<p>Bouncing Back from Rejection By Alina Dizik
Mon Mar 10, 8:08 AM ET</p>
<p>After Conor Collins returned to the U.S. last year from Italy, where he owned an English-language school and played semiprofessional soccer, he was eager to start the next phase of his life -- business school. He applied to Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, Virginia, and the University of Texas at Austin, but the acceptance letter never came.</p>
<p>It was a reality check for Collins, who was wait-listed at Texas and rejected by the other four schools. "I didn't think that after applying to five schools that I would not get into any of them," says Collins. He says it took him about three weeks to realize he shouldn't "wallow in self-pity" and should get more info on reapplying. He's enrolled in a Princeton Review course to pump up his GMAT from a 660 to "anything above 700" and is brainstorming about ways he can use his essays to "sell himself better." He even posted a business school forum thread -- anonymously -- titled "B-Schools Show Me No Love" as a way to seek honest feedback from his peers.</p>
<p>Collins' case isn't unusual. The acceptance rate at the top 10 business schools hovers around 18%, which means approximately five of six applicants to the top programs get rejected. (Chicago doesn't disclose its acceptance rate). And while for most applicants an acceptance from any of their school choices is enough to soften the blow, there are some who are rejected across the board. For them it's time for reassessment -- both emotionally and logistically.</p>
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