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MBA – Applications – Overview

Before you begin applying to an MBA program, ask yourself whether or not you are ready to apply. Admissions committees typically like to see a few years of work experience prior to filing your application, so if you are fresh out of college, you might want to consider putting off your application for a few years until you have some experience under your belt. Next, consider which schools you should be applying to. Take a look at Where to Apply.

The length of the MBA application process varies for every individual. It is preferable to begin this process early. This enables you to have enough time to make each element of your application the very best it can be. The range of time spent on the entire application process spans anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. The entire application should aid the admissions officer in developing a clear vision of you, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, where you have been and are going, and the difficulties you have overcome.

We recommend the following basic method of completing the application process:

1. Prepare for the GMAT / TOEFL (for non-native English speakers) exam(s)
2. Take the GMAT / TOEFL (for non-native English speakers) exam(s)
3. Gather applications
4. Determine which schools to apply to. Research, visit, talk to students, alumni, admissions etc.
5. Update and polish your resume
6. Solicit recommendations
7. Write essays for those schools
8. Complete other application items-personal information, resume, short answer questions etc.
9. Proofread and edit application with a high degree of attention to detail
10. Send in applications on time

Essays are probably your greatest opportunity to stand out among candidates being seriously considered for admission to top business schools (those with sufficiently high GMAT scores). Take this portion of the GMAT seriously. Think long and hard about how you want admissions boards to see you, and then think about how to best convey that image.

Since job experience is an important consideration for admissions committees, you should give yourself at least a couple of years of business-world experience before applying. In your essay, be sure to carefully portray your job experience in a unique and exciting light. A very small percentage of top B-school classes are comprised of students with two years or less experience. A surprisingly high percentage of top B-school classes are made up of those coming from non-conventional backgrounds. Even if you do have conventional experience (e.g., consulting or finance,) play up aspects of your job experience that are unique - highlight job experiences that surpass the work a consultant or investment banker does in the first five years on the job.

Your undergraduate GPA plays a surprisingly small role in your admission to B-school. Of course, graduating magna cum laude from Harvard would be helpful, but even if your undergraduate career was not stellar, you can still gain admittance to a top business school. Use your essays to show why you will excel at business school, and display your aptitude by scoring high on the GMAT.

The last pieces of the admission puzzle are recommendations and interviews. These provide the same sort of opportunity that the essay does. They help to provide a subjective picture of who you are. If you excel at face-to-face conversations, or are able to produce well written and convincing recommendations from qualified individuals, either one could set you apart from the pool of candidates who you are competing against for admission.

Our Admissions Consulting staff members are all recent graduates of top Ivy League schools and committed to getting you into the schools of your choice.