MBA Application Waitlist Tips

已有 635 次阅读  2011-03-11 21:52   标签mba  MBA  Waitlist  waitlist  Application  Tips 
At this time of year, waitlist applicants obsess over previous years' acceptance rates at the schools waitlisting them. Nervous, tense applicants ask, "How many students at School X have been waitlisted and then accepted? Is there a difference if I'm waitlisted earlier or later? Are the GPA and test scores different for waitlisted applicants?" And every year the obsession mystifies me.

For the life of me I can't see why those numbers are so important. Most schools accept some students from the waitlist. The accepted students are 100% in; the rejected students are 100% out. If your school last year accepted 5% or 15% or 25% of waitlisted applicants, is that number really going to change your behavior?

I guess if you need that data to determine whether you want to remain on the waitlist, it's useful, but realize that last year's numbers are not predictive. If the school has a higher yield than last year, the WL acceptance rate will plummet. If it has a lower yield than last year, the WL acceptance rate will climb.

Because waitlist stats lack predictive value, focusing on past WL acceptance stats is a distraction. You should strive to make your case for acceptance, your fit with the program, your case for your qualifications.
分享 举报