Getting the Good News About B-School

Why the B-schools admissions process is so nerve-wracking—and why I nearly swallowed the phone when Kellogg called to say "Yes"

By Brandon Cornuke

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Brandon Cornuke
Northwestern (Kellogg)
MBA Class of 2010

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Sequestered with one of my clients, painstakingly reviewing hundreds of system requirements, an unfamiliar ring tone broke the silence. It sounded like it was coming from my phone so I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Sure enough, it was playing the rarely used "Unknown ID" tune.

My brain went blank, like a computer screen that momentarily loses power. According to MBA applicant lore, Kellogg —one of three schools to which I've applied—calls from a blocked number. I excused myself, slipped into the hall, flipped the phone open, and jogged briskly into an unoccupied conference room. Trying to channel every cool gene in my body, I answered: "Hello, this is Brandon."

"Hello," said the female voice, "I'm calling from the Kellogg School of Management. Is now a good time?"

My brain went blank again, this time evidently rebooting on autopilot. I vaguely recall answering with a blend of "YES!" and "uh-huh." To the poor person on the other end, it probably sounded as if I'd just swallowed my phone.

"I have some very good news for you," I heard. "I'm calling to let you know that you've been admitted to Kellogg."

Everyone knows the cliché about glimpsing your entire life just before you die. I guess the same phenomenon occurs when a defining moment in one's life arrives without warning. Instead of seeing my whole life, however, I saw all the effort it took to get to this point and all the dreams that had suddenly become possible.

Pure Elation

Amid these thoughts, I began to absorb what the voice in my ear was saying. She was talking about an upcoming admitted-students' weekend, the various clubs and current students that would be contacting me, and the information that they would send in the mail. She also gave me her e-mail address and direct phone number and encouraged me to call with any questions. By then I'd collected myself enough to say what an honor it was to be selected for their program and how ecstatic I was to have this amazing opportunity. It was all I could do to keep from saying "thank you, thank you, thank you."

I took a deep breath and kept it to a single, "Thank you so much." She congratulated me again, we exchanged good byes, and she hung up.

As the gravity of what had happened in the last five minutes started to sink in, I felt joy and relief mixed with what I can only describe as pure elation. It was a powerful moment—one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

To the casual observer, my reaction might seem overly intense, even a bit melodramatic. Trust me, I'm not alone. If you don't know a current applicant, just scan BusinessWeek.com's MBA Forums. You'll see dozens of message boards flooded with similarly anxious MBA candidates. As we wait for committees to admit, deny, or wait-list us, we constantly monitor our e-mail, carefully pick through our spam filters, search the Internet for admissions news, and keep our cell phones as close and as loud as possible.

But why attach so much importance to an admissions process? Can't you just fire off an application, hope for the best, and get on with your life? For several reasons, that's more difficult that it sounds.

In my case, I'd so committed to the application process that I had no mental escape clause. While a few application essays asked me to muse about what I might do were I to forgo business school, those were purely hypothetical exercises. I had resolved to get my MBA; I didn't want to divide my energy by building a backup plan.

Keeping Obsession at Bay

Even if you prepare alternatives, for the serious applicant, the admissions process is hard work. At first, you're studying for the GMAT, reading about programs, scanning rankings, and talking to alumni, current students, and other applicants. Depending on where you live or how in-depth your search has become, you may also be traveling across the country visiting schools.