don't let bschool application define/defeat you

As R2 results slowly rolled out for various schools, the blogsphere/online forums became active again. For some, it was a triumphant finish. For others, it was the land of nowhere.

This post is dedicated to those who unfortunately did not make it this application season, especially those who I've personally interacted with.

It was heart-breaking even for a bystander to see these individuals pouring their heart and soul into bschool applications, as well as two years of precious time, and ended up with nothing but disappointing emails from their dream schools. As a fellow applicant, it was also my worst nightmare that I had once imaging myself going through. It's definitely a low point in life.

Then again, among the large pool of applicants this year, there were those resilient re-applicants, who got up where they fell and charged forward with such determination that one can only admire. Many of those re-applicants succeeded in their 2nd or 3rd try because their applications got better, or simply, because they persisted.

I have always believed that the key to success is about having the right attitude, which includes an unshakable confidence and a real humble heart. I fully understand that rejections from our dream schools can be so crushing, that we feel desperate, insignificant and incompetent. But the truth is, there is so much to you than four essays and a simple five page application! So friends, please don't let bschool application define or defeat you. The future is still bright, as long as you are up for it!

I feel like I have a lot more to say but don't know exactly how to say it. So I am just here, to show my support, as a fellow applicant.

I hope five years down the road, you can look back at this episode of your life with a big smile.

Striked out @ Wharton

So after a semi-sleepless night (I have no idea why so even though I thought I would be so relaxed with my Kellogg admit), found out that the box theory turned out to be mostly true. Rejected @ Wharton.

How do I feel? Hum, it's hard to say. I can't say that I am leaping for joy that I don't need to make the difficult decision between Wharton and Kellogg, but I don't necessary feel sad or disappointed. Maybe a little disappointed since I did a good interview and felt pretty good about my essays. But in the grand scheme, I think this rejection might be good for me. First of all, I was imagining before the decision how would I choose between Wharton and Kellogg, and I couldn't make a decision. I applied to Wharton mainly because of its reputation. But after visiting Kellogg, I certainly had a better connection with the people there and felt great about the program. Secondly, this rejection really put me back into perspective in the whole admission process, which is really a black box. After Kellogg admit and MIT interview invite, I was feeling a little too good about myself and start imagining getting into lots of schools, which is a dangerous thing. While I still maintain high confidence in my ability to succeed, but I want to remain humble and grounded, and most importantly, do a great job for R2 and the interviews to come. The rejection helped that.

So to my fellow readers, best of luck with all your applications, and truly remember this, there is no rejection that can put you down, unless you give up on yourself already. So get up where you fell and charge forward!