sharktank23 wrote:
I got a rejection from one of my safe schools. I do not want to mention the name of the school for privacy concerns.
But I appealed the decision since it seemed to me that there were discrepancies in the interview process. One of my interviewers did not arrive on the day of the interview, and there was no prior notification for this. The replacement interviewer seemed to be unprepared, and she did not know much about my background as well.
At the end of the interview, one of the interviewers let me know that they would make a recommendation and I should get a decision within 2-5 days. But surprisingly 2 days later I got a rejection letter. In the rejection letter, it was written that if I have any questions regarding the decision, I can contact them. So I reached out to them and some of the staff let me know there was nothing wrong with my application but I am not a right fit for them (I guess it was because one of my extracurricular activities/future career goals).
However, after some time of getting the rejection letter, I got a second interview invitation/calender schedule. And upon review of it, it is apparent that there were discrepancies regarding the interview process. Since the event was updated on the same date and time, only the replacement interviewer is listed as optional now, and the one who did not arrive still remains the primary interviewer.
In my appeal, I mentioned the misinformation, unprofessionalism, and potential misconduct. I asked them to provide transparency and accountability, and to upheld the integrity and fairness of the admission system.
My appeal was filed with enough evidence, and there were misinformation in their defence/statements about the interviewer change. They are attributing the second invitation which came after the rejection email to technical errors. But I already disproved them by submitting the screenshots and .ics invitation file that came with those invitations.
What to expect in such situations?
sharktank23 It's unfortunate what you had to go through. But if the staff has reckoned that you are not the right fit, there is little you might be able to do about it. The fit aspect either comes down to very specific criteria that some self-selecting schools put upfront (usually some Ivy League B-school programs) or that the school thinks your post-MBA plans or your age/experience are not aligned with what the school might be able to help you achieve post MBA (even though they liked you enough to invite you for an interview).
The bigger question here is whether you are still willing to stay in the process even when you are not stoked with how they handled the situation. If you are, you can continue to pursue them politely and they might even change their mind. I have seen similar things happen with the school you have listed in your bio (not sure if its the case in point), so just saying there may still be hope.
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Aanchal Sahni (INSEAD MBA alum, former INSEAD MBA admissions interviewer)Founder, MBAGuideConsulting
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