Waitlisted MBA Applicants are Still in the Game
Now that Round 2 applicants have heard from the programs they applied to, it’s time to talk about what it means if you get waitlisted. If that happens, your first question might be, “Well, now what?” While few candidates celebrate landing on the waitlist, don’t give up hope. First of all, waitlist status by your target school is a good sign. You’re someone they would like to have in the class, but something is holding up a final decision.
Remember: you weren’t rejected. You’re still in the running, and that means your file has real strengths—your candidacy is “admit-adjacent.”
Perhaps your profile is near-identical to someone who they did admit. In this case, the admissions team wants to balance the class carefully and needs to see other candidates in subsequent rounds. Or, your application might have a weakness that’s giving the admissions committee pause. If the latter is correct, there may be steps you can take to increase your chances of admission.
“While it’s tough to cope with the uncertainty, I would advocate for a reframe and instead see this as a positive,” writes Max Bracey (MBA ’26) on the UCLA Anderson MBA Insider blog.
“There are a lot of applicants who didn’t make it to this point and there’s still hope. I was in the exact same position this time last year and it did eventually work out so I am here to reassure you to stay the course!”
Did you know that SBC offers hourly services that include help for waitlisted and dinged applications? Engage with us for waitlist strategy and communications or a ding analysis here.
Should I Stay on the Waitlist?
Ultimately, deciding to stay on the waitlist depends on your interest level in that particular MBA program. If it’s your top choice, you may want to remain on the list until school begins. That could mean moving quickly and giving up a deposit on a school that has offered you firm admission.
However, consider what’s realistic for you regarding logistics—housing, visa timelines, and employer notice—if an offer comes late in the summer.
If the program is not your first choice, or you would like to settle your MBA plans before school starts, you may choose to remove your name from the list. If that’s the case, do so promptly and give someone else a chance at their MBA dream.
Take Note of Each School’s Waitlist Policy
It is essential to follow the rules, so make sure you understand your school’s waitlist policy. Some schools ask that you refrain from submitting additional materials, but most allow and even encourage meaningful updates. Find out if your schools publish webinars advising waitlisted applicants or offer application feedback.
“Be patient, and send thoughtful updates of something truly important (e.g., move internationally or major award/achievement),” shared a former HBS Admissions Officer on the SBC team.
Bonus tip: If allowed, a short letter of continued interest reiterating why the program is your top choice—and how you’d contribute to the class—can go a long way.
Improve Your Odds While Waitlisted
The top three reasons candidates get waitlisted are unclear post-MBA goals, low test scores or GPA, and lack of quantitative preparation. Esther Magna, a principal consultant here at SBC, offers this waitlist advice.
“Applicants should do some self-reflection to discover any weakness in their application,” she says, “such as a low GMAT score or ineffective essays, that could make the admissions team hesitant to offer them a place.”
The key, she says, is to identify and take action on them. When deciding what improvements merit an update to the admissions team, Magna says, “A promotion, raise, or an award is almost always a useful piece of information to share.”
Likewise, if you’ve retaken the GMAT/GRE and improved your score, or completed a quant-heavy course like HBS CORe or Berkeley’s MicroMasters in business, that can also strengthen your case.
She also notes that sometimes, demonstrating a firm commitment to the school can help your odds. One SBC client applying to Duke’s Fuqua School of Business turned a waitlist decision into an admit by sending the admissions team a picture of his child wearing a Fuqua shirt. “Some programs are ‘suckers’ for kids,” Magna says.
What advice does former Duke AdCom/current SBC consultant Sherry have for waitlisted applicants?
@stacyblackmanconsulting #sbcyourfuture #GetOffTheWaitlist ? original sound – Stacy Blackman Consulting
What Not to Do When On the Waitlist
No matter which school’s waitlist you may land on, make sure every interaction you have with the admissions department adds value to your file. Exercise restraint in communications. But also convey your enthusiasm whenever possible, as they want to be sure you’ll say yes if admitted. An information overload will negatively impact your candidacy, so use your good judgment here.
And please—no gimmicks. Resist the urge to send cupcakes, swag, or song lyrics (yes, people really do that). Your updates should be meaningful, not cringe-worthy.
In this B-Schooled episode, host Chandler pulls together suggestions from other SBC podcasts and new insights to give you all the tools you need to survive your time on the waitlist and, hopefully, thrive. You’ll learn why candidates get waitlisted and what information AdComs are looking for if updates are allowed.
Finally, to all those waitlisted candidates out there, take heart. If you were not someone they thought could be a great addition to the class, you wouldn’t be on the waitlist. Hang on and stay strong—and positive—as you wait out this last leg of the MBA admissions process.
Remember: You’re not out. You’re in limbo, and limbo is where comebacks are born. A number of waitlisted candidates are ultimately accepted into top programs each year, so there’s reason to remain positive!
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Being waitlisted doesn’t mean your journey is over—it means your next move matters. If this MBA program is still your top choice, now’s the time to engage strategically and thoughtfully. Our experienced team can help you craft the right updates and reinforce your candidacy with intention. Contact us to develop your waitlist strategy today.
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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