Dianne Witmeyer - Bocconi Masters in International Management '2022

How Did It Feel to Be Accepted to A School Which Was Not My First Choice? My preparation and research have led me to believe that Business Schools can be classified as the following: The ones you want. The ones you like. The ones you keep for safety. Sometimes it happens that a school corresponds to all three categories at once. However, other times, you might apply to schools all corresponding to a different category. Latter was the case for me. I shortlisted my schools on the rankings and my desire to explore new cultures. I applied to St Gallen and London Business School and got rejected from both. I did get accepted to Bocconi, which was my third choice. My safety options were Rotterdam School of business and ESSEC Business School. Bocconi was my third choice because I attended a full-year exchange during my Bachelor's. I liked my time at Bocconi, and I knew that I would feel good in tune with the school’s values and way of functioning. Therefore, I was pleased to receive a positive answer despite it not being my first choice. I recommend you shortlist schools that you already know to a certain extent and keep some schools as safety options. A safety option does not mean that they are easy to enter, or wit is easy to apply to these schools. Any acceptance means that your profile matches theirs and that you will have a great time all along with your program. Remember that if a school does not accept you after you did your best for your application, it might only mean that there was a misalignment between your profile and their expectations. Although the COVID-19 has made it harder to enter schools, it has also created opportunities for each of us. If you have taken this time to prepare for a business school's application, do not feel discouraged and apply, despite your apprehensions. You might be surprised by the outcome." - Diane Witmeyer