Now What? Do This After Submitting Your MBA Application
You hit submit. The application is in. And now? The waiting begins—along with that familiar knot of anxiety wondering if you should email admissions about your promotion, your new project, or literally anything that feels like an “update.”
So what do you do after submitting your MBA application? The hard part: waiting. Those weeks between hitting “submit” and hearing about interviews can feel endless. That anxious feeling in your stomach? Totally normal. Every single applicant goes through it. The trick is figuring out how to stay productive (and sane) while respecting the admissions process.
The Golden Rule: Don’t Contact Admissions
Here’s the most important thing to remember: don’t email the admissions office with updates unless something truly significant has changed. Deadlines exist for a reason. Top MBA programs get thousands of applications every cycle. If each applicant kept sending follow-up emails about promotions, new projects, or minor updates, the admissions team would never actually have time to review applications.
Let them do their job. The best thing you can do right now is sit tight.
“But What If I Have News?”
We get it. You’re thinking:
“I just got promoted unexpectedly.”
“I brought in $2 million of new business singlehandedly.”
“My job situation changed right after the deadline.”
At SBC, we’ve heard every scenario imaginable. But here’s the thing—it’s extremely rare for something that happens after the deadline to actually change an admissions committee’s decision. They’re evaluating you based on years of academic performance, professional growth, leadership, and personal qualities. One more accomplishment, even an impressive one, probably won’t shift their overall assessment of your candidacy.
Your best move? Save significant updates for your interview. If you get invited, you’ll have a perfect opening to bring up what’s new. That timing works way better than an unsolicited email that might just annoy the admissions team.
What to Do Instead: Productive Waiting Strategies
1. Reclaim Your Personal Life
Application season probably ate up a ton of your time and energy. Use this waiting period to reconnect with everything you put on hold. See friends you haven’t caught up with in months. Get back to hobbies you abandoned. This isn’t just about reducing stress—it’s about remembering why balance matters in the first place. That’s a lesson that’ll serve you well during your MBA and long after.
2. Prepare for Interviews
Put that nervous energy to good use. Start reviewing common MBA interview questions and practice your story. Why do you want an MBA? How does each program fit your goals? These seem basic, but they’re harder to articulate well than you’d think. Practice with a friend, mentor, or professional consultant if you want structured feedback. The more prepared you are, the less anxious you’ll feel when those invitations start coming in.
Stacy Blackman Consulting offers comprehensive interview preparation services, from our All-In package to specialized coaching for group interviews and video essays. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you shine during your interview.
3. Engage Meaningfully with Your Target Schools
Keep learning about your target programs, but do it without bothering admissions. Attend virtual events the schools are hosting. Connect with alumni on LinkedIn or set up informal coffee chats. Read student blogs to get real perspectives on what daily life is actually like. These activities show genuine interest, give you valuable insights, and can definitely inform how you answer interview questions later.
4. Expand Your Business Knowledge
Now’s a good time to become a more informed candidate. Read recent industry publications, pick up some business books, check out leadership articles. Stay current on trends in your intended career path. This kind of knowledge makes you a better conversationalist in interviews and shows that quality MBA programs really value—intellectual curiosity.
5. Plan Proactively for the Future
Think about the practical stuff. If you’ll need to relocate, start researching neighborhoods and housing markets. Take a hard look at your finances and explore funding options. Identify any skill gaps you could work on before school starts—maybe you need to brush up on quant skills or get better at presentations. Being proactive now means less stress later and sets you up for success from day one.
6. Prioritize Your Wellbeing
Don’t let the stress wreck your health. Keep up with exercise, try meditation or mindfulness if that’s your thing, get decent sleep, and stick to wellness routines that help you stay grounded. A healthy body and mind make it way easier to manage anxiety productively. Plus, you’ll show up as your best self when it’s time for interviews.
Trust the Process
Admissions committees know what they’re doing. These are experienced professionals who’ve spent years building diverse, talented cohorts. They’ve refined their processes and they understand how to spot candidates who’ll thrive in their programs. Trust their expertise. Take pride in knowing that you put together the strongest application you could. Remind yourself that obsessing over the outcome isn’t going to change anything.
Patience is underrated, especially in the business school world and beyond. This waiting period? It’s your first real chance to practice it. Instead of second-guessing every word in your essays or refreshing your email every five minutes, focus on things that actually add value to your life. Stay positive, stay busy with meaningful activities, and remember—stressing out won’t make the timeline go any faster.
Key Takeaways
Do not contact admissions with minor updates. Deadlines exist for a reason, and unnecessary emails just overwhelm the admissions team.
Save updates for your interview. Big post-deadline developments can come up naturally during interview conversations.
Prepare strategically. Use this time to sharpen your interview skills, learn more about programs, and expand your business knowledge.
Prioritize wellbeing. Keep up with physical and mental health so you can manage stress well and show up strong for interviews.
Redirect your energy productively. Obsessing over outcomes won’t change them, but investing in your growth and preparation will help you no matter what happens.
Ready to make the most of your waiting period? Stacy Blackman Consulting specializes in interview preparation to help you feel confident and prepared when invitations arrive. From mock interviews to personalized coaching for group and video formats, we’ll ensure you’re ready to shine. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to discuss your interview strategy with a Principal SBC consultant
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford.  Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year.  Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
Dana
Dana served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School for the Full-Time MBA program and has over 10 years of experience working in higher education. Known as a scrupulous file reader, Dana reviewed countless applications and assisted in rendering final decisions for the Admissions Committee at CBS. While leading information sessions at Columbia and on the road, Dana met and advised myriad applicants� ...
×Holly
Holly worked as a member of the NYU Stern MBA Admissions team for seven years and holds an MBA from NYU Stern. In her tenure as Director of NYU MBA Admissions, Holly worked closely with admissions teams from Columbia, Michigan Ross, UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, and Duke Fuqua on recruiting events domestically and internationally. On the NYU Stern admissions committee, Holly conducted interviews, planned and hosted events, and trained staff on reading and interviewi ...
×Mark
Mark has been working in global higher education for nearly ten years, focusing on MBA Admissions at European programs including Oxford Said Business School and London Business School (LBS). At the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, Mark was the Associate Director of MBA Recruitment, leading the recruitment of all applicants to the Oxford MBA and 1+1 MBA programs. In this role, Mark advised countless MBA applic ...
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