MBA application process is not just about essays, scores, and interviews. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. For me, it was months of hard work punctuated by rejection, self-doubt, and eventually, breakthrough moments that made it all worth it.
I started casting my net wide: ISB, NUS, Esade, FSFM, Simon, Smeal, Imperial, Warwick, Schulich, even BITS. Each school required hours of research, carefully crafted essays, recommendation letters, and then the wait. If you’ve been through it, you know the waiting is sometimes the hardest part — the endless refreshing of email inboxes, the late-night thoughts of “what if I don’t make it anywhere?”
And the rejections did come. ISB, NTU, NUS — all rejections after interviews. To make it worse, some of those rejections came after I thought the interviews had gone well. It was crushing. I started questioning everything: my profile, my story, even whether I belonged in a global MBA classroom.
But somewhere inside, I knew I had to keep going. Applications are like planting seeds. Some never sprout, but you never know which ones will grow if you stop trying.
The first big breakthrough came with Schulich. Not only did I get in, but I also received a scholarship. That single “yes” after so many “no’s” felt like the universe reminding me that perseverance matters. It gave me the courage to keep waiting on other schools.
Then came the moment that changed everything. IE offered me admission — with a scholarship. Esade soon followed with interview calls. After months of rejection, it felt surreal to finally have options, to finally see doors opening instead of closing.
Here’s what this journey taught me: rejection is not failure. It’s just feedback that the path you’re trying may not be your path. When one door closes, another eventually opens. But the catch is, you have to stay in the game long enough to reach it.
So if you’re in the middle of your MBA journey right now, staring at a rejection email or doubting whether it’s worth it, trust me — it is. Hard work and consistency always stack the odds in your favor. And sometimes, luck comes into play too. But luck only finds you if you’ve already done the work.
Today, I’m proud to say I’ll be joining IE Business School. The road wasn’t smooth, but maybe that’s what makes the destination sweeter.
