HBS DING LETTER TO BITTER-END WAITLISTERS, FYI,

WELL, ACTUALLY, ONE MORE DING LETTER TO GO AT THIS POINT. SO KEEP WALKING AROUND WHILE THE MUSIC PLAYS IF YOU ARE STILL ON WL.

MY GUESS IS, THEY WILL KEEP 20-30 KIDS ON SUMMER WAITLIST, AS PER LAST YEAR, AND DING THE REST TODAY.

THEY ACTUALLY GAVE OUT MORE DATA LAST YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

——————————————————————————

May 29, 2009 [GOOD ONE]
Dear ————-:
Later on today, you will be receiving official notification of your release from our waitlist. While this outcome is likely not what you had been hoping for, we want to thank you for being on our waitlist this year, and for the patience you have shown during your time with us. Any candidate on the waitlist this far into the season was definitely qualified to be admitted. However, in managing the composition of the class, along with the reality of how many people we could reasonably expect to admit from the waitlist going forward, we found it necessary to make a number of release decisions to enable candidates to have closure to the year sooner rather than later.
We know that being on the waitlist was certainly difficult. The anxiety you experienced with the uncertainty in timing is something that we fully acknowledge. We hope our monthly updates and desire to be transparent in our process was somewhat helpful in mitigating this anxiety. Regardless, while this is probably not much comfort right now, we hope you know that every candidate on our waitlist was important to us, and your cooperation with our process was truly appreciated. The level of competition in admission to our program this year was extremely high, and the fact that we placed you on the waitlist was a strong signal of our interest in you.
It has been a pleasure getting to know you, —————, and we wish you the best in the coming year. Thank you for your interest in Harvard Business School.
Sincerely,
Eileen Chang & Dana Scalisi
MBA Admissions
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field Road
Dillon House
Boston, MA 02163

 

for all you HBS Waitlisters: this is what Death Notice looks like. Notice 1. no date, 2. two gals sign this one, sorta like have clergyman accompany messanger w. really bad news. If you recall that scene  in Saving Private Ryan.   

Dear Dinged Person :

By now you should have received, and probably viewed, our final decision on your application. While the outcome was likely not what you had been hoping for, we did want to take a moment and thank you for applying to our program and for the patience you have shown during your time on the waitlist.

We have tried our best to be as transparent as possible throughout the process; however, we also acknowledge that the uncertainty inherent in being on the waitlist is never easy, no matter how much information we provide. Your cooperation has been much appreciated.

It has been a pleasure getting to know you, Dinged Person , and we wish you the best in the coming year. Thank you for your interest in Harvard Business School.

Sincerely,

Eileen Chang & Dana Scalisi
MBA Admissions
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field Road
Dillon House
Boston, MA 02163

FYI, LAST YEAR’S JUNE WAITLIST LETTER AND BELOW IT THIS YEAR’S LATE MAY LETTER–IS A LETTER LIKE THIS TO FOLLOW??? WE DUNNO, BUT IT MAKES SENSE, THAT THIS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER THE POLL.

LAST YEAR, LAST YEAR, LAST YEAR SENT ON JUNE 3RD, 2008 –DUNNO IF THEY WILL FOLLOW SUIT THIS YEAR, E.G. RELEASE ALL EXCEPT 30 KIDS.

Hello Everyone:

[JUNE 3RD, 2008]

It’s Eileen Chang from HBS with a wait list update for June.

Some of you may already be aware that at the end of May, we released the majority of wait list candidates from rounds 1 and 2. There are less than 30 of you remaining, including round 3 candidates, which we are keeping on hold in case a spot opens up in the class between now and the beginning of July.

At this point, the Class of 2010 is currently full. If someone cancels between now and the beginning of July, we will admit someone from the wait list and notify that person immediately. As has always been the case, the wait list is not ranked–if a cancellation occurs, we will review the application of each person on the wait list and select accordingly.

The most natural question you are wondering is: What is the likelihood of being admitted at this time? It is difficult to say. There is no consistency year to year as to the numbers of students who cancel during the summer months–sometimes none, other times a few. While it is difficult to predict, it does indeed happen, which is why maintaining the wait list over the summer is important. We anticipate the second week of July as being the time when we finally close the class. Any cancellations after this point are unlikely to happen, but until then, it is reasonable to expect that cancellations may occur.

After this email, I will no longer be sending monthly email updates. If there is any change to your status, we will contact you directly. You may also continue to email me your individual inquiries and I will be happy to respond.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and cooperation with our process. We truly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Eileen Chang
MBA Admissions
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field Road
Dillon House
Boston, MA 02163

SEE NEXT POST FOR TODAY’S WAITLIST LETTER

Dear WAITLIST SUCKER:

It’s Eileen Chang from MBA Admissions. Thank you for your cooperation on the waitlist these past few months.I am writing to see if you are interested in remaining on the waitlist into the summer months. This would mean you would be willing and able to matriculate at HBS in case a spot becomes available over the next couple of months. In the last few years, we have always admitted some candidates from the summer waitlist, so this is meaningful commitment. We anticipate the class will be finalized by mid-July.

If you wouldn’t mind responding to this poll  and letting us know your preference before the end of the day tomorrow, Wednesday, May 26, we would appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Eileen Chang
MBA Admissions
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field Road
Dillon House
Boston, MA 02163

Streesed Stanford Waitlister takes a moment to herself and hopes her magic Mug will send a message to Derrick. 

hmmmm, number of accepts of this WL moving forward is maybe 5-10 at best. A lot depends on how round 3 dual admits work out.

May 22, 2009

Dear WaitLister:

Thank you for your consideration in remaining on the Stanford MBA Program waitlist over the past few months. You remain a compelling candidate for admission to the MBA Class of 2011. As of today, however, we cannot offer you a place in the class.

We have culled the waitlist to approximately 150 applicants, and we would like you to remain a candidate for admission. We will provide you with periodic updates. The next waitlist update will be 5 June 2009.

The waitlist continues to be unranked. If there is an opening in the Class of 2011, we will offer it to the candidate who best complements the existing class profile.

We recognize that this is frustrating for you, but we ask for your continued understanding. You do not need to reconfirm your place on the waitlist or reaffirm your interest in the MBA Program. If your plans have changed, however, and you would like your name removed from the waitlist, please email us at mba_admin@gsb.stanford.edu.

Derrick Bolton
Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions

this means that they will accept about 10 kids off WL in next week or so, and ding the rest, except for 20-25 or so who will be placed on Summer WL of whom one or two will be admitted: source: guesses and last year practice.

May 22, 2009
Hello Everyone:
Just a quick update on waitlist activity…we are currently actively reviewing everyone on the waitlist and in the next week or so, plan to have finalized decisions on almost everyone.
For those not receiving a final decision before June 1, we will be asking you to stay on the waitlist through the summer in case last minute spots become available. In recent years, we have consistently admitted some candidates off of our summer waitlist, so staying with us through the summer is not insignificant.
Many of you will have closure very soon. For those whom we will ask to stay on the summer waitlist, you will hear from us sometime next week.
The patience you have all shown us has been tremendously appreciated. Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Eileen Chang
MBA Admissions
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field Road
Dillon House
Boston, MA 02163

 

STANFORD DATES –ROUND ONE BEFORE XMAS, JUST LIKE HBS.

ROUND ONE:

HBS: DUE OCT 1 /STANFORD DUE OCT 7

HBS: DECISION DEC 15TH/STANFORD DEC. 16TH

WHICH MEANS FOR ROUND ONE: ALL THE HBS/STAN KIDS DO THE STAN APP. IN THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER.

DETAILS BELOW.

http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/application_deadlines.html

Application Deadlines for Class of 2012

It is important that you apply only when you feel your application is as strong as it can be.

While we admit outstanding individuals in all three rounds, there are some advantages to applying in either the first or second round:

• • Early notification
  • The opportunity to meet other admitted candidates during Admit Weekend
  • Guaranteed one year of on-campus housing
  • The opportunity to register early for the Schwab Residential Center, which is in high demand.
  • For international students, to have additional time to navigate the often time-consuming visa process.
  • If needed, the ability to complete preliminary quantitative and/or language coursework prior to arrival on campus.
  • If you are considering applying in either Round 1 or Round 2, we encourage you to consider Round 1. Over the past few years, we’ve noticed more applicants applying in Round 2 and, as a result, this round has become bigger and a bit more competitive. You should never rush your application. But on the margin, earlier is better.

NEW STANFORD ESSAYS–KEY ESSAYS ONE AND TWO SAME AS THEY EVER WERE (SORTA AND SAME AS LAST YEAR). B.S. SHORTER ESSAYS, CHOSE TWO OF FOUR, ARE DIFFERENT (WELL 3 OF THEM ARE) BUT IT’S ALL THE SAME BUILD A TEAM, LEAD, DIFFICULT DECISION, VISION BLAH BLAH –YOU COULD QUITE EASILY RETROFIT ANY OF LAST YEAR’S ANSWERS HERE.  WORD COUNT IS 1800, AMAZINGLY SAME AS HBS, MAYBE S TRYING TO GAIN YIELD OVER HBS BY NOT TAXING APPLICANTS, I AM SURE THE STANFORD JIHADISTS WILL CHIME IN. OPPS, TWITTER ALERT, THEY JUST POSTED DATES. 

http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/essays.html

We read your essays to get to know you as a person and to learn about the ideas and interests that motivate you.

In other parts of the application, we learn about your academic and professional accomplishments (i.e., what you have done). Through your personal essays (Essays 1 and 2), we learn more about the person behind the achievements (i.e., who you are).

Because we want to discover who you are, resist the urge to “package” yourself in order to come across in a way you think Stanford wants. Such attempts simply blur our understanding of who you are and what you can accomplish.

We want to hear your genuine voice throughout the essays that you write and this is the time to think carefully about your values, your passions, your hopes and dreams.

In your short answer responses (Essay 3, options A, B, C, or D), we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations.

Truly, the most impressive essays are those that do not begin with the goal of impressing us.

Essay Questions for Class of 2012
(entering Fall 2010)

• Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?
• Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?
• Essay 3: Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.
  • Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
  • Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
  • Option C: Tell us about a time when you motivated others to support your vision or initiative.
  • Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

Essay Length

Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,800 words. Each of you has your own story to tell, so please allocate the 1,800 words among all of the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or as little as you like on any essay question, as long as you do not exceed 1,800 words total.

• Essay 1: 750 words
• Essay 2: 450 words
• Essay 2: 300 words each

Formatting

• Use a 12-point font, double spaced
• Indicate which essay question you are answering at the beginning of each essay
• Number all pages
• Upload all four essays as one document
• Preview the uploaded document to ensure that the formatting is true to the original
• Save a copy of your essays

Editing Your Essays [we giggle, but what about growing and changing your voice and gaining insight as part of the application process]
Begin work on these essays early, and feel free to ask your friends and family members to provide constructive feedback. When you ask for feedback, ask if the essay’s tone sounds like your voice. It should. Your family and friends know you better than anyone else. If they do not believe that your essays capture who you are, how you live, what you believe, and what you aspire to do, then surely the Committee on Admissions will be unable to recognize what is most distinctive about you.

There is, however, a big difference between “feedback” and “coaching.” There are few hard and fast rules, but you cross a line when a piece of the application ceases to be exclusively yours in either thought or word (excluding the letter of reference, which should be exclusively the recommender’s in thought and word).

Appropriate feedback occurs when you show someone your completed application, perhaps one or two times, and are apprised of errors or omissions. In contrast, inappropriate coaching occurs when either your essays or your entire self-presentation is colored by someone else. You best serve your own interests when your personal thoughts, individual voice, and unique style remain intact at the end of your editing process.

It is a violation of the spirit of the Fundamental Standard and Honor Code to have someone else write any part of your Stanford MBA Program application. Such an act will result in denial or your application or withdrawal of your offer of admission.

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oh boy, as we have noted many times, doing a joint-degree is a real stupid idea, and the declines in suckers who are willing to undergo this nonesense seem to bear this out:

A Shorter Path to a J.D./M.B.A.

by: Diana Middleton, Wall Street Journal | May 20, 2009

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