Phase 2

After talking to scores of b-schoolers, I was convinced that the reason I didn't get into a school was because of a branding issue. I failed to articulate in a meaningful and passionate way what I wanted to do, why I wanted to do it and how each specific program was going to help me.

Some b-schoolers told me that my GMAT was within range so if I didn't think I could drastically improve on it, I was better off focusing on finding a school that was the right fit.  With that said, I decided to use the time off before I started my internship to research and visit some schools.  On top of that, I also started reaching out to alumni and current students to learn about the culture and how their respective school helped them reach their goals.

Quick tip, when reaching out to alumni and current students, instead of just talking to whoever at that school, you should try to talk to people in specific clubs and in your specific areas of interest.  It's a plus if they have the same background as you because in that case, you can ask them about how they positioned themselves when they applied to b-school.

In the month of August, I visited 4 campuses and talked to dozens of students.  Researching schools was no joke, but I was able to take something away from every single person I talked to and I learned a lot more about marketing positions that I didn't know existed. So I'd highly recommend to talk to as many people as you can. Be it other prospects, first years, second years or alumni, I learned so much more about what I could take away from the b-school experience.  With every new person I talked to, I got more and more excited about getting in. 

The people I enjoyed chatting with the most were seconds years that had already gone through their summer internships. Learning about their projects over the summer was awesome.  I was so excited hearing about these marketing projects that I probably sounded like a total teeny bopper on the phone.

Tell me more, tell me more!

Talking to all these different people in marketing allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the multitude of different positions available and also helped me find out the exact type of positions I wanted to take on. One thing I learned that the admissions committee likes is specific goals.  Before, my essay just stated that I wanted to go into brand management with consumer packaged goods, but after my research that clause has now changed to: I want to do brand management with consumer packaged goods and specifically, I would like to work with Disney's Marvel division and be a part of their licensing and branding team to assist in maximizing the value of each of their characters.  

For the previously mentioned role, I had no idea it existed until I talked to a UCLA Anderson student who interned at Disney this past summer.  Thank you Rachel Knight for helping me find my way and in case you were wondering, I literally looked exactly like the pic above when you were telling me about your experience at Disney.

Final note, when reaching out to people, don't be afraid to cold email and don't take it personal if people don't respond to you. Business school students are ridiculously busy so its tough for them to get back to you.  If you get a chance to talk to them though, it makes a world of a difference. The students were the reasons I narrowed my target schools down to UCLA Anderson, USC Marshall, McCombs at UT Austin and NYU Stern.