Outcomes
All is said and done and here are the results:
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Kellogg (JD/MBA)- DING
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Visited campus, spoke/met with over 10 current students and recent alums, interviewed (but so does everyone) on campus, GMAT score was within the 80% range, spoken with 3 current and former faculty
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Michigan- DING (without interview)
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Visited campus, spoke/met with over 15 current students and recent alums, GMAT was within the 80% range, spoke with 2 current faculty
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Carnegie Mellon- WL then DING (with interview)
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Visited campus, interviewed on campus, GMAT was within the 80% range, spoke/met with 6 current students and recent alums, spoke with 3 current faculty
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Washington University St. Louis- ADMIT (with full fellowship)
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Interviewed via Skype, GMAT was within the 80% range, spoke/met with 2 recent alums, spoke with 2 current faculty
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School X- ADMIT (with full fellowship)- Matriculated
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Interviewed in my home city, GMAT was within the 80% range, spoke/met with 10 current students and recent alums, spoke with 2 current faculty
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USC- WL then DING (with interview)
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Interviewed in my home city, GMAT was within the 80% range, spoke/met with 6 current students, spoke with 2 current faculty
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Wisconsin- ADMIT (with full fellowship)
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Interviewed via Skype, GMAT was within the 80% range, spoke/met with 8 current students and recent alums, spoke with 3 current faculty
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Miami- ADMIT (with partial fellowship)
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Interviewed via phone (after Skype fell through), GMAT was within the 80% range, spoke/met with 1 recent alum, spoke with 2 current faculty
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Some questions on my mind are:
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Must I accept?
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As the news rolled in early March, I wanted to say yes to every program immediately, but the key to remember is that waiting and weighing options is important! As a R2 applicant, I have until the middle of April (after their admitted students weekend) to put down a deposit or decline their offer. I MUST say that officially being admitted after this hellish process is validating! I am competent! A few programs believe I have what it takes to succeed in the world of business! Wow! I am so pumped! But just because they offered me admission first does not mean I have to jump and say yes immediately!
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How long before I need to make a decision?
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Take as much time as necessary, but don't forget the deadlines!
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How should I thank my recommenders?
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School swag with a personal touch.
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How should I thank my incredibly supportive partner who put up with my horribly stressful bs over the past 7+ months?
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Vacation!!
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Prioritize based on which program you are most on the fence about. I opted to attend the program I was most unsure about, I ended up selecting it over a higher ranked program and another program in a larger city due to the hospitality and comfort I felt with the student body and the faculty presentations.
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What types of follow up outreach should I be doing with alumni and current students?
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Send thank you notes! I made sure to send thank you notes to not only students at the school I would be matriculating, but also all of the students I had spoken to over the 4-month process. This would allow me to keep building my network, but also say thanks for their help! Even though I was not admitted, I still learned an incredible amount through the process (hence the site's content) and am truly grateful.
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