Walter: Looking Ahead to Round 2

October 30, 2013 :: Admissionado Team

So, I am looking for my next stop now. As the HBS ship sails away, I eagerly wait for the call from the ride that I’m destined for. No doubt, my entire application and my life evolved since last year, leading to a much better application this year. Hence, it was a bit disheartening in the process to get out in the HBS Class of 2016 race.

HBS must have received a tough(er) pool of candidates this year, leading to a much difficult decision for admissions folks to give me a call. However, without further analyzing things that are beyond my control, now I am forming my back-up strategy moving forward.

By mid-November, I will come to know about interview decisions of the schools I have applied to. These results will determine my Round 2 strategy and school selection. From my research and talking to current students/alums at Berkeley Haas and Duke Fuqua, I see them as strong contenders to be on my list. It’s so surprising to see Haas has a mandatory requirement for TOEFL. I believe this is the only school that has such a mandate. Although TOEFL may not involve as much as efforts as GMAT did, going through the process of scheduling and thinking over the exam to understand its pattern will consume some time. I plan to devote the starting last two weeks of November for TOEFL just in case my other schools don’t work out.

The common thread I’ll prefer across the schools will be the close-knit community experiences. I believe it strongly affects the learning experience by letting students to engage in a collaborative environment. That’s why Tuck is also one of my top choices.

Guys, I need your best wishes more than any time before so that my luck supports me. I have put my best efforts so far, and I’m still forging ahead, hoping for the best.

Walter’s been chronicling his HBS application experience from the beginning. Follow the entire process right here.