There’s little doubt that MBA admission to the top MBA programs is seriously competitive. The large volume of applications the most competitive MBA programs receive means many candidates who have high hopes ended up receiving a soul-crushing MBA rejection letter.

You need to understand that a ‘ding’—industry jargon for getting a rejection letter—is not a verdict on your worth. The MBA admissions process is influenced by complex factors outside of your candidacy—the overall applicant pool, the timing of your application, and sometimes luck. 

You may be unsure how business schools view reapplicants and how to improve your MBA application the second time around. You should know that schools definitely welcome reapplicants—you don’t get penalized for being a reapplicant and you can get admitted. 

However, simply resubmitting your old application and hoping for a different outcome is not a great strategy. So how do you reapply and increase your MBA admissions odds?

For this article that appeared on BusinessBecause, I interviewed the heads of admissions at MIT Sloan, Yale SOM, Duke Fuqua, and UCLA Anderson. I paired their advice with my own insights from years of experience working as Dean of MBA Admissions and the head of an MBA admissions committee.

Read the MBA admissions directors advice in the original article.

Is this helpful? What else would you like to know as you work on your MBA application? Get in touch and let me know. I respond to all emails personally and promptly. And if you need me to be your second set of eyes, I have made appointments available every day this week.