Didn’t Get Into Your Dream Business School? What to Do Next

There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when — after all the blood, sweat and tears you put into your application — you click on your decision letter only to read, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Put simply, it’s pretty awful.

When I got my first rejection letter, I had just arrived at Penn Station in New York City on a business trip. I reloaded the letter a couple of times on my computer, just to make sure, and then I walked to Sephora and bought myself some way-too-expensive nail polish. Then I called my mom. Ultimately, things worked out for me, but none of that mattered at the moment.

Unfortunately, given how tough the competition is, it’s possible that you won’t get into your dream business school. After you get the news, however, the fact that you didn’t get in becomes way less important than what you do about it. Read more...