The Challenge
Charles was a re-applicant who had indicated that he wanted to go into private equity after graduating. Our main hurdle was to show significant improvement since his last application, and also, to decide whether or not we needed to rethink the post-MBA goals he had communicated.
Possible Approaches
Since Charles wanted to re-apply to a few schools he had been waitlisted by, we knew we had to decide on a long-term trajectory that would resonate more with these schools. On one hand, sticking with wanting to go into private equity seemed iffy, simply because it’s such a competitive industry. On the other hand, changing it up altogether would be a sign that he wasn’t sure about his goals in the first place. We basically had two choices when it came to (re)positioning him:
- Change the goal he had previously communicated and say that he wanted to work in corporate development instead of private equity. If we chose to do this, we would have to explain the change of heart.
- Keep the private equity goal, but spin it a little differently.
The Admissionado Approach
We chose to run with the private equity approach because we felt maintaining consistency was vital for the success of Charles’s second application. To add a different spin to this approach, and reassure the adcoms that this was an achievable career pathway for Charles, we decided to really hone in on his prior experience in the transportation industry (especially with automated cars) and present a clear plan as to how he would help transform it.
Beyond that, we worked with Charles to help emphasize the promotion he had received since his previous application, not to mention, the significant leadership experience that came with it.
The Result
He received an offer from Columbia Business School, where he had been waitlisted the previous year.
Personal Shoutout
Charlie was an AMAZING client. He was great at sticking to the timelines we set and was able to complete four applications in less than a month. Every edit we received from him was significantly better than the previous one!