You’re about to make one of the biggest decisions of your life. It will shape your future in many ways, including where you might work, where you could live, and the people who will become a part of your journey. Choosing the right business school is a major decision that will influence your career and personal growth. But it’s also a huge opportunity to turn your vision into reality.

Here are ten tips to help you short-list your program choices through research and school visits to find the best fit.

1. Define your business school goals.

Consider where you want your MBA journey to lead. Do you want to pivot into finance or consulting? Jump straight into entrepreneurship? Become a product manager at a tech company? Many schools, including Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton, publish annual reports on their students’ recruitment and student-led start-ups.

Consult your network and start asking some key questions. What skills are recruiters in these industries looking for? What gaps do I need to fill to scale my business idea? Who would be the ideal mentor as I take over my family’s business?

Then, review schools’ curricula to find matching academic programs, leadership development resources, career assistance, and networking opportunities. You might feel overwhelmed at first, and that’s okay. The goal is to familiarize yourself with your options.

2. Be real about where you thrive.

Do you want to compete against top-tier peers in a dynamic, urban environment? If so, consider schools such as Harvard, Columbia, Wharton, Chicago Booth, London Business School (LBS), and IESE.

Want to be immersed in the start-up ecosystem and innovative culture of Silicon Valley? In that case, Stanford GSB and Berkeley Haas could be ideal. Prefer a supportive, tight-knit campus community? Look into Duke Fuqua, Dartmouth Tuck, Cornell Johnson, UVA Darden, Yale SOM, and HEC.

Think about where you have friends or family, because they can help you settle in. If you’re an international applicant, consider schools near major airport hubs for easier travel home. An MBA is a major investment, so you want to make sure you’ll be comfortable and supported wherever you choose to study.

3. Compare your stats.

Your GMAT, GRE, or EA scores and GPA should ideally be at or above the average for students at your target school. However, a strong application can still stand out, even if your test scores and GPA are slightly below the average. Exceptional work experience, leadership, and unique personal qualities can compensate for lower numbers.

4. Ask yourself whether you need an internship.

If you don’t need a summer internship to change career paths, a one-year or accelerated MBA might be the best option. This is often ideal for applicants coming from family businesses, entrepreneurs, company-sponsored candidates, and experienced professionals who can effectively network on their own.

Check out top U.S. and international one-year MBAs such as IBEAR, LBS, MIT Sloan Fellows, and Stanford MSx.

5. Consider a STEM program if you’re international.

STEM-designated MBA programs allow international students to work in the United States for up to three years after graduation without requiring employer sponsorship. This can be a significant advantage for career planning.

6. Network with the community.

Once you’ve narrowed your list to eight to ten schools, start networking. Demonstrating your understanding of your target school’s culture and network can strengthen your application.

Meet with students, alumni, and faculty for insights. Attend online events, webinars, and MBA fairs. Schools track digital engagement, which signals genuine interest.

Campus visits are also valuable. Schedule a tour of the school, meet with student ambassadors, and attend on-campus events. These experiences will provide firsthand insights into whether the school is the right fit for you.

Push yourself to strike up conversations with people hanging out in common areas or riding transportation to campus. These chance meetings can give you valuable information that can help you decide whether attending the program is a good investment in your future. 

7. Come prepared with questions for admissions officers.

Before visiting campus or participating in a virtual event, prepare thoughtful questions. Admissions officers are often busy handling inquiries from many prospective students, so be strategic. Raise your hand early in Q&A sessions to ensure that your question is heard.

If possible, thank the session leader afterward and exchange contact information for future follow-ups.

8. Polish your image and elevator pitch.

First impressions matter. Dress in business casual attire for campus visits and networking events. Practice your elevator pitch – a one-minute self-introduction covering where you’re from, what you do, and what you hope to achieve with an MBA. A well-rehearsed pitch makes a strong impression. Keep it concise and engaging, and show genuine curiosity by asking insightful questions.

9. Be respectful of others’ time.

Avoid showing up unannounced at the admissions office. Schedule any meetings in advance. Similarly, don’t frequently message students or alumni asking for application advice unless they are long-term contacts. You want to leave the people you meet with a positive impression, not a memory of persistent requests.

10. Follow up with a thank you.

After you meet with someone, send them a short thank-you email or handwritten note expressing your appreciation and continued interest in the MBA program. Schools take note of these interactions, which reinforce your genuine enthusiasm.

Finalizing Your List

Narrow your list of target programs down to four to six schools that offer a mix of selectivity:

• Reach: Where your scores and GPA are below the school’s average
• On Par: Where your scores and GPA match the school’s average
• Safety: Where your scores and GPA are above the school’s average

Finally, reflect on your recruitment research, networking experiences, and campus visits. Where did you make the strongest connections? Where did you feel the best fit? These factors – combined with your academic and career goals – will help determine the best business school for you.

Michelle Stockman is a professional journalist, former Columbia Business School admissions insider, and experienced MBA admissions consultant. Want Michelle to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• Business School Selectivity Index, a free tool
• Should I Use AI for My MBA (Grad/College) Applications?
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants

The post Ten Tips for Short-Listing and Visiting B-Schools appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

January 29, 2025, was either an exciting day or a tearful one for Harvard Business School (HBS) Round 2 (R2) applicants: the school’s MBA admissions board notified candidates as to whether they were invited to interview or had merited “early release.” As euphemistic as it sounds, meriting early release should really be viewed by R2 applicants as a kind of blessing. They now know that they and about 30,000 others are out of the running for the HBS program and are free to consider other options. So if you were among HBS’s early release candidates this year, dab your eyes with a tissue, patch up the wall you punched, and take a look at what some of those other options are.

Options for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you can still consider applying in Round 3 (R3) at a few top programs, especially if you have a unique background or profile that these schools might be seeking to round out the diversity in their classes. MIT Sloan’s R3 deadline is April 7, and the Stanford GSB’s is April 8. Some great programs have a fourth round, including Carnegie Mellon Tepper on May 5, Texas McCombs on May 15, and UNC’s Kenan-Flagler on April 29. Vanderbilt Owen even has a Round 5 deadline on May 15. 

Did you steer growth in Africa, lead a new product in Eastern Europe, or pioneer a revolutionary health program in Mongolia? These are the kinds of unique experiences and insights that many top MBA programs would love to have represented in their student body. While visa challenges tend to discourage R3 and R4 applicants who need an F-1 Visa to study in the United States, if you have U.S. residency, you might be a prime candidate for one of these later rounds. 

Moreover, if you are living in the United States, you might find one of the many top MBA programs with part-time options to be a great alternative if there are weak points in your profile. Students in Berkeley Haas’s full-time program have a median GMAT of 730 (Class of 2026), but those in its part-time program have a median GMAT of only 700 (with 80% of students falling within the 610-750 range). The average GMAT score for students in Northwestern Kellogg’s full-time program is 733 (Class of 2026), while the average GMAT for Evening and Weekend MBA program students is 694. Kellogg waives test requirements for applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.4 or higher in a business, economics, or STEM field, and for candidates who graduated from a Northwestern undergraduate program. Chicago Booth’s full-time students have a 729 average GMAT (Class of 2026), but the average for students in its part-time program is only 692. If you believe your GMAT score held you back at HBS, you might consider part-time programs, which offer the opportunity to graduate with the same degree without making another attempt – or several! – to improve your GMAT scores.

If you have more than eight years of work experience, you could consider applying to an EMBA program; most of those have rolling admissions every month. However, for this option, you must be actively employed and able to present a letter to the program from your employer stating that appropriate allowances will be made for you to attend the program as needed. Non-U.S. candidates are not eligible for EMBA programs unless they are working in the United States. You cannot get a student visa for a part-time program.

Options for Non-U.S. Citizens

If you are an international student, you are not a good R3 candidate for U.S. fall-entry MBA programs because of possible visa issues. However, there are alternatives that might put you in a business school classroom in the coming year. First, if your heart is set on building your career in the United States, then there are some program options to consider here. For example, if your goals are in finance, you might consider a Master of Financial Engineering degree from Berkeley-Haas (the R3 deadline is June 5) or an MS in finance from Georgetown (the R5 deadline is May 2, and R6’s is June 20).  Columbia offers a Master of Applied Analytics whose final deadline is June 1. 

Options Available Outside the United States

MBA aspirants who wish to pursue international careers might consider top MBA programs in Europe and Canada. Cambridge Judge has one remaining deadline for this year: May 6. And IESE has an R4 deadline of May 6. Similarly, opportunities are still available to apply for INSEAD’s August intake, for which the R2 deadline is April 22, R3’s is June 17, and R4’s is August 5.

Opportunities to Address Your Weaknesses

Finally, if your heart is still set on HBS and its full-time U.S. program peers, early release offers you time to assess your application profile and address any weaknesses over the next seven months. Many applicants find Accepted’s rejection review the perfect starting point in identifying the parts of their application and profile that would benefit from improvement. 

Have you made a noticeable impact beyond the norm in your professional role? Have you demonstrated deep community engagement? Is your GMAT/GRE score meeting (or ideally, exceeding) your target program’s average score? If not, this is a great time to take action and patch those holes.

If you would like a free profile review to identify weaknesses in your profile or shortcomings in your previous applications, register for a free consultation.

Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• Harvard Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines 
• Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One
• Rejection and Reapplication: How to Respond, podcast Episode 523

The post Rejected by Harvard Business School – Now What? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

As admissions consultants, we often hear college and graduate school applicants ask, “I’m applying to multiple schools, and each one requires essays/personal statements. Can I use the same essay for different schools?” Understandably, applicants want to maintain the quality of their essays and avoid burnout when having to write so many drafts. We can sympathize. Even better, though, we have some practical solutions for determining when and how to use an essay for more than one school. The good news is that what makes practical sense in terms of efficiency also makes sense in terms of quality – if you view the process as “adapting” rather than “reusing.” Reusing an essay more or less verbatim is very rarely advisable. On the other hand, the core content of some application essays – personal statements, in particular – includes information that is central to your candidacy and would naturally be relevant to share with multiple schools. And sometimes when you rework an essay/personal statement for additional applications, its quality improves as you reflect further and discover new subtleties.

So, if multiple schools ask similar questions, it’s logical to consider adapting some or perhaps even a significant portion of an essay you wrote for one program to fit another program’s prompt. One thing to keep in mind is that required essay lengths tend to differ from school to school, and your messaging will likely vary according to the nuances of each question. Most importantly, many application essays/personal statements demand some discussion of the specific program the candidate is applying to, so this content would certainly need to be revised for each school. 

When considering revising an existing essay for a different school, start by reading the new question out loud to make sure you clearly hear and understand exactly what the school is asking. Many times, an essay prompt will have more than one question within it, and you don’t want to overlook any of them and not deliver the information the admissions committee has requested. I also suggest highlighting key words in each school’s essay prompts and checking against them later in the review process to ensure that your essay touches on all the main points. Be guided first by the question and then, more broadly, by your understanding of the character of the school/program – and adapt your essay content accordingly.

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when attempting to adapt an essay for one school into a submission for a different school: 

1. Create a list of the essays you need to submit and the qualities you wish to highlight in each one.

When juggling multiple essays/personal statements, consider using a spreadsheet to track each question, the school asking it, and which experiences, accomplishments, and skills you can associate with each question. This will help you see where you might be able to adapt one school’s essay for a different application.

2. If you do any name-dropping, always be sure to double-check the names!

Always check very carefully (and then check again) to make sure you have the correct school and resource names in your revised essay. You don’t want, for example, to refer to the University of Michigan in an essay you’re planning to submit to the University of Chicago. Sending an essay that discusses why you want to go to UPenn to the Yale adcom won’t be good for your chances of being admitted! And believe me, it happens.

3. Never simply cut and paste an entire essay, even if two schools have very similar questions.

As I noted earlier, some schools ask similar essay questions, but no two questions will ever be exactly alike. Whenever you are writing, adapting, or editing an essay/personal statement, keep the school you are writing for front and center in your mind. Tailor each essay as much as you can to discuss and apply to each program’s unique culture, personality, and “flavor.” And when you feel you are nearly done, reread the essay prompts and go back to those highlighted words to ensure that you have truly answered every question the adcom posed.

Do you need help writing (or adapting) your application essays? Could you benefit from an expert’s assistance in identifying the strongest elements of your experience and profile? Schedule a free consultation with an Accepted admissions expert. 

As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management. Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• How an Admissions Committee Views Your MBA Work Experience
• Proving Character Traits in Your Essays
• Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose

The post Can You Use the Same Essays for Different Schools? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

In today’s world, where everything moves at lightning speed, we’re constantly making fast decisions. 

This applies to admissions committees, too. The pressure of their job forces them to make very quick decisions about whose applications they will invest more time in and whose will merit only an obligatory but cursory review before being set aside. 

Their reality is one of managing an overwhelming volume of applications with limited time for review, so when you’re applying to business school, medical school, graduate school, or college, you must capture your reader’s attention with the very first lines of your essay. Your opening sentence cannot fall flat. It needs to pull your reader immediately into your narrative. Every word counts.  

Engaging Your Readers Right From the Start

Think of your essay’s first line as the opening of a great novel. You want your reader to think, “I need to know more!” Let’s take a look at some good examples:

• Horns blare as tiny auto rickshaws and bicycle-powered school buses weave through the crowded streets of Old Delhi.
• After a near disaster on my first week as a case manager at a community center for women and children, I realized that to succeed, I’d have to suppress my anger at how poorly things were being run.
• My aunt’s cancer had spread throughout her body before anyone had diagnosed it properly – too late for treatment. That moment changed everything for me, making my interest in science personal.
• From the age of seven, while struggling with math but excelling in spelling tests and writing stories, I knew I was meant to be a writer.

Notice a trend? Three out of these four openers are personal stories. There’s no mention of GPAs or scientific breakthroughs. The first example is so vibrant and full of action that we instantly want to know who’s experiencing this scene. In each case, the reader’s curiosity is piqued, and that’s what you want. 

A strong opener will include three key elements:

1. A glimpse of your theme or story – who you are, what you’re passionate about, and the path you’re on
2. Creative details or descriptions – something that paints a picture and grabs attention
3. Energetic writing – language that makes the reader feel like they can’t stop until they’ve read the entire essay

Your opening should show a connection between where you’ve been and where you’re heading. Here are a few more examples:

• It was pitch black when we quietly climbed into the back of a truck, beginning our journey to freedom.
• Only six months after launching my start-up, I realized the money wasn’t flowing in – just out the window.
• Finding a green, scratched 1960s Cadillac in a junkyard last summer made me realize that mechanical engineering was my calling.

These lines pull you in. You can’t help but want to know the rest of the story. When done right, these kinds of personal anecdotes don’t just offer facts – they paint a picture, making your story more real and engaging.

Having read these examples, you might now have some ideas for your own essay introduction. Start by jotting down some key moments in your life that helped shape your career or academic goals. Maybe it was a job experience, a family event, or a “light bulb” moment that made you realize what you wanted to do.

For example, an electrical engineering applicant might remember the first time their home lost power and realize that that was the moment they discovered their career path. A future MBA student might recall a pivotal time when they helped a struggling person understand financial basics, which sparked their interest in nonprofit work. A law school applicant might recount witnessing a courtroom scene during an internship that inspired them to specialize in criminal law.

Once you’ve created a list of these defining moments, dig deeper. What stood out about each one? How did it make you feel? What sensory details can you include (what did you see, hear, or smell)? These tiny details will help you build a narrative that draws your reader in.

Still struggling to find that perfect hook? Our team of experts is here to help! We can guide you through crafting an essay that stands out, from brainstorming a compelling opening line to polishing the final draft. You’ve got a great story to tell. Let’s make sure the admissions committee doesn’t miss it.

Kara Keenan Sweeney has more than 15 years of experience in MBA admissions, having worked for some of the world’s top business school programs, including Columbia Business School, INSEAD, and The Lauder Institute’s joint degree MA/MBA program with The Wharton School and the MA/JD program with Penn Law at the University of Pennsylvania. Kara has guided, coached, and counseled thousands of MBA and EMBA applicants, reviewed innumerable applications, sat on admissions committees, and interviewed countless applicants, including while running Wharton’s Team Based Discussions both virtually and in person. Want Kara to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources

• The Resilience Factor: How Flaws and Failures Can Strengthen Your Application
• Three Must-Have Elements of a Good Statement of Purpose
• Proving Character Traits in Your Essays 

The post Writing an Engaging Essay Introduction appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

At its core, the MBA is a business administration graduate program for professionals seeking knowledge, skills, a credential, and a network to help them advance in their career and maximize their professional performance. Although many people automatically think of a two-year, full-time program when they hear the term “MBA,” in recent years, program options have multiplied in response to students’ and organizations’ changing needs and interests.

In this post, we offer a roundup of available MBA program options and their benefits and drawbacks.

Full-Time MBA Programs

In the United States, full-time MBA programs are two-year programs in which students complete an internship over the summer between their first and second years. These programs target business (and sometimes other) professionals who have roughly three to eight years of work experience. They are ideal for 25- to 30-year-old career changers who can afford the opportunity cost of leaving their jobs to immerse themselves in education and experience. Most students’ primary focus is obtaining a new position after graduating, and recruiting by potential employers is a significant benefit of attending a full-time MBA program. 

A business school’s reputation often relies on the brand value of its full-time MBA program. Full-time programs consume the majority of a school’s budget and rarely generate revenue. MBA programs dedicate more than 90% of their scholarships, fellowships, and other resources, such as career services, to full-time students.

Full-Time Program Pros

• Students have close and sustained interaction with other full-time students, which is ideal for career changers, internship opportunities, recruiting, company presentations, fellowships, and scholarships.
• Programs tend to feel like undergraduate programs, with comparable clubs and social activities.

Full-Time Program Cons

• Attending a full-time program comes with significant opportunity cost, including time away from industries that are undergoing rapid change.
• Families often get the short end of the stick, though schools typically have resources to support students’ spouses/significant others.

An alternative to the traditional two-year program would be a one-year or one-year plus accelerated program in the United States, such as those offered by Kellogg, Emory, and Columbia (J-Term), or a European MBA program.

Part-Time MBA Programs

Part-time programs are ideal for people who don’t want to leave their company or industry for a significant period of time or who can’t afford to stop working. Such programs target individuals who are employed full-time. These students’ sustained professional efforts shape classroom discussions and projects. Part-time MBA students tend to be a little older than full-time MBA students. While these programs traditionally serve local students, they increasingly offer varied structures and online components to attract distance students. They do not generally provide as much access to recruiters. Often, admission is less competitive than for the same school’s full-time program, which allows part-time students to obtain a “brand” they might not qualify for otherwise.

Part-time MBA programs take very few resources but often share the same faculty as a school’s full-time program. Generally, the part-time applicant pool is less competitive or diverse because schools typically receive fewer applications and are limited to their immediate region and to the industries that dominate that region. Furthermore, part-time programs can serve at least as many – and often more – students than their full-time counterparts.

As much as schools say that the quality of their full-time and part-time students is the same, that quality truly depends on the school’s location and how that location generates applications. Schools in larger cities have an easier time attracting great applicants to their part-time programs. They can maintain higher-quality standards, but full-time programs evaluate applications from around the globe, so choosing candidates for admission is easier.

Part-Time Program Pros

• Students can continue to work/earn and can apply their learnings in real time.
• Companies often fully or partially sponsor part-time students, lessening their financial burden.  

Part-Time Program Cons

• Completing the program takes longer, internships are not offered, and many schools don’t offer access to recruiting. Working and studying simultaneously can be grueling.
• Most part-time programs do not offer scholarships or fellowships to part-timers.
• Part-timers typically have less access to comprehensive career services than students in full-time programs, because companies usually hold their presentations and interviews during the day.

Executive MBA programs

Executive MBA programs (EMBAs) are part-time programs targeting seasoned managers and entrepreneurs – typically, people in their mid-30s to late 40s (depending on the program) whose rise to senior level is imminent or who are already in senior management. These programs vary in terms of desired/required length of experience. Although the coursework covers the same topics as traditional MBA programs, it’s developed and presented with a higher-level perspective. A great benefit of EMBA programs is the chance to network and form relationships with peers from various industries. Students are at a career phase when a fresh perspective is valuable but sometimes difficult to obtain. These programs don’t target career changers but are increasingly used by and open to them, even though most EMBA programs don’t offer formal recruiting.

EMBA programs are also lucrative, because the schools charge a premium for their EMBA programs, which are typically smaller than their full-time programs. EMBA courses are commonly offered every other weekend, and the programs tend to be less generous with financial aid than their full-time counterparts. 

EMBA Program Pros

• Students can immediately apply what they learn at work, gaining breadth of exposure at a pivotal professional moment, a valuable credential.
• Students tend to bond well with their cohorts and faculty members.

EMBA Program Cons

• Managing school plus a demanding career and personal/family responsibilities can be challenging. 
• Usually, no formal recruiting is available for career changers.
• Students rarely interact with either part-time or full-time students.

Online MBA Programs

Online and hybrid MBA programs have surged in popularity in an ever-evolving education landscape, particularly for individuals aged 32-37, offering flexibility and accessibility that traditional MBA programs cannot match. While there are many ways a school can deliver an online MBA experience, I focus here on the two major categories: synchronous and asynchronous.

Synchronous online MBA programs closely mimic the traditional classroom setting, in which students and instructors interact in real time. Classes are scheduled at specific times, requiring attendees to log in simultaneously for live lectures, discussions, and group work.

Synchronous Program Pros

• Students enjoy real-time interaction with faculty and classmates.
• The program follows a structured schedule. 
• Networking opportunities are available.

Synchronous Program Cons 

• Students have less flexibility.
• Differences in time zones can introduce constraints.
• Accessibility can be limited for students with other commitments (e.g., work, caregiving).

Asynchronous online MBA programs allow students to access course materials, lectures, and assignments on their own schedule – and sometimes advance through them at their own pace – without the need for live participation.

Asynchronous Program Pros 

• Students have a great deal of flexibility in accessing and completing courses.
• Accessibility is more equal for all students, regardless of time zone, irregular schedule, or other commitments.
• Sometimes programs are even self-paced.

Asynchronous Program Cons 

• Interaction among students is lacking.
• A higher level of self-discipline is required.
• Feedback and responses to questions can be delayed, which can disrupt the pace of a student’s studies.

Specialized Graduate Management Programs

These programs offer MBAs that focus on a specific industry or function. They vary in both format and approach. Boston University’s full-time Social Impact MBA is an example of a two-year specialized MBA, and the Executive MBA in Healthcare at the University of California, Irvine, is an example of a specialized EMBA. The Cornell Tech MBA is an example of a one-year specialized MBA.

Specialized Program Pros

• Students can focus intensely on a specific area of interest, with coursework adapted accordingly and a network of colleagues with related experience and goals.

Specialized Program Cons

• Students could miss out on the diverse perspectives of others from different industries/sectors that can refresh and invigorate one’s thinking.

Although most schools don’t allow you to apply to multiple types of MBA programs within the same admissions cycle (Stanford GSB is one exception), you can apply to different programs in separate cycles. Moreover, if you fall between a traditional MBA and an EMBA in terms of age or experience, you might apply to traditional MBA programs that skew older, EMBA programs that admit younger candidates, and/or online programs. Similarly, you should consider applying to full-time MBA programs while also keeping a nearby part-time program in mind as a backup. By strategically diversifying your applications, you can maximize your chances of finding the right fit for your experience, goals, and lifestyle.

By Natalie Grinblatt, a former admissions dean/director at three top business schools. Natalie has reviewed more than 70,000 applications, interviewed more than 2,500 candidates, and trained nearly 700 admissions directors and alumni volunteers to select outstanding candidates for admission. Her clients gain admission to top programs, including those at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, and NYU. Natalie holds an MBA from Michigan Ross. Want Natalie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
• Business School Selectivity Index, a free tool
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants

The post Which MBA Option Is Best for You: Full-Time, Part-Time, EMBA, or Online? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

An MBA from a top business school can be the ticket to achieving your professional dreams, but getting accepted to an elite program is not easy. Hiring an MBA admissions consultant to assist you in delivering your best possible application can give you a major assist, but is it worth the investment? And how do you find a good one? In this post, we’ll explain what you should look for in determining whether a consultant is the right one for you – and what to steer clear of.

The Benefits of Working with ​​an​ ​MBA​ ​Admissions Consultant

You can find​ ​endless​ ​​discussions​ ​on​ ​forums​ ​and​ ​message​ ​boards​ ​about​ ​the​ ​value​ ​of admissions​ ​consulting.​ ​One​ ​of​ ​the​ ​more​ ​common​ ​arguments​ ​against​ ​using​ ​a​ ​consultant​ ​runs​ ​something like​ ​this: “I​ ​know​ ​so​ ​many​ ​MBA​ ​students​ ​at​ ​top​ ​schools​ ​who​ ​got​ ​in​ ​without​ ​an​ ​admissions​ ​consultant.​ ​It’s just​ ​not​ ​necessary​ ​to​ ​hire​ ​one.”

If ​you​ ​were to take​ ​a​ ​poll​ ​of​ ​business​ ​school​ ​admissions​ ​consultants,​ ​you would find that the​ ​majority of them​ ​were accepted to the MBA programs they attended ​without​ ​the​ ​assistance​ ​of​ ​a​ ​consultant.​ Some, especially the more senior ones, ​likewise ​did​ ​not​ ​take​ ​a​ ​GMAT​ ​prep course​.​ ​However,​ ​over​ ​the​ ​past​ ​30​ ​years,​ ​preparing to take one’s admission exam via a course or tutor​ ​has​ ​gone​ ​from being​ ​an​ ​act​ ​of​ ​desperation​ ​to​ ​a​ ​strategic choice that offers a competitive​ ​edge,​ ​​to a​ ​mainstay​ ​of​ ​the​ ​application​ ​process.​ And a similar trend has ​occurred​ ​with​ ​admissions​ ​consulting. ​At​ ​this​ ​point,​ ​working with​ ​a​ ​consultant​ ​is​ ​not​ ​crucial​ ​for​ ​every applicant,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​is​ ​definitely helpful​. The​ ​question​ ​is​ ​not​ ​whether​ it’s possible for ​an candidate​ to​ ​get​ ​accepted​ ​to​ ​a​ ​top​ ​MBA​ ​program​ ​without​ ​a​ ​consultant, ​but rather whether​ ​the​ ​advantages​ ​of​ ​hiring​ ​a​ ​consultant are worth​ ​the​ ​cost.

So, let’s look at some of the benefits of working with an experienced ​admissions​ ​consultant​:

• You improve your chances of being ​accepted​ ​to​ ​a​ ​“better”​ ​school.​ ​​By “better,”​ we mean one that offers more​ ​professional​ ​opportunities in your area of interest, a higher probability of increased​ ​earnings,​ ​a​ ​deeper and more valuable network,​ and​ ​an​ ​educational​ ​experience​ ​more​ ​to​ ​your liking.​
  
• A stronger application can help​ ​you​ ​secure​ ​a​ ​scholarship.​ ​​Such funding could save you​ ​tens​ ​of​ ​thousands​ ​of​ ​dollars.
  
• You’re less likely to have to reapply. ​Applying​ ​to​ ​business school​, when you include​ ​application​ ​fees, test fees,​ ​and​ ​travel​ ​expenses,​ ​can​ ​cost​ ​several​ ​thousand​ ​dollars.​ ​Applying successfully the first​ ​​time will​ ​save you from having to expend even more money and time reapplying in the future.
  
• The process will be not only less time-consuming but also less​ ​stressful​ ​and​ ​frustrating (for both​ ​you​ ​and​ ​those​ ​close​ ​to​ ​you)​.​ ​​A good admissions consultant will keep you on track and advancing efficiently through the admissions process. Plus, you won’t need to spend time figuring out everything they​ already ​know about how to navigate it.

​The​ ​experience,​ ​objectivity,​ ​and​ ​skill​ ​an admissions consultant​ ​provides can often​ be worth ​many​ ​times​ ​the​ ​cost.

Evaluating Potential​ ​MBA ​Admissions Consultants

When assessing whether a consultant might be a good match for you and your admissions-related needs, pay attention to their experience, process/working style, differentiating factors, accessibility, candor, and cost. However, do not assume that an individual must have earned an MBA themselves (and one from your target school, in particular) or been a member of a school’s admissions committee to be an effective consultant. 

​Experience

Absolutely​ ​ask​ ​about​ ​the consultant’s level of ​experience​ ​with​ ​your​ ​programs​ ​of​ ​interest,​ ​your​ ​demographic​ ​group,​ ​and​ ​your industry.​ ​At the same time, ​understand​ ​that​ ​a​ ​really​ ​good​ ​consultant​ ​is​ ​always​ ​discovering ​new​ ​programs,​ ​learning about significant changes in existing programs,​ ​and​ ​staying up-to-date with​ the ​types​ ​of​ ​applicants competing for seats in the class. A consultant at the top of their game will be current with all the trends and know how to help you present yourself as a distinct, fully realized individual – beyond ​the​ ​stats​ ​and​ ​the​ ​stereotypes. They will be able to guide you in sharing your story in a compelling way and highlighting your valuable qualifications. ​ 

Process/Working Style

​Ask​ ​how​ the services you are considering ​will​ ​be​ ​provided​ ​in​ ​practical​ ​terms. Learn about turnaround times for edits, how long you should expect to spend on each application, what forms of communication are used or preferred, and ​who​ ​exactly​ ​you’ll​ ​be​ ​working​ ​with.​  If you start out talking to a salesperson, before you sign on, be sure to ask to speak with the consultant with whom you would be working. You’ll want a chance to evaluate your potential connection with that consultant before you commit.

Differentiating Factors

Ask​ ​what​ ​the​ ​consultant​ ​considers​ ​special​ ​and​ ​uniquely​ ​valuable​ ​about​ t​heir​ ​offerings​ ​and​ ​expertise​. ​You should​ ​clearly understand what makes their service different. Look for testimonials on their website, especially those that are recent and, whenever possible, from applicants who were accepted to your target school(s).

Accessibility

Ask​ ​about​ ​the​ ​consultant’s​ ​accessibility. When can you expect to be able to reach them? ​Are they ​available​ ​on​ ​weekends and/or holidays? In the ​evenings? 

Candor

Will ​the​ ​consultant be ​fully honest with you throughout the application process​?​ ​For example,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​target​ ​an MBA​ ​program​ that they believe is beyond your ​reach​ ​or​ ​draft​ ​an​ ​essay​ they feel is ​​off target,​ ​will they ​tell you​ ​frankly? You want to know that the feedback and advice you’ll receive will be genuine.

Cost

Most​ ​consulting firms list their​ ​prices​ ​on​ ​their​ ​websites,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​services offered can​ ​​often be​ ​multifaceted or complex,​ ​so​ ask questions to confirm exactly what you would be getting for your investment. ​Make​ ​sure​ ​you​ ​understand​ ​whether the​ ​fees​ ​are​ for package or hourly services. 

Unnecessary Qualifications

An​ ​admissions​ ​consultant​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​know​ ​how​ ​to​ ​help​ ​you​ ​tell​ ​your​ ​story​ ​in​ ​a​ ​clear,​ ​coherent,​ ​and compelling​ ​way.​ To be qualified to do this, they do not need to have attended — or worked in admissions at — the school you’re applying to. Likewise,​ they do ​not​ ​​need​ to have earned​ ​an​ ​MBA themselves​.

A ​consultant’s​ ​​degree and alma mater are​ ​irrelevant​ ​to​ ​their​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​help applicants present themselves effectively to an admissions committee.​ So focus instead on their ​experience with and insight into the admissions process, ​their editing​ ​skills, and their capacity to serve as a mentor. ​

A Note About ​Essay​ ​Writers​ ​and Application​ ​Agents

When researching your options for getting support with your MBA applications, be aware that ​essay writing​ ​services and application agents are​ ​not the same thing as​ ​​​admissions​ ​consultancies​. ​Consultants ​guide and ​mentor​ ​applicants through the application process, helping them​ ​brainstorm for, revise, ​and​ ​polish​ ​their​ ​essays. On the other hand, essay writers actually create essays for applicants – serving as ghostwriters, rather than advisors. And business​ ​school​ ​administrators​ ​all​ ​agree​ ​that​ ​submitting​ ​ghostwritten​ ​essays​ ​is​ ​unethical.

Application​ ​agents​ ​counsel​ ​candidates​ ​on selecting the programs they should apply to. However, ​schools​ ​pay these agents to​ ​procure​ ​applications​. Sometimes, agents are paid by​ ​both​ ​the​ ​school​ ​and​ ​the​ ​applicant.​ ​This create​s​ ​a​ ​clear​ ​conflict​ ​of​ ​interest.​ ​Applicants​ ​should​ ​be​ ​counseled​ ​to​ ​apply​ ​to​ ​MBA programs​ ​where​ ​their​ ​goals​ ​will be​ ​supported​ ​and​ ​they​ ​have​ ​a​ ​reasonable​ ​chance​ ​of​ ​getting​ ​accepted – not to ones that benefit the agent or school instead​. ​

Next Steps

You’ve​ ​taken​ ​an​ ​important​ ​step​ ​toward​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​successful​ ​application​ ​by​ ​reading​ this post, and the next logical step is seeking​ ​personalized​ ​advice​ ​tailored​ ​just​ ​for​ ​you.​ Consider scheduling a free, 30-minute free consultation with an experienced Accepted MBA admissions consultant today.

As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management. Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• The Business School Selectivity Index, a free tool
• Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One, a free guide
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants

The post Things to Consider When Choosing an MBA Admissions Consultant appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

As you are applying to MBA programs, you need to think about your work experience and how it fits into your overall story. Work experience is important because of what it reveals about you with respect to your character, maturity level, and abilities. Even if your GPA and GMAT/GRE scores are spectacular, your work experience still needs to impress the admissions committee.

Post-college employment reveals that you have “real world” experience in taking direction, meeting deadlines, assuming responsibility, and working in teams, which is highly relevant in a program where group projects are the norm. Developing a baseline track record in your field also gives you industry knowledge and the ability to contribute insights to class discussions. Finally, recruiters prefer MBAs who have work experience.

Most candidates applying to two-year, full-time MBA programs have three to eight years of work experience. If you have been working longer than that, you should probably consider an executive MBA or part-time program, or another option geared for more experienced professionals. Unless a program actively courts younger applicants, two years of work experience is usually the minimum you’ll need to prove that you can contribute to and benefit from the program. 

In this post, we offer insight into how admissions committees view different types of work experience and ways you can frame your professional history in your MBA application. 

Traditional Work Experience

You might have worked in marketing but not at Procter & Gamble, worked in banking but not at Goldman Sachs, or worked in technology but not at Google. Will your experience at a modest, relatively unknown company count as much to the admissions committees as that of applicants who have worked for brands with caché? 

Fear not! The quality of your work is much more important than whether you’ve been employed at a name-brand institution. And even at big-name companies, the substance of your work is what’s most important. Although having worked at an A-list firm can give you an edge in the initial review process, what really matters is the substance of your work rather than where you performed it. 

Experience with a brand-name firm might also be beneficial if you are an international candidate looking for a job in the United States. The admissions committees are familiar with the typical career path at organizations such as Infosys, Google, Goldman Sachs, and Bloomberg Financial, so they will understand that you were a small fish in a large pond. They’ll appreciate that you had to work harder to stand out, but they’ll also look for signs of your talent.

Advancement in a large company is often slow, because such firms are highly structured and bureaucratic, with less room for employees to dazzle their supervisors with distinctive skills and abilities. If your talents were recognized, and you were given a project that would normally be assigned to someone above your pay grade – or if you were fast-tracked for a promotion – this will add stature to your application. Additionally, the fact that a large company with a valued brand name hired you in the first place is an indication that you probably possess at least some of the qualities and skills that your MBA program is looking for.

There are a few things that admissions committees generally want to see to verify that your experience within an organization is strong. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

Longevity 

If you were employed at a brand-name firm for less than one year, the school might have concerns that you did not thrive in that work environment. On the other hand, if you were (or have been) employed at such a company for two or more years, that duration signals competence, persistence, and hard work.

Promotions

Were you promoted, or did you otherwise earn increased responsibilities? If so, make sure that any promotions are apparent on your resume, even if you haven’t been in your most senior position for long. Regardless of the company, those boosts are proof that management considers you highly capable and that you therefore have a great future ahead.

Movement 

If you have more than one brand name on your resume, that is a strong signal that you were able to successfully transition from one world-class firm to another – or perhaps were even poached.

Insight

Working at a major company provides an additional benefit: an admissions committee will see that you have experienced the inner workings of an organization that is best in class, so you should be able to provide valuable perspectives in class discussions. Top companies have done something right to earn their reputation, and you have used and internalized techniques and practices that have enabled their growth to the top.

MBA programs seek individuals with as wide a range of experiences as possible, especially experiences that are relevant to a business school curriculum. When faculty teach a particular subject and their students have related real-world experience, the lessons come to life. This means that the skills and knowledge you gained from significant projects you managed from start to finish matter a great deal – involvement with strategic initiatives matters. You don’t need to have been part of a multimillion-dollar deal to gain strong leadership and management skills.

Even small projects that you “own” can be extremely valuable in providing expertise in particular areas. As you advance in your career, always be on the lookout for projects that allow you to take on a significant leadership role and provide you with a degree of autonomy.

Maximizing Your Resume Real Estate

On your resume, you need to condense each notable achievement down to just one bullet point and make every bullet point as impactful as possible. For example, “Led a team of eight to cut supply chain costs by 20% by strategically repurposing older machines” shows leadership, strategic thinking, and quantifiable results – all really important stuff! This is what the admissions committees want to see. It doesn’t matter if the project size was $10,000 or $1,000,000, or whether it was done at Boeing or Jane’s Jewelry Creations. What matters is that you provided significant results to your company.

Showing Increasing Responsibility

In addition to wanting to know that you have real-world experience that you can share in the classroom, admissions committees look for evidence of your upward mobility. If you have a track record of promotions, your mobility will be immediately obvious on a resume. If your promotions have been quick because of extenuating circumstances, use the optional essay to explain the specifics.

Even if you haven’t experienced such growth in your career thus far, you can employ thoughtful wording to showcase how your responsibilities have increased over time: “Rewarded with project management of X following the successful implementation of social media planning schedule.” Your essays are a good place to highlight forward momentum, depending on the topic/prompt. Being trusted with greater responsibilities is the clearest signal of strong work experience that you can provide for MBA programs. It shows that you have what it takes to succeed both in the program and in your career. 

Nontraditional Work Experience 

Applicants with nontraditional work experience often worry about whether their professional background will be considered relevant in an MBA classroom. I have heard this concern expressed even by doctors, lawyers, military officers, and other people with objectively impressive accomplishments. Believe it or not, the less traditional one’s work experience, the more an admissions committee might be interested!

When putting cohorts together, schools typically strive to make them as diverse as possible, in every way they can – job function, industry, culture, and so on. Imagine if a class was made up of only finance people! Or IT engineers! How rich would the discussion be across courses? Not very! Individuals who come from a non-business background are assumed to have approached issues and problems with a different perspective and set of priorities that might allow for additional learning opportunities for their classmates – and possibly even the faculty! That’s why schools are delighted by nontraditional applicants. Lean into your nontraditional background, and you can be assured that your application will get noticed.

However, as a nontraditional applicant, you need to ensure that your profile includes two important elements to be seriously considered for admission.

Evidence of Quant Skills

You need to have a top-notch GMAT or GRE score and/or stellar grades in a few courses that indicate your ability to successfully manage the quant work (e.g., statistics, calculus) of a demanding MBA program

Because your undergraduate coursework might not be directly relatable to a business school’s curriculum, the school needs assurance that you will be able to handle the program’s academic demands. If quant courses are missing from your transcript (and you don’t knock the GMAT or GRE out of the park), you should consider taking a business calculus or statistics class at a local community college or online — and aim to earn a letter grade of B or better to alleviate any concern.

A Solid Reason for Needing an MBA

Believe it or not, there are serial degree seekers out there. If your reason for pursuing an MBA is not obvious from your previous work experience, you will need to do an outstanding job of presenting your career goals and objectives. Clarify for the admissions committee why an MBA is necessary to get you where you want to go.

A nontraditional background can give you a leg up with an admissions committee. But once you have their attention, you’ve got to make your case for acceptance by crafting an impressive application. You’ll need to convince the admissions committee that you will thrive in their program and truly require the education it provides to achieve your dreams.

Entrepreneurship

If you launched an entrepreneurial venture or joined a start-up, this absolutely counts as work experience, and you will have the opportunity to show how you survived – and perhaps even thrived – in those risky, exciting, uncharted waters. In a small company, you might have had more opportunities to display your adaptability and versatility. You might also have handled a wider variety of roles and had more responsibility with less supervision.

Most applicants with these experiences have learned invaluable lessons on a faster track than if they had worked in an established firm. Even if their ventures were short-lived, they wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. Not only did they have to toggle among many disparate kinds of tasks, ranging from sales to public relations to product design, but they also learned – sometimes the hard way – fundamental rules of business planning and formation.

If you write in an essay about being an entrepreneur, however, you will have to demonstrate that this is not a euphemism for “unemployed.” Your venture might or might not have succeeded, but showing how you planned for it and executed that plan will speak volumes about you. You can write about how you strategized, determined the need in the market for your product or service, and employed a logical sequence of steps to launch and manage your enterprise. If you are leaving your own venture to go to business school, share what will happen to your organization while you are in the MBA program. Who will take on your responsibilities?

Presenting Self-Employment Experience on a Resume

Creating a resume as a self-employed individual presents some challenges. If you already have an established business, some of this information is superfluous, but if you have been doing contract work, there are details to manage beyond the summary of the projects you have been doing.

Company Name 

If you own an established business, you probably have a name for your company, but if you are doing freelance work or contract consulting, you might not. You should consider creating a purposeful company name that will help the admissions reader understand that you are indeed self-employed. It could be something as simple as “John Smith Media Consulting” or “E-Commerce Branding Solutions.”

Job Title

If you are doing contract work or freelancing, avoid putting “Self-employed” or “Freelancer” as your title. Consider “CEO/Founder,” or if that is overreach, something like “Senior Consultant” or “Senior Engineer.” Choose a title that is as close as possible to what your title would be if you were employed by someone else, but without sounding inflated or self-congratulatory. If you have an existing business, the “CEO/Founder” designation is most likely an accurate representation.

Describing your work experience

If you run a business that offers goods or services, presenting your experience should be fairly straightforward. For example, if you are a contractor, discuss the projects you have worked on for various firms or individuals, listing details and successes of those projects as much as you can without violating any confidentiality agreements. Ideally, you have some good, quantifiable results that you can point to. Here are some examples of how you could present projects:

“Overhauled payment system for $XM automotive parts manufacturer, resulting in 20% reduction of A/P.”

“Researched and presented findings on a nonprofit’s proposed expansion into a new territory. Findings were also shared with donors, who then funded 100% of the expansion.”

“Designed website and implemented social media strategy for eight-member start-up in the energy industry.”

Discussing Layoffs 

With the waves of layoffs in the tech industry in recent years, you might wonder how admissions committees view applicants who have been let go in this way. Business can be messy, especially during economic uncertainty, and the schools understand this. In your resume – and possibly the optional essay – convey what you have been doing to advance your skills while you have been out of work.

The Bottom Line

What matters most to MBA admission committees is not the quantity of work experience you have or whether you gained that experience in a small start-up or at Google, it’s how much you have contributed and what impact you have had. Whatever your work experience has been since you graduated from college, if you can prove that your focus, determination, collegiality, initiative, and maturity paved the way for you to make an impact, you are several steps closer to securing a spot at your chosen MBA program. 

Explaining the kind of work experience you have and your career progression in a meaningful way will help the admissions committee get to know you better. Furthermore, even two years of full-time, professional employment can lend credibility and substance to your stated career goals, because those goals will clearly be based on real-world business experience that has tested, refined, and clarified them and your road map to achieve them. 

As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management. Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• Benefits and Challenges for MBA Applicants from Family Businesses
• What MBA Admission Officers Think of Applicants Using ChatGPT and AI, podcast Episode 556
• Admissions Advice for MBA Management Consulting Applicants

The post How an MBA Admissions Committee Views Your Work Experience appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

If you find yourself on a business school’s waitlist, the first thing to remember is this: Being waitlisted is not the same as being rejected. It means that you’ve shown the adcom that you qualify for the program, and that’s something to celebrate!

However, it also means that you have not yet been accepted, so this is not a time for rash decisions. You need to approach the situation strategically and effectively, and knowing what doesn’t work is as important as knowing what does. In this post, I address the most common mistakes waitlisters make that ultimately ruin their chances of admittance – and the right moves to make instead.

I’ve spent more than 25 years as a director of admissions and recruiting, and advised thousands of MBA applicants, some of whom were waitlisted. I have also spoken with admissions staff at other schools to learn about their waitlist policies. Most importantly, I have seen through my candidates’ experiences, and those of many other applicants with whom I have talked, which tactics are effective and which ones aren’t.

Before I dive into discussing applicants’ most common waitlist mistakes, let’s identify which category the school that waitlisted you falls into.

The Three Kinds of Waitlisting Schools

Schools fall into three broad categories in terms of how they handle their waitlisted applicants. Be aware that schools can change their policies from year to year and sometimes within the course of an application cycle. If you’re not sure which category your waitlisting school falls into, contact the admissions office and ask. (For the rest of this post, I will refer to these different types of schools by the acronyms introduced.)

Group 1: Don’t call us; we’ll call you (DCU).

These schools strongly discourage any kind of contact from the waitlisted applicant. They only thing they want to know is whether you want to remain on the waitlist. They are busy reviewing applications and letters of support, so they do not have time to look at new materials or have long conversations with you. 

Group 2: Show me you love me (SMULM).

Many schools fall into this category. These programs want you to keep in touch and demonstrate your continued interest while providing new information that adds to their knowledge of you. However, not even a school that wants to be courted likes being pestered, so even for SMULM schools, you should not call daily, waste their time with long-winded missives, or take other actions that might cause them to question your judgment. 

Group 3: Coy (COY)

These are the schools that say they don’t want additional contact from waitlisted applicants (like DCU schools), but they do want to know about certain developments. They’re a bit insincere in saying, “Don’t call us,” but they’re certainly not as welcoming to additional input as  SMULM schools. Generally speaking, small changes to your profile such as a change of address or a new manager in your same job would not be significant enough to contact the adcom about; the update must be something that really adds value to your candidacy.

Now, on to the mistakes.

Mistake #1: Ignoring the instructions you receive from the school

Whatever your waitlisting school’s instructions are, you should follow them meticulously. This means that if your waitlist letter indicates that the adcom is concerned about your below-average GMAT score, you need to take steps to allay that concern. Or if the adcom suggests in your waitlist letter that you take a calculus course, you don’t go skiing instead. If the letter says that the adcom doesn’t want to hear from you, you don’t start calling them once a week. Going against what the school advises or requests simply sends the adcom a loud and clear message that you do not follow instructions.

The right move is to do whatever the school outlines in the correspondence telling you that you have been waitlisted. School instructions generally fall into two categories:

1. Contact with the school while on the waitlist
2. Weaknesses in your profile

Contact with the School

You need to fully comply with the school’s instructions about the types and level of contact it is open to. This is easy if you are waitlisted by a DCU or SMULM school. If they say to contact the waitlist manager, contact them! Find out if there is anything you can do to improve your chances of moving from the waitlist to the accepted list. Ask about the program’s waitlist procedure and when and how frequently it is reviewed and culled.

If you are dealing with a COY school, the situation is more complex and nuanced. You should certainly follow the adcom’s directions regarding contact, but you also want to convey certain messages. Just be careful not to overdo it. Let the school know about any significant developments. If you’re not sure whether something is important enough to merit an email or letter, you can contact the admissions office or attend one of the school’s online events to ask. (If you are working with an Accepted consultant, you can of course ask them.) 

Weaknesses in Your Profile

Having an adcom tell you outright what you need to improve in your candidacy is pure gold (and almost as rare). You know precisely where you should focus your efforts, both in hopes of getting accepted from the waitlist and in case you need to reapply later. I’ll go into more detail about what exactly you can do in this situation in my discussion of Mistake #6, but for now, just know that constructively responding to school feedback shows the adcom that you are committed to self-improvement and are serious about the school.

Mistake #2: Being modest about recent achievements

This is not the time for false modesty, real modesty, or anything in between. Put humility on hold – temporarily. (Just remember that arrogance is always out of place.)

The right move in this situation is to convince the school that you are a new and improved applicant.

Show the adcom that your candidacy is even stronger than when you applied. Give the school more reasons to select you by informing them of recent achievements, initiatives, and success stories.

Let SMULM schools know about anything of interest. Accomplishments, promotions, increases in responsibility (even if not accompanied by a formal promotion), initiatives, community service, multicultural exposure, new test scores or quant classes taken, and personal achievements (e.g., completing your first marathon, performing in Europe) all merit an update.

However, you shouldn’t lump all your latest updates together into a single email/letter that you send the school once every two months. Instead, share them via more frequent, shorter updates that will keep your name in front of the adcom’s eyes and continually remind them that you are a growing, dynamic individual. That said, take care not to waste the adcom’s time with updates that don’t enhance your profile in any way. And don’t call the admissions office daily. Again, if you aren’t sure whether a development warrants an update, contact the admissions office or attend an online event to ask, or seek guidance from your Accepted consultant.  

For COY and DCU schools, you will need to be more circumspect and rely on letters of support from your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues to convey the information you want the school to know. I’ll discuss this tactics further later on in this post.

Mistake #3: Hiding your genuine interest in the school

You probably discussed your reasons for wanting to attend the school in in your essays and perhaps your interview. Or maybe you aren’t actually sure why you want to attend the school. Or you might have been rejected everywhere else, so this is your last hope. There’s no point in elaborating on your interest, right? Wrong.

The right move here is to reiterate for the adcom that you believe the school is the best one to help you achieve your goals.

How your qualifications compare to those of your peers is a primary consideration in admissions, but your “fit” with the school is another major factor. The adcom wants to know that you will do well at their school, not just in terms of academics but also with respect to the school’s culture and values. The last thing any school wants is to admit someone who will drop out – or graduate and later bad-mouth the program.

The adcom also wants to know that their program supports your goals for two reasons:

1. If the school’s program and strengths support your goals, you’ll have an easier time getting a job. When a higher percentage of students have jobs at graduation, the school looks better both overall and in the rankings.

2. The more the program supports your goals, the more likely you are to enroll, which would make the school’s “yield” go up, or at least not go down. (“Yield” refers to the percentage of accepted applicants who matriculate. It plays a significant role in admissions and is used as a factor in rankings. Yield is one measure of a school’s competitiveness and desirability.)

So, for a host of reasons, it behooves you to demonstrate your fit with the school, repeatedly and in a variety of ways. One way to do so while on the waitlist is by visiting the school. If you haven’t toured the campus, attended a class, or taken advantage of whatever else the program provides prospective students (e.g., online events, student admissions ambassadors), do so now, if at all feasible. Doing so is a concrete demonstration of interest and can give you material you can include in an update about how the visit, event, or conversation reinforced your interest in the school. If you have already visited, consider doing a second visit or exploring another way of connecting with the school and its community. 

Always highlight your fit in your letters and updates to SMULM schools. Relate your experiences and achievements to your reasons for wanting to attend the school. Take the opportunity to discuss that relationship and reassert your enthusiasm for the program – clearly conveying that you truly want to attend and will matriculate. 

Mistake #4: Not seeking expressions of support

Now is not the time to sit around, hoping people will offer to help you. 

The right move is to actively solicit expressions of support from your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues – aka your “fan club.”

Take the initiative so that the school receives a steady stream of substantive recommendations, either written or oral. Each one should add information about your qualifications (preferably offering new material or a new perspective on material you’ve already provided), highlight your fit with the program, and endorse your candidacy.

At an SMULM school, your fan club is helpful, but it can be critical at DCU and COY schools for one simple reason: Your fan club is not bound by the schools’ instructions. They haven’t been told, “Don’t call us. We’ll call you.” In particular, alumni and students of your waitlisting school can attest to your fit and mention your recent achievements in their letters of support, thus giving the school – which would otherwise remain regrettably ignorant – more reasons to admit you. 

(Although your fan club isn’t bound by the school’s instructions, if any of your waitlisting schools say that they don’t want letters, be sure to respect this preference. Contact your waitlisting school to learn its specific policy. If a school is not open to such letters, don’t submit them.)

Let’s take a closer look at the members of your fan club.

• A+ Fans

The best fans know you well, have worked with you, and are students at or recent alumni of your waitlisting school. They can attest to your strengths and accomplishments and reinforce that you have the attributes the school values by drawing from personal experience and using examples.

• People with knowledge of the program

This group primarily includes students and recent alumni. For instance, if your cousin’s girlfriend earned an MBA from the school, contact your cousin, tell them about your waitlist news, and ask whether their girlfriend could help you out with a letter of support. Then meet your newfound supporter and tell her what you have been up to, emphasizing recent events and experiences that are not yet a part of your file. Give her your resume/CV, a copy of your application, and a synopsis of what you would like her to spotlight.

• People who know you well, either from work or from a community service/nonprofessional setting

Peers or supervisors can submit additional letters of support for you, and your primary recommenders can update their recommendations with more recent material. If you are involved in a community service organization, sports group, club, church, political organization, or trade group, ask someone from this part of your life to write a letter of support. If you are applying to a deferred admissions MBA program, a professor you know well could be a good choice.

These people will probably know less about the school you’re waitlisted at than the students or recent alumni, so be sure to offer them some guidance with respect to the school’s values and the qualities you would like them to highlight. These recommenders will usually be able to comment more on your interpersonal skills than on your academic qualifications, and that’s fine.

On the other hand, who should never contact a school for you, even if they really want to help? Your parents, your grandparents, the neighbor you babysat for, and your high school teachers.

Submitting Letters of Support

If you have received instructions on how and to whom you should direct correspondence, follow those instructions. Be sure to pass these instructions along to any supporters who will be writing or calling on your behalf.

People who have connections at the school should send their letters to their connections and cc the admissions office or waitlist manager. If your supporters are more comfortable making a phone call, that works, too. They will know better than you how to use their network. If a very important graduate of the school calls or writes a letter for you, your application might be noted as “Special interest,” though this will not guarantee that you’ll be accepted. The schools’ top priority is having a class of high-quality students who can manage the demands of their program – not appeasing alumni.  

Mistake #5: Planning a one-time deluge of correspondence… followed by deafening silence

By now, I’m sure you realize that passivity while on the waitlist is a recipe for rejection. So, you might be itching to flood the adcom with follow-up materials, especially if you are targeting an SMULM school. Resist that urge! You don’t want to inundate the school with mail and then disappear or go totally silent. 

The right move is to plan a campaign of steady, substantive contact.

You want to maintain contact, demonstrate interest, and keep your name in front of the adcom in a constructive and positive manner. Pursue the sweet spot between poisonous passivity and nagging nuisance.

Depending on what time of year it is and what’s going on in your life, contacting your waitlisting school roughly once a month is a good guideline. If you are waitlisted early – let’s say in November – your correspondence initially will be less frequent than if you are waitlisted in March. Waitlists tend to shrink much more quickly as the application season rolls on.

However, if you know for sure when your school will be culling its waitlist, such as right after deposits are due from accepted students, you might want to submit an additional letter or update just before then.

Here are a few sample schedules for hypothetical applicant profiles. You probably won’t match any of them exactly, but they should give you an idea of different factors to consider in developing your waitlist campaign. 

Sample #1

Alice is waitlisted at an SMULM school in December. She has great stats, but has worked as a programmer with little opportunity for leadership and almost no international exposure. However, she recently became a team lead and has taken the initiative to raise money at her church for victims of a recent natural disaster in Asia. As part of her new responsibilities at work, she will be interfacing with programmers in other countries. The following table outlines her plan:

* Date applicant acts

** Target date for others to carry out request

Alice is accepted on May 10!

Sample #2

Bob is waitlisted on March 15 at a COY school. He served as captain of his NCAA team, participated actively in his fraternity, and worked part-time. His grades show that he didn’t spend much time on his studies: 2.8 GPA. His work experience is strong: he worked for four years at a Big-4 consulting firm and has been a team lead on engagements in the States and abroad. He also serves on the board of a foundation he founded to help people suffering from a rare hearing disorder that afflicts his mother. He has a 730 GMAT score, evenly balanced. His grades are clearly his Achilles heel. As a result, he has taken stats and calculus in fall and spring semesters at a local school. He earned an A in calculus and has gotten A grades on his stats tests in the course he’s currently taking.

* Bob decides against a second visit because the school is closed, and the adcom made it clear that they didn’t want to meet with him again. Bob hears about an early reception in his area aimed at next year’s applicants and decides to go to that event (May 20). There, he talks to an adcom member and mentions a change in responsibilities. The adcom member asks for a written update.

On June 26, Bob hears that he has been removed from the waitlist, but the school strongly encourages him to reapply the next year.

Sample #3

Charlie is waitlisted in late April. They have already been accepted to School Z but would rather attend the DCU school that has waitlisted them – unless they get an offer of financial aid from School Z. Charlie has no obvious weaknesses in their profile and has rich multicultural experience in both their personal background and professional career. They decide they would rather be proactive and risk the adcom’s wrath than do nothing. They turn to their fan club for support, but sparingly.

Mistake #6: Failing to assess or act on weaknesses in your candidacy

Let’s face it, being waitlisted means that you’re qualified. The school wants you, just not as much as it wants someone else, so that someone else gets an offer of admission while you wait in the wings. Because most schools evaluate applications on a holistic basis, and admissions is a highly subjective process, it is difficult to say definitively why someone is waitlisted. However, a waitlist decision generally results from a combination of the following factors:

1. The school saw a deficiency in the applicant’s profile and prefer other candidates. In the event that those admitted applicants do not accept the school’s offer of admission, the school will offer someone else a spot. (You want this offer to come to you!)
   
2. The application was poorly executed. Two of the most common execution errors are a weak presentation of one’s qualifications and strengths and a failure to clarify one’s goals or reasons for wanting to attend the school.
   
3. There are many accomplished applicants with similar profiles, and the adcom can’t admit them all. 

In targeting your response to your waitlist status, you need to know where you stand.

The right move in this case is to assess the reasons you were waitlisted and respond accordingly.

Again, if you are lucky enough to receive feedback and direction from your waitlisting school, you should understand what you need to do. Simply follow the school’s instructions, and also provide information about new achievements, fit, and so on to ensure that you are covering all possibilities.

However, if you don’t receive any guidance – which is much more common – then you must do your own assessment (as ask for assistance). You need to determine what combination of the three factors mentioned earlier contributed to your waitlist status.

A Deficiency in Your Profile

If your GPA and/or GMAT/GRE score are at the bottom end of, or below, the school’s 80% range, those stats probably contributed to your waitlist status. You need to address the weakness(es) through additional coursework, a higher test score, a professional designation (e.g., the CFA charter), and/or a demonstration of the relevant skills in some other way.

For more suggestions on dealing with a low test score or GPA, please see our blog post “So, You’re Applying to Business School with a Low GPA or GMAT Score?”

If you believe that your work experience or extracurricular activities are qualitatively less than compelling, you need to highlight recent activities that will change that perception. You can also coach your fan club to highlight achievements that counter any perception of weakness.

Problems in Execution

If your stats and work experience are competitive, look at your essays, recommendations, and resume. They might have kept you from receiving the acceptance notification, and now is the time to address any problems in these areas. If you failed to clarify your goals, your reasons for wanting to attend the program, or your ability to work in teams, being on the waitlist gives you a second chance to do so. Grab it. For SMULM schools in particular, make sure that the reader of your waitlist correspondence knows exactly why you would attend the school and how it will help you achieve your goals.

Being an Overrepresented Applicant

Finally, if you are confident that you are a competitive applicant and your application presented you well, but you are a member of an overrepresented group in the applicant pool, realize that the school simply cannot admit every candidate like you and create the diverse student body it hopes to have. You should stress your high level of achievement and interest in the program. If you have unusual experiences, hobbies, or interests that you neglected to mention, let the school know about them so you can earn a few diversity points. For more tips on this point, see our article “Ensuring You Stand Out As an Overrepresented MBA Applicant.”

Mistake #7: Complaining to the school about the agony of being waitlisted

Don’t wax eloquent about the pain and shock of being waitlisted, the agony of a pseudo-rejection, or the embarrassment of telling your friends and colleagues. And for heaven’s sake, don’t say that you think the adcom made a huge mistake because you’re obviously a gift to the business world!

The right move is to thank the adcom for its continued consideration.

Beyond that, you can reiterate your qualifications, highlight your fit, express your ongoing interest, and, if the school welcomes them, share updates on your profile. But that’s it.

Mistake #8: Providing hyperbolic apologies for weaknesses or mistakes

Why bother with an exaggerated apology? All an overblown apology will do is shine a spotlight on your flaws and failings. 

The right move is to highlight the positive.

I have encouraged you throughout this post to address weaknesses in your profile. At the same time, you don’t want to draw undue attention to those imperfections. Am I contradicting myself? No. You need to both address your weaknesses and highlight your strengths – without emphasizing the negative.

For example, if you scored below the 80th percentile on the Quant section of the GMAT or GRE, have a liberal arts background, and haven’t taken any math courses since high school, don’t start apologizing for your “weak” quant skills. Without mentioning your test score or lack of college-level math, let the adcom know that you have enrolled in a calculus class to prepare yourself for business school. You could add that for the same reason, you took an accounting course last fall, and you just found out that you earned an A.

If for some reason you must refer to a negative, don’t exaggerate it. I recently read a waitlist letter in which the applicant went on and on about his “dismal grades” and “dreadful performance,” but this is not the place for such inflated language. Minimalism is best.

Mistake #9: Playing “hard to get” 

If you think you can impress your waitlisting schools by telling them that you have other offers, you are sorely mistaken. Such a tactic can backfire completely.

If School A hears that you have been accepted at School B, the adcom at School A might become concerned that you would prefer School B – in which case, accepting you could hurt School A’s yield. Alternatively, School A might realize that it is better ranked than School B or more desirable for any number of reasons and resent your ploy, seeing it as an unwelcome pressure tactic showing a lack of judgment on your part. Trying to play one school off another is completely counterproductive.

The right move is to inform your waitlisting school of other acceptances only if you are at a point where you will remove your name from the waitlist if you are not accepted. And if the school asks you directly whether you have been waitlisted or accepted at another school, answer the question honestly.

When time has passed and you have reached a point of no return, or are close to it, you have nothing to lose by approaching the waitlisting school. You have made your best effort, and time has marched on. You must commit to one school or the other. Because you will accept the offer of admission at the first school if you don’t hear positively from the second/waitlisting school and would prefer to attend the latter, contact the admissions office and explain your situation with humility and modesty. Ask the school representative on the other end of the line if they can help you.

The admissions officer might say something like “I’m sorry. I appreciate your situation, but we don’t have a spot for you now and won’t be evaluating the waitlist again for another two weeks.” If that’s the case, thank them for their time, and accept the offer to attend the other school.

On the other hand, the admissions officer might say, “We met this morning, and you’re in!” Or, “We are meeting this afternoon. Can I call you after we meet?” In this case, your phone call paid off.

The Right Moves

Now that we’ve gone through the top nine waitlist mistakes, let’s take a second look at the nine things you should do as a waitlisted MBA applicant:

1. Do whatever the school outlines in the correspondence telling you that you have been waitlisted.
   
2. Convince the school that you are a new and improved applicant.
   
3. Reiterate for the adcom that you believe the school is the best one to help you achieve your goals.

4. Actively solicit expressions of support from your friends, acquaintances, and colleagues – aka your “fan club.”
   
5. Plan a campaign of steady, substantive contact.
   
6. Assess the reasons you were waitlisted and respond accordingly.
   
7. Thank the adcom for its continued consideration.
   
8. Highlight the positive.
   
9. Inform your waitlisting school of other acceptances only if you are at a point where you will remove your name from the waitlist if you are not accepted.

Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, a free guide
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants
• Beyond the Rankings: How to Find the Right MBA Program for You

The post Nine MBA Waitlist Mistakes to Avoid appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

A speaker recently told a story about traveling in Asia, where he saw a stunning emerald. Enchanted by the stone’s beauty, he decided to buy it on the spot.

He returned home and took the emerald to a jeweler for appraisal. The jeweler began examining the stone through his magnifier, and as he did so, his face went pale.

“What’s the matter?” asked the proud owner of the emerald.

“I can’t find a flaw,” said the jeweler.

“Wonderful!” said the stone’s owner.

“No, it’s not. If it’s flawless, it’s a fake. A phony. Nothing in the natural world is flawless,” replied the jeweler.

“Then find a flaw!”

After a few more tense moments, the jeweler discovered a small flaw, and the owner of the stone stopped worrying that he had been taken in by a piece of plastic masquerading as a gem.

What does this have to do with admissions? Just this: When the adcoms ask you to write about a flaw or weakness in your essays, and you either fail to offer any or the ones you come up with sound like you are just checking a box – mentioning something vague and generic and not of much significance – you will seem like a fake in their eyes.

Everything in nature has an imperfection or two (or three), including human beings. Don’t misunderstand: we’re not suggesting that you talk about every weakness you know you have and say, “This is me. Take it or leave it.”

But if you have learned and grown from your weaknesses or succeeded in overcoming obstacles, you are well positioned to flip those shortcomings into strengths in your essays. It takes honest self-reflection, a desire to improve, and hard work to break an unhealthy habit, pattern, or way of thinking. The ability to demonstrate self-awareness by working to minimize your flaws and develop new skills or talents to compensate for weaknesses will prove your maturity while also building your resilience. These are qualities that adcoms especially want to see these days. 

How Failures and Flaws Can Build Resilience 

Recently, we worked with a client who was applying to MBA programs and had once made the type of mistake that could have not only gotten him fired but also destroyed a lucrative business relationship between his employer and a major customer. 

Here’s the story: “Sami” was working in an analytics department and played a role in the incorrect interpretation of some key data. This incorrect reading led his employer to recommend a business strategy to the firm’s customer that was the exact opposite of what it should have been. What a disaster! Sami didn’t discover this catastrophic error until after the new strategy had been implemented. 

He could have watched from afar as the strategy failed and things fell apart. Instead, he came clean and waited for the blowback. Sami expected the worst and nearly began clearing out his desk.  

Instead, he was rewarded for his integrity, despite the risk to his reputation. Not only did he keep his job, but the relationship between his employer and the firm’s customer actually flourished. This experience clearly positioned Sami to write about a “failure” and the lessons he learned about owning up to one’s mistakes and accepting responsibility. He didn’t look smaller because of his mistake – his stature grew because of his honesty.  

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

Essay questions that ask you to discuss failure, risk, mistakes, conflict, difficult interactions, or overcoming obstacles often make applicants cringe. After all, you’re on a mission to show the admissions committee that you are on top of your game and ready to conquer the world. The last thing you want to do is call attention to the details of when and where you’ve fallen short. 

As Sami’s experience proves, however, questions about failure provide a window into your character. How resilient are you in the face of a setback? How did you respond to the situation? Did you shrink from the impact of your actions, or did you muster the courage to try to set things right, as best as you could, under the circumstances? What did you learn about yourself, about the world of business, about relationships, and/or about communication? What wisdom did you gain that you have applied in your life since then? Can you show convincingly that you view your stumble as an inevitable, vital, even transformative step on the road to achievement?

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” So take heart: Writing about your flaws and setbacks is an opportunity for you to shine by showing your humility, commitment to growth, and determination to apply the lessons learned. Reading about your setbacks allows the admissions committee to understand what you’re really made of. 

Follow these four steps to transform your setbacks into achievements:

1. Demonstrate how your failure led to success.

The mistake you made might have led you to discover a new idea, strategy, or invention that you otherwise would not have discovered. Or, it might have given you the determination to strengthen your skills or knowledge base. It’s hardly a secret that some of the most successful entrepreneurs failed before achieving remarkable results. The late Steve Jobs was famously terminated from his own company before Apple became a household name. James Dyson created thousands of faulty, nonfunctional prototypes before patenting his best-selling vacuum. So, why do we forget the silver linings of these legendary failures when confronted with our own mistakes?

Be specific when you present your examples. A mistake you made in the lab might have cost you weeks of work. However, as a result, you learned something important about lab techniques, and now you’ve adopted more fastidious research practices. If you are discussing a personal failure, maybe you neglected an important relationship to the point where the relationship died. Feeling this loss keenly, you now make a point of treating people with greater respect. 

When writing about professional or personal failures and lessons learned, you cannot simply claim that you’ve changed without citing evidence. Clearly spell out what you learned and how you have changed. Offer true, believable examples of times when you behaved differently – more purposefully and sensitively – as a way of investing more deeply and wisely in your relationships.

2. Show that you truly understand why something went wrong.

Explaining what went wrong is only half the game in these essays. You must also explain why it went wrong. Doing so will show the adcom that you have taken time to really think about and reflect on your role in the situation and your understanding of the dynamics that led to the problem. Don’t play the blame game. Explain the process you went through to get real answers and solutions. Relate some of the steps you have taken to avoid making similar mistakes since. Perhaps you caught yourself about to repeat the mistake but realized that impulse was not the “new you” and saved yourself from making the error again.

Let’s look at an example. You pushed your colleagues hard to complete a work project, but your hard-driving nature made them resent you, and with no benefit to the project. Having realized your mistake – even though your sole intention was to get the job done on time – perhaps you could write about the focused attention you now pay to your colleagues’ suggestions, efforts, and capabilities. In other words, from that error, you have learned to turn lemons into lemonade. Offer at least one specific example of how your efforts have paid off.

3. Focus on what you’ve learned on a personal level.

Mature applicants view and consider situations and people differently – and make decisions more deliberately – after making mistakes. Prove that you are this kind of applicant. As the philosopher Plutarch stated, “To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.” Show how you grew by, for example, taking a course in time management to become better at effectively juggling all your responsibilities, starting therapy to help with your anxiety when work pressure feels overwhelming, or another significant step forward.

Add power to your explanations by describing “before and after” situations: the “before” stressed-out, not-well-organized person staying up till 3 a.m. to get everything done and delivering haphazard work, and the “after” person practicing time-management and mindfulness skills, and coping with responsibilities more calmly, deliberately, and competently. Demonstrating these changes through real-life examples presents you as more grown-up and emotionally intelligent. And you can bet the admissions committee wants to see these valuable traits.

4. Show the adcom how you’ve become more resilient.

“Resilience” has become a cliche, but it’s critical to appreciate the concept: it is the building of inner strength and fortitude in the face of conflict, pain, or disappointment. Successful adults must be resilient to cope with life’s rocky patches. Naturally, colleges and universities want to see evidence that you have this important quality. 

Earlier in this article, we said that a weakness or failure could be flipped into a strength, given the right attitude and effort. Similarly, a weakness can also be the flip side of a strength. For example, perhaps your tendency to be “too detail oriented” resulted in your discovering a critical error before it triggered a larger problem. Identifying your weakness and giving it careful thought might have prompted you to take steps to correct or minimize it.

Be thoughtful in your responses to questions about weakness or failure, and don’t shy away from them. Successful leaders must have honesty and integrity as part of their DNA and be able to identify and admit to failures and weaknesses. 

Nobody’s perfect, but a “perfect” answer to questions about flaws and failures just might get you admitted! To make sure your essays reflect you at your best, work with us. Every consultant at Accepted has years of experience in admissions and guiding applicants to gain coveted acceptances at top schools worldwide. Let them do the same for you!

Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Dr. Ali has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources

• From Example to Exemplary: How to Use Sample Essays to Make Your Essay Outstanding!, a free guide
• Three Ways Writing About Obstacles Strengthens Your Application Essays
• Writing a Compelling Accomplishment Essay

The post The Resilience Factor: How Flaws and Failures Can Strengthen Your Application appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

For many business degree hopefuls, the MBA remains the gold standard of graduate management education, and not without reason – an MBA can be the start of a new chapter in your life. Professionally, it can help you accelerate your career or make a career pivot. Academically, it can help fill gaps in hard and soft skills. Personally, it can help you discover more about yourself. For these reasons, many cite their MBA experience as being transformative. 

An MBA is the goal for many people who aim to pursue a business career. But what about individuals who have the desire to pursue graduate management study and start making their mark in the business world but don’t meet the work experience requirement of most MBA programs? Is gaining acceptance to business school without work experience possible? The short answer is yes, it is! The two most common paths for candidates in this situation are pre-experience master’s programs and deferred MBA programs.

Pre-experience/Early Career Programs

The terms “pre-experience” and “early career” are used interchangeably, but they both refer to programs that cater to recent graduates (“recent” meaning fewer than three years out of college). While the first offering in this category was the general management MiM (master’s in management) degree, the portfolio of programs now includes master’s degrees in finance, innovation and entrepreneurship, and data analytics, to name but a few options you might find at business schools today. Business master’s (BMs) degrees in data science, accounting, finance, and health administration are generally the most searched BM programs in the United States.

Applicants in this category are commonly referred to as pre-experience or early career candidates, and this market continues to be popular; according to GMAT Geographic Trend Report: Testing Year 2024, while global GMAT scores are most often sent to MBA programs (63% of them are), the proportion of GMAT score reports sent to BM programs has declined from 36% in 2020 to 30% in 2024. Although pursuing an MiM or similar program doesn’t negate the need for an MBA down the road (indeed, you will find individuals with both an MiM and an MBA), these programs are excellent choices for recent graduates looking to explore their options in the business world. 

Candidates who opt to pursue their business studies now, rather than waiting until they’ve earned a few years of work experience, might do so for a few reasons: they might want to specialize early on in a certain area, such as finance or marketing, to enter a specific function; they might want to “convert” their liberal arts or science degree into a business career; or they might come from a business undergraduate degree but want to better understand how theory is applied in the real world so they can hit the ground running in their post-graduate job. Whatever the candidate’s reason, these degrees provide an excellent foundation and help individuals build the skills, knowledge, career support, and network to get a head start in their careers. Additionally, some MBA programs provide a path for their MiM students to return to complete their MBA as a second-year student.

Deferred MBA programs allow students in their final year of study (or just after, if they’re pursuing a master’s without full-time work experience) to secure a seat in the MBA classroom before gaining the generally required work experience. These programs tend to attract highflyers – students with excellent academic credentials and internships, who have demonstrated leadership potential, and who have already started formulating career goals. These candidates understand, and can articulate, how an MBA will help them achieve their goals. These programs are a great option, because they offer security (you don’t have to worry about studying for the GMAT and writing applications while juggling your busy work schedule!) and add some clout to your resume (“Wow, already accepted to an MBA program before you’ve even graduated? Impressive!”). Of course, as with anything, there are pros and cons, so it’s important to determine whether committing yourself to a deferred program makes sense with your career plans. If you decide that a deferred MBA program is the best option for you, bear in mind that they are incredibly competitive. 

Here’s some information to help you better understand which schools offer deferred MBA programs and what these programs are all about. (Information is accurate as of February 2025.)

Harvard Business School 2+2 Program 

Harvard’s 2+2 program is what the name implies – a minimum of two years (four, maximum) of work experience, followed by two years of MBA study. Harvard is looking for “innovative thinkers who have demonstrated leadership and analytical skills and want to develop their knowledge and passion to make a difference in the world.” And this difference doesn’t have to be in a “traditional” business area. In fact, the 2+2 shows some preference for candidates who are pursuing paths “that aren’t as well established”; this could include candidates who plan to work in an operating company, come from a lower socioeconomic background, are first-generation college students, aim to pursue a technically demanding role, or aspire to entrepreneurism. So, if you’re not focused on joining one of the “big three” strategy consulting firms, don’t let that stop you from applying. You might just be what the 2+2 is looking for.

New York University (NYU) Stern NYU x NYU/Stern Program

Undergraduates from NYU’s College of Arts and Science, Tandon School of Engineering, Global Liberal Studies program, Stern School of Business, and Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development can opt to join the full-time, two-year MBA program at Stern (without needing to take the GMAT or GRE) two to five years after they graduate. Financial support is a big pull with this program – accepted students are granted an Early Advancement Award of $10,000, which covers part of their MBA tuition. These students are also eligible for other Stern scholarships, including the Berkley Early Advancement Fellowship, which covers all fees and tuition for the year in which they matriculate. Accepted students with an interest in technology or in the fashion and luxury industries, and who have relevant post-undergraduate experience, can enroll in the Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA program or the Fashion & Luxury MBA program, rather than the traditional two-year MBA program.

Columbia Business School (CBS) Deferred Enrollment Program

CBS’s deferred admissions option offers flexibility; admitted students can explore the professional world for two to five years before beginning their MBA studies at a time that works best for them. This is a great opportunity for individuals who are looking to explore their career options and develop a better understanding of their business interests and passions. The flexibility continues once students begin their studies; they can specify in a letter of intent whether they prefer the 16-month (January) program or the 20-month (August) program, the latter of which includes a summer internship. Having spent time in industry or entrepreneurship during the deferment period can help students determine which MBA journey will offer the teaching and experience they need to achieve their desired professional and academic development.

Wharton Moelis Advance Access Program

Wharton’s deferred admissions program offers recent undergraduate or master’s degree students the chance to work for two to four years before joining the MBA program as a Moelis Fellow. The program is meant for “students who are ambitious, innovative, and prepared to use a sense of professional liberty to maximize their early career experiences.” In addition to seeking proactive, motivated students, Wharton encourages admits to take professional risks during the deferment period and take advantage of the opportunity to “pursue [their] early years with increased confidence and risk-tolerance.”   

Stanford Graduate School of Business Deferred Enrollment Program

Stanford’s program offers something that most do not – deferred MBA admits are able to take as little as one year (but no more than four) to gain experience before beginning their MBA studies. It is open to students in either the final year of their bachelor’s or joint bachelor/graduate program, and to those in a graduate program that they started immediately after their undergraduate study. We should note that Stanford uses the same evaluation criteria for deferred candidates as it does for applicants to its full-time MBA program, assessing how they think, lead, and see the world.

Stanford cites deferred enrollment as a good option for candidates who are unsure of their long-term professional path and feel they would benefit from gaining full-time work experience first. The school also indicates that some industries – such as private equity, biotech, and management consulting – recruit only MBA candidates who have either pre-MBA experience in that field or specialized knowledge. So, taking time out to gain that experience and knowledge can be valuable in ultimately achieving your post-MBA career goals. 

Interested in a dual degree option? Some of Stanford’s programs allow you to wait until the first year of your MBA to apply for a dual degree; others prefer that you apply in the year immediately before you matriculate in the Deferred Enrollment Program.

Stanford expects admitted students to “pursue opportunities that enable [them] to build expertise, enhance [their] skills and knowledge, expand [their] perspective, and develop professional judgment and self-confidence” during the deferral period. So you will need to reflect on what activities will allow you to develop and how you should spend your pre-MBA time.

Kellogg Future Leaders Deferred Enrollment Program

“Graduate with the confidence that incredible things are ahead.” Kellogg’s deferred enrollment program allows admitted students to work for two to five years before beginning their MBA journey. The admissions committee wants to get to know you and to understand your motivations and why Kellogg is a fit for you. Master’s and undergraduate students (excluding law, medical, and PhD students, who apply through the standard admissions process) can come from any study discipline and either graduated in the past year, are in their final year, or went straight into graduate study post-bachelor’s.

The usual admissions requirements apply – test scores, essays, letters of recommendation, interviews – for some candidates, but not all. Applicants who are already engaged in undergraduate studies at Northwestern are exempt from having to take either the GMAT or GRE, so that’s one application requirement that can be ticked off the list for candidates already wearing the purple N.

Yale School of Management Silver Scholars Program

Yale’s program works slightly differently from the other deferred admissions programs on this list. College seniors earn their MBA in a fast-tracked, three-year format immediately after they complete their undergraduate degree. The program structure is as follows: Year 1 covers the core curriculum, Year 2 involves a full-time internship, and Year 3 comprises electives. The opportunity to develop academic skills while simultaneously gaining professional experience is a unique one. In addition, Silver Scholars learn alongside students from Yale’s traditional MBA program. Access to knowledge and experience? Check!

Yale says, “Silver Scholars are chosen for their combination of intelligence and common sense, maturity and curiosity, passion and compassion. Each has made a difference and distinguished themselves in a particular field of interest.” You’ll need to ensure that you really stand out through the application process (which is largely the same as for the traditional MBA program). Remember, you’ll be studying alongside students with five years of professional experience. You’ll need to convince the adcom that you have what it takes to contribute to classroom discussion and debate.

Chicago Booth Scholars Program

Chicago Booth’s program is open to students who plan to pursue either the full-time or part-time MBA and allows candidates to apply before they graduate from college, then defer and gain professional experience for two to five years before enrolling in one of the school’s MBA programs. Booth cites flexibility as one of the major differentiators. Booth Scholars have the option of pursuing the Evening MBA or Weekend MBA, if one of those programs is a better fit with their career objectives.

Booth says that candidates for the Scholars Program “demonstrate intellectual curiosity, personal maturity, competitive scores, and leadership” and that they “have a history of substantive internships or part-time jobs and/or an entrepreneurial spirit.” The application essays make clear that successful candidates need to be able to articulate their career goals and where the MBA fits in. The school wants intelligent, independent thinkers with a considered career map. Although one’s professional goals can change during the deferment period, of course, the adcom wants to see that candidates have taken the time to think through their career path and how attending Booth aligns with it.

UVA Darden Future Year Scholars Program

Darden’s program allows final-year undergraduate students, or full-time master’s students without work experience, to work for two to five years before starting their MBA studies. Student backgrounds are diverse, because Darden aims to recruit individuals who bring to campus a range of abilities and professional and academic experience. In 2024, 121 Future Scholars were admitted and were in the deferral period, busy enhancing their professional experience. This group comprises an internationally (20%) and academically (46% non-business degrees) diverse group of students hailing from 16 countries and 43 undergraduate institutions. Applicants are evaluated in three areas: academics, extracurricular involvement, and personal characteristics. While the latter of these criteria is vague, the adcom does say that the school is looking for individuals who “aspire to be future ethical leaders and managers in a global world.” Putting thought into why you have the potential to be this kind of future leader, and whether your values align with Darden’s, would be time well spent.

MIT Sloan Early Admission

If you are an “ambitious and forward-thinking student,” Sloan’s deferred admissions option might suit you. It is open to final-year students who will not enroll in a PhD, MD, or JD program immediately after graduation and to those in graduate study (who started immediately after completing their bachelor’s) without full-time work experience, except for internships or co-op experiences. Accepted students can work for two to five years before joining the MBA program.

The admissions process is slightly different for Early Admission candidates, and the application calendar differs for non-MIT undergrads. Candidates are required to submit a 300-word cover letter demonstrating their fit with the school. MIT is quite specific about who it’s looking for. The school wants “thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world … people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative … who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to pre-empt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas.” There is a lot to think about and squeeze into a one-page cover letter, so carefully consider how you fulfill the program’s stated criteria. Additionally, candidates must submit a resume and a 60-second video in which they introduce themselves to the class. This video is an excellent opportunity to show your personality and bring the person introduced in your cover letter to life. A second video is required in whish applicants must respond to open-ended questions that are randomly generated.

Additionally, interested MIT students who have a cumulative GPA of 4.2 or higher are in luck, because they can waive the GMAT/GRE.

Berkeley’s Accelerated Access Program 

Berkeley’s Accelerated Access Program is open to undergraduate and graduate students and encourages domestic and international candidates with diverse backgrounds and academic areas of study to apply. Admitted students not only have access to the full-time MBA program but are also eligible for consideration for dual degree programs.

Students are required to work for a minimum of two years before beginning their MBA studies but are allotted a maximum of five years in which to explore their career interests. Although Berkeley does not require its deferred students to follow particular career paths, it prods them to pursue “employment that enhances [their] leadership profile and prepares [them] to contribute to the mission-driven business community” at the school. To ensure that admitted students are meeting the required criteria, some admissions offers are conditional, and students are required to attend check-ins with a Berkeley Haas advisor or career coach. Additionally, a review might be conducted prior to the intended enrollment date to ensure that the student has met the required terms. 

Carnegie Mellon Tepper Future Business Leaders Deferred MBA Admissions Program

In February 2021, Tepper joined the deferred admissions space with its Future Business Leaders program, which allows students to defer for up to four years while they gain professional experience. The program is open to college seniors who plan to graduate from a U.S. university in the current academic year and do not yet have full-time work experience. The school says that “competitive applicants will have a strong academic record, professional internships, and undergraduate leadership experience.” Tepper’s adcom also expects candidates to have put some thought into their career goals and why the program format is a good fit for them (essay alert!). The GMAT/GRE is waived for Carnegie Mellon students, and admits are eligible to apply for scholarships, with decisions to be made at the time of matriculation.

Georgetown McDonough MBA Advanced Access Program 

The most recent player on the MBA deferred admissions scene is Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, with its MBA Advanced Access Program (MAAP). The program allows candidates who are either in their final year of undergraduate studies or in graduate school – and have no full-time work experience – to apply for deferred enrollment. Accepted students can secure a place in the class two years out from when they apply, with the option of extending this time period to three or four years.

The application process is thorough. In addition to the standard written application essay (candidates have three question options to choose from) and video essay, MAAP candidates must complete program-specific essays. The prompts for these essays ask candidates not just about their career goals but also about where they stand in working to achieve them. Additionally, applicants are expected to describe their personal and professional development plans. So, you’ll want to take some time to reflect on how you can present yourself as a proactive, principled future leader who will contribute to the school’s community and make an impact in the business world.

If these options sound interesting, but you’re still unsure whether you should study for a master’s now or wait to pursue an MBA, schedule a free consultation with an Accepted admissions expert today!

As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management. Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• MBA Acceptance Rates: The Selectivity Index
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants
• Retaking the GMAT with a 700 – Should You Consider It?

The post Deferred MBA Programs and Other Options for MBA Hopefuls with No Work Experience appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

When you write an application essay or statement of purpose, you’re trying to establish your worthiness for acceptance at your target school. And as part of that task, you need to show the adcom that you have the character traits their program values. But how do you prove in a written essay that you really are a person of good character, as well as smart, determined, focused, capable, and creative – without bragging? 

Show, Don’t Tell 

You’ve heard this from writing instructors many times: “Show, don’t tell.” That’s the rule here, too. “Telling” results in boastful claims, such as “I was considered among the smartest in my department,” “I’m a team player,” and “I have the maturity of someone much older.” And when candidates make these kinds of statements without backing them up with real examples, they sound hollow.  

In contrast, “showing” illustrates the personal characteristics you want to convey in a much more compelling way. By sharing selected experiences with the adcom that highlight your fantastic character and professional qualities, you’ll make a far more convincing case. 

Incorporate Real Stories

In this essay example from a law school applicant, we see how the narrative he tells reveals his character:

Driving home from a busy day at work as general manager of our family’s signage and graphics company, I received a text message from the director of a local, small, post-collegiate Talmudic academy. The director was going out of town in a few days and asked me if I would give his class on the Talmud in his absence. The class is given every day at 6 a.m., before prayer, to a group of men dedicated to studying this body of Jewish civil and criminal law. At only 21 years old, I felt honored to be asked to stand in for a man of his stature. Studying and teaching the Talmud is one of my favorite activities, and I gladly accepted. Now, in less than 12 hours, I must be ready to teach the next day’s topic. I’d be up late preparing. 

Right out of the gate, we learn that this candidate manages a family business and was tapped to substitute teach a high-level class on the Talmud. These simple facts with no embellishment establish that his character traits include responsibility, reliability, and the ability to teach sophisticated legal concepts.  

In the next paragraph, he explains the relevance of this subject matter, suggesting a link between the study of ancient Jewish law and modern-day law: 

I spent many years poring over the Talmud. Though codified in the 7th century, its exacting, sometimes tedious, arguments, legal theory, and decisions apply even in modern life. Jewish law applies to most facets and situations of our everyday lives. For example, there are laws, and nuances within laws, governing proper speech, business ethics, and obligations to honor parents, teachers, and elders. 

In the next paragraph, he connects the dots between his work in the family business and his aspirations in law. The attention to detail required in his job feels relevant to the practice of law and its endless details: 

I’ve learned many invaluable skills: project and time management, creative thinking, customer service, and leadership. I have had to develop extra attention to detail, particularly because of the customized nature of nearly all our jobs and because one of my duties is to make sure we are in compliance with the very strict signage codes in Santa Monica as well as the City of Los Angeles. Additionally, I review the signage criteria and create a “permit package” for the city, after which we hope to obtain the permit without too much bureaucratic aggravation. 

He also discusses a part-time job he had at an employment law firm, which illustrates his commitment to readying himself for law school. This section builds from a strong foundation that has convincingly revealed his broad-based personal character traits, becoming tightly focused on how he has gained a basic orientation into the workings of a law practice: 

Because it is a small practice, I was able to speak directly with clients, send out personnel requests, and draft documents required before, during, and after litigation. Although I enjoyed learning about the various stages of the civil litigation process and had an excellent experience, I also learned that I don’t foresee myself practicing civil litigation. Instead, I hope to work as a regulatory and corporate compliance specialist in the context of commercial real estate and mergers and acquisitions.

The applicant concludes by explaining his particular interest in the law school to which he is applying, pointing to its outstanding reputation, large local alumni base, employment rate of more than 80% for the most recent graduating class, and emphasis on practical legal theory:

One civil litigation attorney I met – at a World Series party – told me (during a commercial break) that Loyola’s hands-on training and practical approach prepared him for his career better than he could have imagined, and he found a job within a week of graduating.

This essay effectively models our “show, don’t tell” advice. By the end of the essay, the reader cannot help but be impressed with the applicant’s personal character traits, which he has illustrated by providing examples, not simply making claims. 

Now, let’s look at an equally strong essay, in which the candidate is asked to discuss a time when she was a team player. This is a valuable trait for just about any career and especially important for aspiring MBAs. Good examples would be times when you came up with a creative compromise to a problem over which your coworkers/teammates were deadlocked, offered to take on additional responsibilities at work or on a school or club project when everyone else was overloaded, or asked your supervisor what you could do to add more value to your department. 

For this applicant, the challenge was even bigger, as we see at the opening (Note: This essay appears in MBA Admission for Smarties, by Linda Abraham and Judy Gruen, pages 93-94.):

I arrived in Chicago in the summer of 20__ as tech lead to revamp the website of a large chain of hotels. My company, Bright Zone (a pseudonym), was in an uncommon position as a subcontractor to a management consultancy. I discovered that my coworkers’ morale had been falling for the past four months, a casualty of negative attitudes and the widely perceived incompetence of the previous firm that had been hired for the website overhaul, which had ended in disaster. I had been hired to direct development, but that was like putting out small brush fires when the whole forest was burning. I pursued team unification.

Right off the bat, we learn that this candidate has formidable tech abilities, having been asked to revamp a failed website overhaul. Second, her observations about low morale among her coworkers reveal her emotional intelligence and sensitivity.  

In the next paragraph, she starts proving her commitment to her team and to the success of this huge engagement. Notice the thought process that sparked her idea to invite the team out for social dinners after hours: 

I theorized that if people enjoyed being with each other socially, it would be harder to vilify each other at work. Over many dinners, the other techs under my supervision, as well as the consultants, seemed to begin to actually like each other and began trusting my recommendations.

Moving her story forward, she pinpoints the main perpetrator of the negativity. Barry is not only very senior to her but also her friend. Yet his severe antagonism toward the client forces her to overstep her normal boundaries, and she convinces her firm’s vice president and company chairman to take action:

My friendship with Barry complicated this dynamic, but I believed that for my team to succeed, we had to purge toxicity. After two weeks of meetings and interventions, he was fired. With Barry’s negativity removed, my social activities began to have a dramatic impact. We became a true team, as the other consulting company now trusted us and gave us broad influence with the client. In moving beyond a tech lead’s responsibilities, I helped build a multimillion-dollar strategic account.

Let’s recap the specifics the writer offers here: inviting team members for meals, talking privately with key players, and pushing to remove a toxic team member from the mix. These decisive actions all illustrate her maturity and her ability to assess the situation, take risks for the sake of the team, and earn her success on the other side. 

Demonstrate Action

Whether you want to reveal creativity, intelligence, dedication, commitment to social action, or anything else, make sure that you offer specific examples of times when you actively displayed the trait in question – rather than simply claiming in a vague and unconvincing manner that you possess it. Your actions will make the case for you.

Our consultants have many years of experience guiding applicants to admission with compelling, detailed, and story-filled essays. Are you ready to join the ranks of our numerous accepted clients? Explore our Admissions Consulting and Editing Services, and learn how we can help you create a winning application essay that highlights your greatest character traits, ones that will get you noticed and accepted at your top-choice program.

Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Dr. Ali has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources:

• Revise and Polish Your Application Essays
• Three Ways Writing About Obstacles Strengthens Your Application Essays
• Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Grad School Statement of Purpose, a free guide

The post Proving Character Traits in Your Essays appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Standardized tests have long been an essential component of the MBA application process. Alongside academic coursework, professional achievement, and leadership potential, adcoms worldwide use test scores to assess a candidate’s academic readiness for the rigors of the MBA program. 

However, you might be surprised to learn that in the 2024-2025 MBA admissions cycle, 14 of U.S. News & World Report’s top 25 MBA programs are offering the option to apply for a test waiver (see table below). This trend underscores the evolving landscape of MBA admissions and provides applicants greater flexibility in demonstrating their ability to succeed academically.

Two other well-respected programs also offer the option of a test waiver, though they did not place among the top 25 in the 2024 U.S. News ranking. Washington Foster (#27) accepts the GMAT and GRE and considers waivers for candidates “who demonstrate strong quantitative skills through their prior academic work and recent professional experiences.” Notre Dame Mendoza (#30) – which also accepts the GMAT and GRE – places more weight on other factors, such as a candidate’s undergraduate GPA and the rigor of courses taken.

In general, most applicants to top full-time MBA programs will take the GMAT or GRE, and we continue to field many questions about them, including the following:  

• Is there an advantage to taking one exam over the other? 
• What are the secrets to studying effectively and beating test anxiety?
• How can I get the best possible score? 

We will address these questions a little later in this post, but first, let’s lay out the broader set of options and discuss the circumstances under which it might make sense for you to either apply with an alternative standardized test accepted by a given program or submit a test waiver request.

Which Standardized Test to Take 

As a general guideline, Accepted believes that candidates whose profiles are on the weaker side should plan to take the GRE or GMAT unless they are poor test takers. The reason is simple: the strongest candidates are able to win the confidence of the adcoms with their academic stats and work records. Weaker candidates need to do more to prove themselves. Scoring well on one of these tests helps show the school that you can manage the MBA coursework. The quant portions of both tests are solid predictors of academic success in the core classes.   

Of the 14 programs ranked in the U.S. News top 25 that provide candidates the option to apply for a test waiver, seven indicate that they will also accept the Executive Assessment (EA), an exam originally developed for executive MBA programs. Additionally, some of these schools are open to one or more of a broader set of standardized tests, including the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), the Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®), the Dental Admission Test (DAT), and the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT).

Applicants who have notably strong academic track records and excellent professional experience don’t necessarily need a standardized test to demonstrate that they will perform well in the MBA program. If they are good test takers, though, they might want to take an exam to further reinforce their profile and perhaps improve their chances of receiving a merit-based scholarship. In some cases, they might decide to apply for a test waiver rather than dedicating time to preparing for a test.

If an applicant’s waiver request is approved, their application will continue through the review process. The adcom might not approve a candidate’s test waiver request if their previous academic work or professional experience doesn’t adequately demonstrate their ability to handle the program’s quantitative coursework. In such cases, the admissions office will notify the candidate, and the applicant will have the opportunity to submit a test score for the adcom as part of their application. 

Candidates who are weak test takers and whose undergrad records don’t reflect their true academic abilities often ask us what they should do. Fortunately, MBA applicants can prove themselves to the adcoms in other ways, such as by taking Harvard Business School’s Credential of Readiness (CORe) program. If doing so is relevant to their career goals, they could also pursue  or the Certified Financial Planner. Another possibility, especially for applicants for whom these other options are not feasible, is to simply take additional relevant graded courses. Consider contacting your target school’s admissions office to learn whether there is a preference for how you could demonstrate the quantitative skills necessary to handle the rigor of the school’s MBA program.  

Choosing Between the GMAT and GRE

Most business schools now accept the GRE in addition to the GMAT, which means you can weigh your options and choose the exam you believe will increase your chances of acceptance.

When to Consider the GMAT

The GMAT is likely the better choice for you if at least one of the MBA programs you’re applying to doesn’t accept the GRE, you have scored higher on GMAT practice tests than on GRE practice tests, and/or the wording on one of your target schools’ websites indicates (if you read between the lines) that even though the GRE is accepted, the GMAT is preferred. (Most schools have moved to a test-agnostic stance.)

When to Consider the GRE

You should opt to take the GRE instead of the GMAT if you’re fresh out of college and aren’t sure exactly what to do next, but feel prepared to take the GRE. You might as well go ahead and take it, given that your scores will remain usable for up to five years. You might later use those scores to apply to business school, or you might use them for a different grad program.

The GRE is also the better option if you want to save money, will have trouble getting to a GMAT testing center, and/or can’t or don’t want to take the online GMAT. The GRE is cheaper, there are more testing centers throughout the world, and it offers an at-home option.

Finally, you might want to opt for the GRE if you have scored higher on practice GRE tests than on practice GMAT tests. Of course, you’ll want to first confirm that your target schools accept the GRE.

Preparing for and Taking the Exam

Some applicants set themselves a specific amount of preparation time to get their best score, then choose target programs based on their qualifications at that point (including their test score). Other applicants select programs first and then determine a target test score based on the programs’ averages. With this strategy, the candidate prepares for the test with that target score in mind, scheduling the exam when their scores on practice exams are close to that target.

When the time comes to start studying for your chosen exam, you have a lot of text prep options to choose from. Which route is best for you depends on your learning style and the study areas you need to strengthen. If you tend to experience test-taking anxiety (or have struggled with standardized tests in the past), adequate preparation is especially important.

As you consider the study options listed below, factor in the level of score improvement you are looking for, your budget, and your personal preferences. If you only need to improve your score slightly over what you’ve achieved on practice exams, self-guided study might be enough. If you need to significantly boost your scores, consider taking a course or pursuing tutoring. 

• Self-guided study, using traditional books and online study aids (e.g., sample questions, practice exams)
  
• Online courses, which offer a structured approach and usually incorporate videos and instructional guides, in addition to self-paced study
  
• Traditional test prep classes, which tend to work well for individuals who have historically learned best in a classroom environment
  
• Tutoring – either in person or online – which is a good choice for candidates who respond best to individual interaction or have very specific areas they need to focus on and strengthen 

Whichever preparation method you choose, study consistently and steadily to achieve your goals!

As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management.  Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Discover the Schools Where You Are Competitive: The MBA Selectivity Index
• Retaking the GMAT With a Score of 700+: Should You Consider It?
• Making Friends With the GRE: How To Overcome Test Anxiety and Perform at Your Best

The post Should You Take the GMAT or GRE – or Seek a Program That Offers a Test Waiver Option? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Maybe you’re familiar with the concept of macros, which are the nutrients your body needs to function. Achieving the proper balance of macros in your diet leads to optimal health. When it comes to writing your MBA personal statements and application essays, it might be helpful to think of your accomplishments as the macros that can make your submissions the best they can be. A fascinating discussion among Accepted’s admissions consultants revealed that MBA applicants don’t always understand how the adcoms define an accomplishment, so we wrote this post to help remove the guesswork on your part. Here are the kinds of accomplishments you should strive to include in your essay:

• Examples of impact and initiative
• Evidence of having overcome obstacles
• Demonstrated leadership

Examples of Impact and Initiative

In your accomplishment essay, offering examples of when you have had an impact and/or took initiative are what will show the adcoms that you have the “right stuff,” that you have had a meaningful influence on a person, organization, or entity.

For example, maybe you proactively stepped up to boost membership in a group or to lead a team to victory. Perhaps you built a coalition in student government. Or you might have increased sales, cut costs, or found a solution to a problem that paved the way for a critical deal to go forward.

When you are assessing whether an achievement belongs in an essay about your greatest accomplishments, consider the level of impact it had and/or initiative it demonstrates. 

You might now be wondering whether awards count. It depends. If you won an award for a story you wrote that was published, your performance in an athletic competition, or some other “personal best,” then yes, those would be excellent choices for an essay about a personal achievement. More often, however, you will be asked to write about a significant achievement that involves impact beyond your own personal growth. In these situations, an award that would be appropriate to write about would be one that resulted from an effort – either academic or professional – that involved a team or people other than yourself. This is the kind of achievement that transcends a “personal best.”  

By now, you can probably see the difference between a primarily personal achievement and a career-related one. And you might already recognize some of your accomplishments that would be notable enough to write about. 

A good place to find potential experiences for your accomplishments essay is by reviewing your resume. Ideally, it will be loaded with quantifiable achievements, from both your professional and extracurricular roles. If you work in marketing and clinched four new accounts in a single year, leading to a promotion, that’s an achievement. If you work for a social service agency and developed a new intake system for clients that the agency adopted, leading to a more organized and streamlined process, that’s an achievement. In college, you might have been involved in a student organization that promotes career development and leadership among minority students, and even became president of that organization. That’s an achievement.

Which experiences on your resume stand out to you now? No doubt you’ll start to see things popping out at you.

Seemingly small achievements can actually be big. The following sample essay offers a great example of an impact that initially seems limited to one person but that ultimately radiates outward: 

From the first day I was tasked with mentoring a new hire, Thomas, it was a challenge. He had strong work experience in product development from his previous job, but he was soft-spoken and reserved, and had a strong stutter. I felt pain for him as he struggled to complete a word or a sentence, but it was also awkward for both of us as I waited for him to finish his point. During a department meeting, someone actually rolled her eyes as Thomas was answering a question. I just glared at her for being so cold. At our weekly department lunches, which were meant to be a relaxed social time for everyone, Thomas hung back quietly, seeming like he was a million miles away. 

I didn’t understand why Thomas seemed a little slow to catch on to the ways of our department. He was clearly very intelligent. It was taking longer for me to complete my own work because of the extra time I was spending with him on his assignments. One afternoon on a whim, I invited him to join me for dinner at a popular burger place. He looked surprised but agreed.

That night broke the ice. Thomas relaxed and enjoyed his dinner, and I noticed his speech was more fluid. We discovered a mutual love of soccer and political thriller novels. I really enjoyed his company and told him so. We went out again the following week to an Italian place that he chose. On our third “date,” Thomas opened up about a broken engagement that happened just before he started this new job. He was aware that his grief was distracting him, clouding his thinking, and making his stutter worse. 

“I know I’ve not been easy to train,” he told me, “but I’m starting to come out of it now.” After that night, Thomas’s work improved rapidly. He risked speaking up more at the weekly lunches and at meetings, and everyone was patient when he struggled to say something, though those occasions were less frequent. 

I consider this mentoring experience one of my greatest accomplishments, because in trying to befriend a coworker, I not only gained a true friend for myself but also helped him gain confidence and perform to his capacity at work. It was the first time in my life I felt I had such a strong and positive impact on another person. It showed me the power of small gestures of friendship and understanding. 

This writer’s decision to offer a listening ear to a coworker who was clearly in some sort of distress became an inspiring achievement that was both personal and professional. His actions had impact that flowed outward beyond just Thomas to the entire department and organization. 

Evidence of Having Overcome Obstacles

Showing the adcom that you have , such as a lack of resources (e.g., time, money, talent, people), magnifies your accomplishments. Our best-laid plans rarely go smoothly, so make sure you discuss any difficulties you faced. Be aware that obstacles can often work “double-duty,” not only by representing a setback that you experienced and found a way to navigate, but also by showing that you emerged from the experience wiser and more capable. When discussing obstacles, never blame other people or circumstances, or complain about the unfairness of the situation. Pointing fingers makes you look small and as though you are trying to avoid accountability. State the facts simply, and the situation will speak for itself. 

Here’s an example of how one applicant dealt with a significant obstacle: 

My book launch had been planned for nearly one year. This was my first book, a biography about my great-grandmother, a trailblazing homeopathic physician who lived at a time when even regular women MDs were a rarity. I wanted to self-publish but knew there was a huge amount of work involved that I didn’t feel suited for. There was editing, design, layout, marketing, getting the book accepted into the book distribution system, logistics, and more. Most published books are quickly forgotten and sell few copies. I didn’t want that to happen to mine. 

My solution was to sign an agreement with my friend Haley to publish my book. She was a talented graphic artist who had set up her own publishing company to publish her husband’s book. Our agreement spelled out our individual financial obligations and responsibilities, but I had a nagging worry. Her marriage was tumultuous, and she could make impulsive decisions. 

Six weeks before the publishing date, a popular book blogger promised a 5-star review on her blog. I also sold an excerpt to a women’s magazine with more than 4 million readers. I was still doing my “happy dance” when Haley called to tell me that our deal was off. She was leaving her husband and driving to stay with her mother, who lived in another state. She said she’d be in touch to work something out. She didn’t say when.

I was furious and anguished. My biggest problem was that the book’s ISBN (identification) numbers for print and digital downloads were assigned to Haley’s company and could not be reassigned to anyone else. Haley also had the distribution and payment agreements in her name. I could have kicked myself for not listening to my intuition, which warned me against working with someone whose life was so upside-down.

I researched my options. The ISBNs could not be transferred to me, but if I bought her publishing company, I would also own her ISBNs. I had no idea whether Haley would agree to my proposal or how we would work out terms, but the only way to save my book was to do the very thing I had tried to avoid: become a publisher myself. 

The following week, Haley agreed to sell me her publishing company for a token amount. It had no assets, and I had already paid for all book-related costs, except for Haley’s time. She also promised to help me with the transition of all the accounts. I decided not to look too far ahead and just focus on giving my book the best send-off into the world that I could. I named the publishing company after my great-grandmother. 

This story about a close call with a publishing disaster reveals the applicant’s achievement of stretching beyond what she thought she could do and finding a way to keep moving forward to achieve her goal. Making lemonade out of lemons this way is certainly an achievement worth sharing.        

Demonstrated Leadership

Leadership accomplishments that work well in application essays usually involve one’s ability to influence, motivate, persuade, direct, and work effectively with others.            

To identify good examples for your accomplishment essay, think about how you have worked with other people – how you led a team, what you learned, and so on. What specifically did you do in your role as leader that can demonstrate your leadership skills for the adcom? What did you learn about leadership, and how did you grow as a leader through the experience?

In the following essay example, the applicant’s leadership-related accomplishment seems almost accidental but had a profound influence on her career path:

My job teaching in a private school began uneventfully. I had a class of bright 4th graders, with only a handful expected to be “challenging.” I loved my supervisor, Monica, who was a gifted teacher but new to her role as a team lead overseeing the 3rd and 4th grades. In addition to having one class of her own, Monica was supposed to create interventions for struggling students, incentivize specific behavior or achievements, plan events and trips, and offer guidance to teachers. 

Monica quickly showed that her skill set was strong in the classroom but not in administration. She let requests from teachers for interventions or advice pile up, and she got testy when I reminded her that I was waiting for her feedback. I wanted to work with her, not against her, so I offered to help. I suggested we meet twice a week after school to review her inbox, which was when I discovered that she focused much better just by having me sit and listen to her discuss the situations. Although I only had two years’ experience as a teacher, Monica still seemed to value my opinion on handling awkward situations, such as when a wealthy parent who was on the school’s board of directors refused to face the reality of her daughter’s chronically aggressive behavior in class. This case was bigger than the both of us. We agreed that Monica needed to bring it to the headmistress of the school for her intervention.

About halfway through the year, Monica and I were still meeting regularly. It was an unexpected partnership, and it was clear to both of us that she wanted to return to full-time teaching. I realized that the administrative tasks and decision-making came more naturally to me than to her, and that after a few more years of teaching experience and a master’s degree in education, I might enjoy having a job like hers. 

Another person in her situation might have simply become angry or resentful at my trying to play a role in her job. She could have shut me out completely. But Monica and I became friends, and I learned a lot from watching her dynamism in the classroom. Additionally, she courageously told the headmistress about our arrangement and asked if the school could pay me for my extra hours – which it did. 

This was a totally unexpected situation that helped me realize that I wanted to take a fork in the road of my career in education. 

Finding the experiences in your life when you have shown initiative and impact, overcome obstacles, and demonstrated leadership will help you write an essay deserving of a chef’s kiss!

Are you thinking about what you could include in a winning accomplishments essay? Team up with an Accepted consultant for help identifying your best material. As your partner and guide in this process, we will ensure that your selections make you stand out for all the right reasons!

Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Dr. Ali has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources:

• From Example to Exemplary: How to Use Sample Essays to Make Your Essay Outstanding, a free guide
• Four Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future
• Four Ways to Highlight Your Strengths in Your Application Essays

The post Writing a Compelling Accomplishment Essay appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

For most people, career enhancement is the primary motivation for pursuing an MBA. If this is true for you, writing your career goals essay demands laser-like focus. The essay must demonstrate a clear understanding of how you plan to leverage the MBA to achieve your professional aspirations. Presenting a well-thought-out and realistic plan for your goals is a must.

In many cases, a school’s application will require you to select your target industry and function from a drop-down list. Sometimes, you will be given a limited amount of space in which to articulate your career goals. Many MBA programs will ask you to elaborate more fully on your professional objectives in essay form, though the prompts and parameters for those essays vary from school to school.

For example, UVA Darden asks applicants to describe their short-term, post-MBA goal in terms of industry, function, geography, company size, and/or mission and to explain how this goal aligns with their long-term career vision – in 200 words. That isn’t a typo. You are limited to a mere 200 words, and this is not uncommon. Despite the limited word count, MBA programs want to be sure that you have a clear, achievable career path in mind that builds on your previous experience.  

Dartmouth Tuck’s career essay prompt begins by asking why you are pursuing an MBA and why now is the right time for you to do so. Further, the school’s admissions committee seeks to understand how the Tuck MBA will help you in achieving your professional aspirations. The word count is slightly higher than Darden’s, at 300 words, but the school’s prompt is a little broader, inquiring also about your motivations for pursuing the degree, your short- and long-term goals, and how you will leverage the Tuck program in pursuing your goals. 

Wharton takes a somewhat more traditional approach, requiring a 500-word essay in which you describe how you plan to use its MBA program to achieve your goals. The school’s prompt suggests that you consider your past experience, your short- and long-term objectives, and the resources available at Wharton. Like Tuck’s, Wharton’s prompt is multidimensional. 

Each school’s career essay prompt has multiple parts, and the maximum length of the essay varies, so always pay close attention to exactly what your target school wants to ensure that you properly answer all the questions within its “single” question.

Now let’s break down the essential elements of a compelling career goals essay.

Three Elements of an Effective Career Goals Essay

Your career goals essay should achieve the following three things:

1. Provide clarity on your chosen career path, including your short-term, post-MBA goal and your long-term aspiration. Explain why your experiences and interests make your career goal a logical and wise choice.
2. Demonstrate why you are suited to a particular field as a result of your education, experience, abilities, and enthusiasm. Ensure that you connect the dots between what you have done and what you want to do.
3. Highlight specific career achievements. Choose from your most notable or defining experiences. These could be related to your work, community involvement, or extracurricular activities. The experiences you select should showcase your leadership skills, creative thinking, collaborative abilities, and personal reflections about what you learned or gained.

Ideally, the material you include will also allow you to prove your knowledge about industry trends and suggest how your abilities and strengths can help you contribute to that field.

Click here to read a sample MBA Goals Essay and see how these three key elements are achieved. (Note that the school for which this essay was written had a larger word count than the programs mentioned earlier in this post.) 

The applicant’s opening is attention-getting for all the right reasons. The candidate introduces herself as the supremely busy executive she visualizes becoming in the future. She trades large amounts of stock, rushes off to a Zoom conference, hurries downstairs, flags down a taxi, and hops on a plane. As she describes this whirlwind of activity, we can practically feel her heart pumping.

After establishing her voice and personality in this opening, she offers context for her MBA goal. Notice that in writing about her work as an accountant for a major firm, she provides relevant details, including how many years she has been in the field, her bilingualism, and her specialty area as an auditor. This information is her springboard to explain why she is pursuing an MBA: she’s bursting out of her limited role as an accountant. Her eyes and ambition are set on a larger playing field as an international investment manager.

Outstanding career goals essays are not merely lists of an applicant’s roles and achievements. Instead, they have a narrative flow and arc that convey the candidate’s palpable excitement about their career choice. This applicant’s enthusiastic, dreamy first paragraph achieves this, and she returns to that image at the end, where she paints her idealized (if frantically busy) future. She also proves her seriousness by noting that she registered for the CFA exam.

Connecting Your Goals to Your Target Program

Many MBA programs will ask why you have chosen to apply to their school in particular. To craft a compelling argument for this portion of the goals essay, you must be prepared to respond knowledgeably and enthusiastically. And the best way to become both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a school is by visiting campus in person or virtually, attending student recruitment meetings, reading student blogs and school press releases, watching videos on the program’s YouTube channel, communicating directly with students and/or recent alumni, and generally just doing your research on the program and its community. As you do this research, make sure to identify specific courses and specializations at the school that are directly relevant to your goals so you can mention them in your essay.

Summary Tips

• Focus on answering each and every question included in your target program’s career goals essay prompt. Often, there is more than one.
• Highlight specific achievements vividly and in a way that shows that your career choice is logical for you.
• Research the school thoroughly so you can write about why it is a good fit for you and can do so with genuine enthusiasm.

Consider working one-on-one with an expert who will walk you through the process of creating a slam-dunk application. Schedule a free consultation with an Accepted consultant today. We have read thousands of career goals essays and know exactly how to help you craft an outstanding submission.

As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management.  Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related resources:

• The Winning Ingredients of a Dynamic MBA Goals Essay, a free guide
• The Importance of Researching Your MBA Goals and Being Authentic
• When the MBA Optional Essay Is No Longer Optional

The post Writing An Effective MBA Career Goals Essay appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Check out the other posts in this series:

1. Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay
2. Writing Your Career Goals Essay
3. Starting Your Application Essay: Three Tips
4. Revise and Polish Your Application Essays

All original essays have a unique and distinctive theme, and it can take time and careful thought to identify what yours should be. If you go back to the essays we examined in the previous post in this series, you will see that the public health program applicant opened her essay with her theme, which she cleverly presented as a question: “What if people lived healthier lives, practiced preventive medicine, and took precautions against illness and disease?” This theme was her passion for finding answers to significant public health issues. 

In contrast, the law school applicant’s theme was his yearning for greater intellectual challenges while remaining in the healthcare field. While he persuasively built his case in his initial paragraphs, he saved the clincher for the final one: “I feel that my successful work experience and rigorous scientific training will allow me to debate with the best attorneys. Since medical technology and the law in this area are developing rapidly, I am also confident that this field will be constantly challenging.” 

Today, introspection isn’t as popular an activity as, say, yoga or streaming TV and movies, but it’s an invaluable part of this process. Give it the time it deserves. Your essay will be much better after it. If you are beginning to think about what the themes should be for your essays, the following questions will help you identify and define your essay’s main message. Your answers will also guide you toward expressing your goals, values as they relate to your career choice, motivations for pursuing a graduate degree, and professional dreams.

• Why are you passionate about – or at least committed to – your career choice?
• Exploring the previous question more deeply, what experiences in your life (personal, educational, professional) have influenced your career goals most powerfully?
• Has any individual played a major role in helping you discover these goals or values?
• What do you hope to achieve in your career?
• Can you visualize what career success will look like in five years? Ten years?
• What personal strengths, such as communication skills, empathy, and persistence, do you bring to this career?
• What professional skills, such as organizational abilities, clinical knowledge, teaching, and mentoring, do you bring to this career? 
• What experiences do you have that will showcase these strengths?
• After the admissions committee reads your essays, what three words do you hope they will use to describe you? How about “driven,” “intelligent,” and “creative”? Or “dedicated,” “leader,” and “focused”? Whatever the image is that you want to create, identify experiences from your life that will illustrate those qualities.

As you think through these questions, some of the answers will come to you quickly, while others will need time to percolate. Write down your ideas, memories, and insights as they come. Eventually, they will build into a satisfying little inventory, and you will be able to identify the ones that are colorful or dramatic enough to become your essay introduction. 

If you are writing multiple essays, such as for different MBA programs, each one must have its own theme. The admissions committees want to see you as a multifaceted individual and have, therefore, crafted their essay prompts accordingly. These questions provide you the opportunity to display various aspects of yourself, your values, and your personality.

Summary Tips

• Carve out some time for introspection about your career goals, values, and motivation. (That means your phone is in another room or at least in “do not disturb” mode.)
• Develop a distinct theme for each essay required by any program that demands more than one. Use each essay as an opportunity to show yourself as a multifaceted individual.

In the next post in this series, we’ll share insights into how to write an exemplary MBA career goals essay.

Work one-on-one with an expert who will walk you through the process of creating a slam-dunk application. Our admissions consultants have read thousands of essays and know the exact ingredients of an outstanding essay.

Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Dr. Ali has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources:

• From Example to Exemplary: How to Use Sample Essays to Make Your Essay Outstanding
• Three Ways Writing About Obstacles Strengthens Your Application Essays
• Admissions Straight Talk podcast 

The post Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

You’ve outlined your goals and evaluated your qualifications, and now it’s time to dive into the next stage of your MBA journey: program research. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, via rankings, MBA fairs, school websites, Poets&Quants, student blogs, school open houses, and even casual conversations with your neighbor’s sister’s boyfriend’s dad. It’s a lot to process, but rankings often serve as a natural starting point.

Where MBA Rankings Factor In

If you’ve followed our blog, read our admissions guides, or listened to our podcasts, you know that we advise against basing your school selection on rankings alone. Applying to the top five MBA programs simply because they’re so highly ranked is not a strategy that will work out for everyone. 

However, rankings do have value, especially when you are just beginning your research. They can help you narrow down your options. But the key is to use them wisely.

Six Ways to Effectively Research Your School Options

The following six-step approach to researching MBA programs will not only yield meaningful information for you to use in making your list of target schools but will also make the process more efficient and focused, thereby conserving and respecting your precious time.

Step 1: Start with the rankings.

Begin your research by reviewing several broad MBA rankings, keeping your competitive profile in mind. Consider where you would be a good match in terms of your qualifications, and then think about reasonable reach schools and perhaps a few safety options. It’s crucial to consult multiple rankings, such as U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Poets&Quants. Sometimes a program might be ranked lower or higher than you expected but would still be worth applying to for other reasons. Use the various rankings to get a sense of what’s out there, but keep your options open.

Step 2: Talk to people — especially those with MBA experience.

Once you have an initial sense of where you might be competitive, the next step is to get some qualitative feedback. Talk to colleagues, friends, mentors, and/or alumni who have firsthand experience with MBA programs. Their impressions and insights can help you understand a school’s culture, fit, and reputation beyond the numbers.

Ask about their experiences and whether the school lives up to its rankings. For example, you might learn that a program with a lower ranking offers a surprisingly strong network in your field of interest. These conversations help add nuance to what the rankings alone can’t tell you.

Step 3: Explore industry- and function-specific rankings.

If you have a particular career goal or industry in mind (e.g., finance, tech, entrepreneurship, healthcare), it’s wise to look into specialized rankings for those areas. Certain programs might not rank as highly overall but could offer top-tier opportunities in your field.

There might be programs in your competitive range that would meet your academic needs but don’t show up on specialization rankings. For example, Kellogg isn’t known as a finance school but offers much in this area and might be great for someone in private equity who will be doing a lot of managing. And Columbia Business School doesn’t often appear on entrepreneurship rankings, but its offerings in this area are quite strong. So, indulge in some unstructured exploring to “see what you might see.”

Step 4: Dive deeper into program details.

Once you’ve identified some schools that seem like a good fit based on the rankings and your discussions, you’ll need to dig into the details. Visit the different schools’ websites and review their curriculum structure, specializations, faculty, student body, and career placement support.

Pay attention to such elements as flexible program options, the focus of different concentrations, and whether the school offers resources that align with your goals. For example, if you’re interested in social impact, does the program have a strong track in sustainability or nonprofit leadership?

You’ll also want to compare the average GMAT/GRE scores of admitted students with your own scores. While standardized tests aren’t everything, they can help you gauge your competitiveness. Are your scores within range?

Step 5: Attend MBA events and visit schools.

At this point, you should start attending MBA events and school information sessions, which offer a wealth of useful data and allow you to meet representatives from various programs in person or online. These opportunities are a great way to get a sense of each school’s unique culture, as well as its academic and career support offerings.

If possible, visit the programs you’re seriously considering. Campus visits give you the chance to experience the environment firsthand and help you determine whether a school feels like a good fit. A program might look perfect on paper, but if you don’t connect with the campus culture, it might not be the right place for you.

Step 6: Finalize your list based on all the information.

By now, you should have a clearer picture of which programs are the best fit for your goals and qualifications. Refine your list by continuing to read admissions blogs, connect with students, and attend informational sessions. You should now have a finalized or near-finalized list of programs to apply to.

While rankings can provide useful context, your final school choices should be based on a blend of your own research, input from others, and how well the programs align with your specific needs.

This process is fluid, so stay open to new discoveries along the way. You might stumble upon a program that wasn’t on your radar or fall in love with a school you initially overlooked. The journey to finding the right MBA program is as much about self-discovery as it is about researching schools.

Four Reasons to Not Overvalue MBA Rankings

As we have noted, rankings can provide valuable insights, but there are important caveats to keep in mind. Overvaluing rankings can lead you to make costly, time-consuming decisions. Here are four reasons to view MBA rankings as just one part of the school-selection process:

1. Rankings are based on the experiences of others – students, alumni, and faculty. Although these surveys can be helpful, they might not align with your unique needs. What qualifies as a top-ranked school for another candidate might not be the best fit for you, so use rankings as a starting point, not the final word.
2. General rankings tend to hide some schools’ strengths (and weaknesses) in specific areas. There are numerous “gem” programs that thrive outside the top ten or even top twenty. Many MBA applicants have a great chance of not just being accepted at these gem schools but also receiving financial aid. Sure, getting into Wharton would be a huge accomplishment. But what if you were accepted to UW Foster, got a full scholarship, and found that when you visited the campus, you felt right at home? The fact that Foster doesn’t crack the top ten might not matter so much anymore.
3. Averages are exactly that: averages. They aren’t cutoffs and don’t reflect extenuating circumstances or the interplay between myriad factors in an admissions decision. Every school accepts some applicants  and rejects some candidates who have above-average stats.
4. Surveys, especially surveys of students and alumni, can be gamed. Students and alumni know that if their school places higher in the rankings, this increases the value of their degree. They also have an incentive to think kindly of their schools.

In the end, the right MBA program for you is one that will help you achieve your long-term goals, regardless of where it stands in the rankings. The most important thing is that you make your decision based on thorough research and self-reflection – not just the numbers.

Kara Keenan Sweeney has more than 15 years of experience in MBA admissions, having worked for some of the world’s top business school programs, including Columbia Business School, INSEAD, and The Lauder Institute’s joint degree MA/MBA program with The Wharton School and the MA/JD program with Penn Law at the University of Pennsylvania. Kara has guided, coached, and counseled thousands of MBA and EMBA applicants, reviewed innumerable applications, sat on admissions committees, and interviewed countless applicants, including while running Wharton’s Team Based Discussions both virtually and in person. Want Kara to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related resources:

• The MBA Selectivity Index
• Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One
• M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know

The post Beyond the Rankings: How to Find the Right MBA Program for You appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Landing on a school’s waitlist can be disappointing and even nerve-racking. As a result, waitlisted applicants sometimes let their anxiety or disappointment cloud their thinking, but if you’re waitlisted, try to stay calm and focused.  

Remember, if you’ve been waitlisted, you have not been rejected. If you play your cards right, you still have a fighting chance of getting into your dream school. 

In this post, I will explain how to make the most of this opportunity. But first, I want to tell you about some common but unwise actions that really turn adcom members off. 

1. Reacting emotionally

One thing adcom members really cannot stand is having to deal with waitlisted applicants who – perhaps without even realizing it – become demanding, rude, disrespectful, or otherwise inappropriate. This behavior can show up in emails and calls, and even in the form of unscheduled drop-in visits to the adcom’s offices. These types of responses reveal immaturity, self-absorption, and lack of judgment. If you react emotionally and engage in any of these unpleasant tactics, they will be duly noted and could easily eliminate your chances of moving from a “maybe” to a “yes.” 

2. Not following instructions

As a waitlisted applicant, you’re still a contender. Don’t blow your chances by ignoring the school’s exact instructions on managing your new status. Follow the adcom’s directions precisely. Send the schools what they ask for, and don’t send what they don’t want.

For example, if the school states explicitly that it doesn’t want to hear from you, leave the adcom alone. Contacting them isn’t smart perseverance; it’s arrogance, and that will hurt your case.

If your target program is open to further communication, tilt the odds in your favor by writing a well-crafted waitlist update letter or a letter of continued interest. If the program allows, you could also submit a few letters of support written by others on your behalf. These letters should focus on three areas: your enhanced qualifications, the steps you’ve taken to overcome any shortcomings, and the ways in which you are a perfect fit for the school.

Five Rules for Writing a Winning Waitlist Letter

1. Keep it short – no more than two pages, double-spaced. 

How are you a stronger candidate now than when you first applied? That’s what you need to focus on. As you brainstorm about the content of your letter – and then again after you’ve written the letter – double-check that you haven’t repeated material that is already in your application. The adcom has read that already, so don’t waste their time.

2. Update your qualifications.

What is new and improved about your profile since you submitted your application? Ideally, you will be able to convey these new elements and link them to some of the themes or experiences you addressed in your essays.

Have you earned a promotion? Scored A grades in relevant courses? Taken on a leadership role on a project or assumed additional work responsibilities? Volunteered or taken on other initiatives in your department, business, club, or community? Be specific when describing these roles and achievements.

3. Explain how you have strengthened areas of weakness or mitigated other shortcomings.

Show the adcom how you have upped your game in areas where you might have originally come up short. Rather than dwelling on a specific shortcoming, focus on what you have done to become stronger in that area, personally or professionally. For example, if you had weak communication skills, discuss how you joined Toastmasters and are now a more confident, fluid speaker as a result.  

Also, if you have plans to take additional classes for work but have not yet begun to do so, state when and where you will take them, as well as your willingness to enroll in any additional courses the school recommends or to follow any other instructions it provides.

4. Thank the school for continuing to consider your application.

Restate your commitment to the program and your belief that its philosophy and approach make it an ideal fit for your educational objectives and goals. For example, if you are 100% sure that you would attend if accepted, say so. The message you want to get across is this: You were born to attend this school, and the program was created just for you. 

Other ways to prove your “fit” include explaining what specifically you have done to expand your knowledge of the program and how you have worked to build your network there. If you mentioned in your application or interview how the school’s philosophy and approach match your educational objectives and goals, in your waitlist letter, you could cite new examples that support your argument. For example, if you have visited the campus (post-submission), share which class you sat in, who taught it, and what your impressions were.

Similarly, refer to any recent email exchanges you’ve had with alumni or students. What else have you learned about the program through these connections that align with your interests? Offering this evidence proves that you are invested in attending the program and drives home the message that the school is the best place for someone with your goals.

Admissions directors want waitlisted applicants to show passion, not obsession. Follow these steps with professionalism, maturity, and courtesy, and you can be sure that schools will respond favorably to this extra bit of personal effort.

Writing Effective Waitlist Letters: A Quiz

1. Waitlist letters can be three or more single-spaced pages long…

(a) if you have a lot of accomplishments to talk about. 

(b) never. They should never exceed two pages. 

(c) only if they are law school waitlist letters.

(d) if you are not including an additional letter of recommendation.

2. Expressing frustration or disappointment in the waitlist letter about not being immediately accepted is…

(a) okay, if the school is really your number-one choice.

(b) appropriate if it reflects how you honestly feel.

(c) never a good idea.

(d) useful in the letter’s conclusion to elicit sympathy.

3. During the waitlist process, you should generally aim to contact the waitlisting school…

(a) a few times a week if it’s really your number-one choice.

(b) weekly by email or mail.

(c) only when prompted by the school.

(d) every three to four weeks (if the school allows contact).

4. The main topics of a waitlist letter should be…

(a) developments in your work life since applying that underscore professional achievements.

(b) supporting evidence that the school is a good fit for you.

(c) updating the school on ways you have strengthened areas of weakness in your application.

(d) all of the above.

5. It’s acceptable to repeat wording from your application essays in the waitlist letter…

(a) never.

(b) if you are in a rush to get the letter done on time.

(c) if it was an especially strong part of your application.

(d) if you think it’s important enough to reinforce.

[Answers: 1b, 2c, 3d, 4d, 5a]

So, how did you do? 

I hope this post has helped you understand the purpose of a waitlist letter and how to make yours stand out in a positive way. Still, there’s nothing like having an expert who can guide you in drafting a winning letter that will turn the school’s “maybe” into a resounding “yes.” Our admissions experts have helped hundreds of waitlisted applicants do just that, and we can help you, too. From developing a waitlist strategy to identifying key areas you can highlight to your advantage to helping you edit your letter so that it makes the strongest case for your admission, we provide personalized, supportive guidance at this critical juncture. Sign up for a free consultation to discuss your waitlist options. Let’s get started!

Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Dr. Ali has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources:

• The 9 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make on an MBA Waitlist
• The 9 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make on a Med School Waitlist
• The 9 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make on a Law School Waitlist

The post Get Off That Waitlist! appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

Congratulations! You’ve just completed another step on the road to acceptance to Harvard Business School (HBS) – your interview. Now, you have 24 hours to send HBS your Post-Interview Reflection (PIR). So let’s get started!

When it comes to this part of the process, there’s really one major thing you need to do – reflect! 

How to Reflect Efficiently and Effectively

As soon as possible after your interview, sit down and think about everything that happened during your meeting. Try to complete the first three tips on the following list immediately after your interview.     

1. Think about any of your responses that might not have been as clear as you wanted them to be.

Make note of any answers you gave in which you didn’t hit the nail on the head or your logic or story was a little fuzzy. Was the point you were trying to make relevant and important? If not, let it go. If it was, consider how you could clarify the point in your PIR.     

2. Analyze any responses you gave that you feel were incomplete.

Jot down any points you would have liked to have made if you’d thought of them during the interview. What should you have included?

3. Take note of the responses you feel you did a great job on.

Take a moment to appreciate the answers you gave that were on point — where your thought process was organized, you were articulate, and you conveyed your response clearly. Give yourself a pat on the back! But then move on – there’s no need to be redundant or circle back to these responses.

4. Choose the elements you want to focus on in your PIR.

Most of the content of your PIR should come from what you identified in the first two tips on this list. Focus on the points that relate to what you most want HBS to learn and remember about you.     

Because you don’t want your PIR to be only about clarifications and adding things you forgot to mention in your interview, make sure to also weave in and close with a reference to something in the interview you feel you aced – but do so in a way that is additive or enhances meaning, rather than being redundant.       

Also, don’t shy away from reflecting on the interaction itself. Think about what you learned during or from the interview experience. For example, did the interviewer question you on a topic from a perspective you hadn’t considered before? Did you gain insight from being thoughtfully challenged on an answer? Showing that you are always learning and thinking – always open to reevaluating experiences and ideas – can only help your case.

Lastly, you can also show enthusiasm by reiterating that HBS is the MBA program for you and stating how and why the interview experience reaffirmed that for you.

5. In terms of tone, think of your PIR as a one-on-one conversation with another person.

As HBS advises, “Think of it… as an email you might write to a colleague or supervisor after a meeting.” While this email metaphor connotes dialogue and conversation, it does not imply – or permit – a lack of professionalism. Write your PIR as you would a business email: you can use the first (“I”) and second (“you”) person. Keep it cordial, and be sure that it is well written, grammatically correct, and professional. 

6. Keep it concise.

Don’t repeat any information that was conveyed in your application. The HBS adcom already has that on file and has reviewed it. And don’t repeat what you said in the interview. They’ve heard that information already, too. 

7. Say “thank you!”

Be sure to express your thanks for your interviewer’s time and the school’s continued consideration. Your social IQ is on display. They’ve invested time into reviewing your application and meeting with you. Make sure to say, “Thank you.” 

Make Your Reflection Meaningful

To ensure that your PIR is meaningful, focus on being introspective and specific. Rather than just summarizing the interview, dive deeper into how the experience affected your understanding of yourself, your goals, and your fit with HBS. 

Reflect on both your strengths and your areas for growth, showing that you can learn from the experience. Relate key moments of the interview to your long-term vision and how they reinforced or reshaped your desire to pursue an MBA at HBS. A meaningful reflection conveys self-awareness, maturity, and a genuine passion for the program.

Using the seven tips we just presented will make writing your PIR a much easier experience. And the result will be a more effective, compelling statement that puts the final, lasting shine on your application.

Good luck!       

Kara Keenan Sweeney has more than 15 years of experience in MBA admissions, having worked for some of the world’s top business school programs, including Columbia Business School, INSEAD, and The Lauder Institute’s joint degree MA/MBA program with The Wharton School and the MA/JD program with Penn Law at the University of Pennsylvania. Kara has guided, coached, and counseled thousands of MBA and EMBA applicants, reviewed innumerable applications, sat on admissions committees, and interviewed countless applicants, including while running Wharton’s Team Based Discussions both virtually and in person. Want Kara to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources:

• Harvard Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines 
• Rejected by HBS – Now What?
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants

The post Seven Important Tips for Your HBS Post-Interview Reflection appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

You’re not alone if you’re staring down Round 3 of the MBA admissions season and wondering whether to hit “submit” or pause until next year. The short answer to your dilemma is: it depends. (You didn’t actually expect a straightforward yes or no, did you?)

The reality is that Round 3 can be tricky territory. Acceptance rates generally decline as rounds progress, but schools also receive far fewer applications in the later rounds. Scholarships and grants have become more common, and for international applicants, navigating visa requirements can add another layer of complexity.

So, what’s the right move for you? Let’s break it down.

Five Reasons to Apply in Round 3

1. You’re all in for the Class of 2027.
   If your mind-set is “Class of 2027 or bust!” – maybe because of a layoff or pressing personal reasons – then go for it. If your target school offers it, Round 3 (or Round 4) is still an option.
2. You’re an admissions dream candidate.
   If your profile shines with stellar stats, unique experiences, and strong diversity points, you could stand out even in the smaller Round 3 pool. After all, schools wouldn’t keep these later rounds if no one got in.
3. You have nothing to lose.
   Applying now can still be worthwhile if the potential rejection doesn’t bother you (and you’re okay with the extra expense, time, and energy). If you are ultimately denied, you could gain valuable feedback with which to create a stronger reapplication next year.
4. You have everything to gain.
   Getting admitted now means starting your MBA journey – and earning a post-MBA salary – a year earlier.
5. You’ve adjusted your strategy.
   If a Round 1 rejection has made you rethink your choices, applying now to more-realistic or less-competitive programs could yield better results.

Seven Reasons to Wait Until Next Year

1. Your essays aren’t ready.
   Rushed essays can torpedo an otherwise strong application. Waiting will serve you better if you need more time to perfect your story. And if you need help crafting polished essays, schedule a free consultation with an Accepted expert.
2. You plan to retake the GMAT or GRE.
   If you’re unhappy with your current score or want to try the new version of the GMAT, waiting to apply with a higher score could significantly improve your chances.
3. Your recommendations are subpar.
   Strong recommendations can make or break an application. If your ideal recommenders aren’t available or don’t have enough time to write impactful letters, hold off until they’re ready.
4. Your work experience needs depth.
   Use the extra year to enhance your professional profile, take on leadership roles, or gain achievements that will make your application stand out.
5. You’ve just accepted a new role or promotion.
   Applying next year gives you time to demonstrate your impact in a new position, showcasing more substantial accomplishments.
6. You’re unsure about your goals.
   Unclear career goals or a lack of direction in your MBA story can hurt your chances. Waiting will allow you to refine your aspirations and target schools more effectively.
7. You face international hurdles.
   Visa challenges or difficulties securing financing might make deferring your application to next year a wise choice.

By Natalie Grinblatt, a former admissions dean/director at three top business schools. Natalie has reviewed more than 70,000 applications, interviewed more than 2,500 candidates, and trained nearly 700 admissions directors and alumni volunteers to select outstanding candidates for admission. Her clients gain admission to top programs, including those at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, and NYU. Natalie holds an MBA from Michigan Ross. Want Natalie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Five Tips for Creating a Standout MBA Resume
• Four Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future
• Admissions Straight Talk podcast for MBA Applicants 

The post Round 3 MBA Applications: Should You Go for It or Wait until Next Year? appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.

M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2025

The M7 business schools represent seven distinct, vivid cultures – each with its own history, values, characteristics, opportunities, and challenges.

Of course, there are many commonalities among the M7 schools, as well: all are highly competitive, offer robust academic resources, are supported by committed and involved alumni, and attract top-tier recruiters (even in down business cycles). Yet each one is also unique! The schools’ strong, distinctive personalities both reflect and drive their leadership in the MBA realm. They have risen to their prominent position because they are the leaders in their domain: graduate business education. So, they reasonably expect their students and applicants to have correspondingly high ambitions, whether their domain is finance, healthcare, energy, social entrepreneurship, or something else. Although the M7 programs all value diversity, together, they also represent diversity.

In 2025, the M7 schools continue to attract the brightest minds from around the globe, with highly competitive admissions and world-class academic resources. 

Let’s take a deep dive and see what these schools have to offer for the next generation of business leaders.

The M7 Business Schools

• Harvard Business School
• Stanford Graduate School of Business
• MIT Sloan School of Management
• The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
• Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management
• University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business
• Columbia Business School

What Makes the M7 Schools So Great

There are other elite MBA programs, of course, but the M7 schools have an ongoing, shared history – their deans connected with each other years ago and formed a group that meets regularly and shares information. Over time, these meetings have grown to include others within their admissions offices, creating a consistent flow of information across multiple levels. The meetings address a range of issues, including best practices for components of the admissions process and responses to current events that directly affect MBA admissions.

Here are some other characteristics that make the M7 schools stand out:

• Prestige – Each M7 school is globally recognized as a leader in business education.
• Rigorous Academics – From the case method at Harvard Business School to the flexible curriculum at Chicago Booth, the M7 programs provide an intellectually challenging environment.
• Top Recruiters – The M7 schools attract the world’s leading companies across industries, ensuring that students have access to unparalleled career opportunities.
• Global Network – The alumni networks of the M7 schools are vast, influential, and highly supportive, offering lifelong connections.

While these schools share these qualities, what sets them apart are their unique cultures and offerings. Let’s explore each one in more detail.

A Closer Look at the M7s

Harvard Business School, Class of 2026

• Median GMAT: 740  
• Average GPA: 3.69  
• Acceptance Rate: 13.2% 

Immersion could be the keyword for the Harvard Business School (HBS) experience. The program’s cornerstone is the case-study approach, intertwined with experiential learning: students read a case and then intensively analyze it both before and in class. The aim is to train students in complex, real-world decision-making. Students then have numerous opportunities to sharpen this training through practical application. By continuously engaging with classmates from different functions, industries/sectors, and geographic regions in these case discussions, students radically expand their perspectives, thought processes, and knowledge. This immersive experience is enhanced by the smarts, passion, and ambition of HBS students. Outside of class, these high-achieving, high-energy students participate in many club and volunteer activities. The two years of the MBA program fly by, thanks to the nonstop immersion and engagement.

What HBS Looks for in Applicants 

Given its case method approach, HBS seeks students and future leaders who will carry their weight and contribute fully in the classroom – people who have something to say and the ability to communicate it. Further, students must be able to listen, respond thoughtfully, and adapt to new ideas as the dialogue progresses. Beyond the requisite high accomplishment, HBS seeks people who enthusiastically and capably engage.

More HBS Resources

• Harvard Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines
• How to Respond to the New Harvard MBA Essay Questions, podcast Episode 585
• Seven Important Tips for Your HBS Post-Interview Reflection

Stanford Graduate School of Business, Class of 2026

• Average GMAT: 738  
• Average GPA: 3.75  
• Acceptance Rate: 8.4% 

Nothing less than transformation – that’s what the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) is about – both yours and the kind you bring to the organizations and communities you touch. Stanford’s Silicon Valley DNA, highly customizable program, and emphasis on innovation, change, and entrepreneurship shape its MBA experience. Its small, elite cohort goes on an exploratory journey together, and many students emerge in a different place than they expected to when they started out. This journey integrates the personal and the professional – in Stanford’s multifaceted pedagogical approach, building business and leadership skills is tied to understanding and defining one’s mission and vision. Beyond the MBA classroom, students learn from and engage with numerous guest speakers who represent the cutting edge in their fields, and students are encouraged to access Stanford’s various other top-notch programs, including law, medicine, engineering, humanities, and sciences. During the program, students form a robust, mutually supportive network for testing ideas, boundaries, and their own assumptions and inclinations.

What the Stanford GSB Looks for in Applicants

 Stanford wants people who will be excellent “fellow travelers,” people who have – and will bring to the program – a unique point of view. The school values risk-takers and change agents. At the same time, these individuals deliberately remain a “work in progress,” always open to new information, ideas, and situations and willing to shift gears accordingly. They relish exploration and collaboration.

More Stanford GSB Resources

• Stanford GSB MBA Application Essay Tips and Deadlines, Class Profile
• Five Tips for Applying for Stanford’s Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

MIT Sloan School of Management, Class of 2026

• Median GMAT: 730  
• Median GPA: 3.70  
• Acceptance Rate: 17.8%

What’s special about the MIT Sloan MBA program is its zeal for tackling big, slippery, multifaceted problems. The school’s cohorts learn how to develop robust solutions that can weather uncertainty, ambiguity, and change – and students relish the challenge. The adcom appreciates people who lead organically by drawing others along the journey to solve complex problems. The MIT MBA roots its approach in two concepts that intertwine: invention, which entails creativity and agility, and data-driven analysis, which entails rigor and objectivity. These concepts align with those of MIT more broadly. Just as a robust process involves iteration, this program supports its pedagogy with ongoing experiential learning opportunities – in other words, practice – to reinforce and deepen the learning and ensure that students grasp topics and hone skills in a real-world context. In essence, Sloan MBA graduates are able to see around corners and make constructive use of whatever they encounter. They will lead others in the process, as a result of their passion and vision to tackle compelling problems.

What MIT Sloan Looks for in Applicants

MIT Sloan seeks students who are open to following where the data lead, even if doing so contradicts their personal preferences or assumptions. The school is also interested in people who possess both vision and practical skills, who are creative and analytical. That doesn’t mean an applicant must embody these qualities 50/50, but if, for example, a candidate is primarily creative and visionary, they also need to show a record of concrete impact and achievement. Needless to say, curiosity and a collaborative mind-set are also sought.

More MIT Sloan Resources

• MIT Sloan MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines, Class Profile
• Mastering MIT Sloan MBA Admissions: Insights and Tips, podcast Episode 596
• MIT Sloan: For Rising Executives Considering an MBA, podcast Episode 563

The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2026

• Average GMAT: 732  
• Average GPA: 3.70  
• Acceptance Rate: 24.8% 

The Wharton MBA program is big, with almost 900 students per class, multiple opportunities for joint degrees and certificates (from law and veterinary medicine to the MBA/MA Joint Degree in International Studies program with the Lauder Institute and the JD/MBA), 21 majors, innumerable electives (including courses across the many other campus schools), and clubs in several broad categories: professional, athletic, social and special interest, community service, geographic, and cultural. Yet Wharton does not sacrifice quality for quantity. Its many majors are deep and rigorous. Moreover, its structure – dividing each class into four clusters, each of which is further divided into cohorts of approximately 70 students, and then into diverse five- or six-person Learning Teams – ensures broad exposure and drives dynamism throughout the learning process. What students learn from their teammates and classmates will help them take full advantage of the program’s vast resources. While bigness and abundance characterize this program, Wharton has devised a learning structure that personalizes and optimizes it for students.

What Wharton Looks for in Applicants

Wharton wants applicants who, along with being high performers, are actively engaged in activities and/or interests that contribute somehow – this doesn’t necessarily have to be community service, but some clear and consistent engagement outside work that positively affects others. Finally, given Wharton’s extensive opportunities and resources, it is essential that applicants show that they are resourceful – Wharton does not want its abundance squandered.

More Wharton Resources

• Wharton MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines, Class Profile
• Nine Tips for Team Interviews
• Former Wharton/Lauder Admissions Director Joins Accepted: Welcome Kara Keenan Sweeney, podcast Episode 570

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Class of 2026 

• Average GMAT: 733  
• Average GPA: 3.70  
• Acceptance Rate: 33.3% 

Management has long been and remains the hallmark of the Kellogg MBA program – a comprehensive discipline standing on the pillars of leadership and global perspective. The premise is that given today’s rapid change and high volatility, strong management capabilities are needed more than ever. Moreover, they can be applied across industries and sectors. Kellogg’s renowned management resources include two management-focused majors, “Management Science” and “Managing Organizations,” along with numerous other traditional majors. To complement these pillars of business training, Kellogg offers innovative “pathways,” which are cross-functional sets of courses that address timely topics, including “Growth and Scaling,” “Data Analytics,” and “Social Impact.” Students can mix and match majors and pathways, benefiting from the accumulated wisdom of the scholars and experts who devise them. Kellogg has innovated in another area as well: it is one of the first top-tier U.S. MBA programs to offer a one-year option (for people with some academic business foundation). Not least, Kellogg is renowned for its abundant global opportunities, in which almost one-half of its students participate.

What Kellogg Looks for in Applicants 

Kellogg greatly values work experience that shows an applicant’s exemplary people skills – leadership, teamwork, collaboration, and communication – and presents a record of meaningful accomplishment. Because Kellogg’s student body is particularly strong in philanthropic activity, including this element in one’s application is a good way to show fit with the program.

More Kellogg Resources

• Kellogg MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines, Class profile

University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Class of 2026

• Average GMAT: 729  
• Average GPA: 3.60  
• Acceptance Rate: 32.6% 

Academic and intellectual rigor combined with curricular flexibility – this intriguing balancing act is the offering of the Chicago Booth MBA program. Intellectual culture is paramount at Chicago Booth, reflecting the character of the broader university to which it belongs. In the Chicago Booth MBA program, ideas are important – having them, sharing them, challenging them, testing them, and acting on them when the time is right. Chicago Booth has unrivaled quantitative depth and analytic rigor among MBA programs. This is a fantastic asset both for students who want to refine their strengths in these areas and for students seeking a rock-solid foundation in them. The school’s flexibility means that students can tailor their learning program to their needs, which puts the onus on students to understand what they need. Although students do not have to select a major, many do, and in fact, some students even pursue multiple majors. Chicago Booth offers a wide array of options that includes both standard choices, such as “Accounting” and “Marketing Strategy,” and less-common ones, such as “Behavioral Science” and “Econometrics and Statistics.”

What Chicago Booth Looks for in Applicants 

Chicago Booth looks for people who have the self-knowledge, critical thinking skills, and resourcefulness to make the most of its flexibility and strengths and to use them productively. And because the school values ideas, it seeks applicants who will go beyond practical career training to explore new topics, areas, and disciplines and who will challenge themselves intellectually.

More Chicago Booth Resources

• A Chicago Booth MBA Shares His Journey to B-School and Important Tips for Applicants

Columbia Business School, Class of 2026

• Average GMAT Score: 732  
• Average GPA: 3.60  
• Acceptance Rate: 22.4% 

Integral to Columbia’s MBA program and identity is its New York City (NYC) home. The Columbia Business School (CBS) website refers to this location as a top asset of the program. To CBS, this location equals access. To complement the program’s renowned full-time faculty, CBS attracts adjunct professors and speakers who are thought leaders in many areas of business and beyond, because so many either reside in/near NYC or visit frequently. Within this vibrant setting, CBS builds the student community from the start by breaking each class down into diverse clusters of 60-75 students who take all first-year classes together. CBS’s depth in finance is unique, and the school offers special programs for private equity and value investing. Other highly acclaimed specializations are “Social Enterprise” and “Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management” – the latter strengthened by the plethora of major pharma companies within a couple hours’ drive of campus. The NYC location also reinforces and amplifies the program’s entrepreneurship resources, given the city’s strong tech and fintech ecosystem.

What CBS Looks for in Applicants 

Beyond strong professional and academic track records, CBS wants people who have a plan for taking advantage of the school’s resources, for engaging with the surrounding city and its endless opportunities, and for pursuing their defined goals. Because it’s easy to fade into the background amid the immensity of NYC and the dynamism of Columbia University, CBS also wants students who can and will forge bonds with peers.

More CBS Resources

• Columbia Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines, Class Profile
• How to Get an MBA at Columbia Business School, podcast Episode 528

A Final Word on the M7s

With their deep resources, commitment to academic rigor, and diverse student communities, the M7 schools provide unparalleled opportunities for MBAs. While each school has its own distinctive culture and specialities, all offer transformative experiences that will shape your future.

As the MBA landscape continues to evolve, the M7 schools will remain at the forefront in developing leaders who can navigate tomorrow’s complex business challenges. If you’re aiming for a career that will have a global impact, one of these seven MBA programs could be the ideal place for you to start your journey.

Kara Keenan Sweeney has more than 15 years of experience in MBA admissions, having worked for some of the world’s top business school programs, including Columbia Business School, INSEAD, and The Lauder Institute’s joint degree MA/MBA program with The Wharton School and the MA/JD program with Penn Law at the University of Pennsylvania. Kara has guided, coached, and counseled thousands of MBA and EMBA applicants, reviewed innumerable applications, sat on admissions committees, and interviewed countless applicants, including while running Wharton’s Team Based Discussions both virtually and in person. Want Kara to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

The post M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2025 appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.