing trip to Europe and then to a Carribean cruise. I dont want to be thinking anything even remotely close to business school in May.