Receiving your MBA is one of the most important steps you’ll take in life. Being accepted into the best program for your career path could make a huge difference in terms of what opportunities you will have in the future, so it’s worth doing everything in your power to make your MBA application stand out.
But how do you prepare yourself for the MBA application? What are the MBA admissions team looking for?
Follow this guide to make sure you approach the MBA application deadlines with confidence.
Play to Your Strengths
MBA admissions offices aren’t looking for a cookie-cutter applicant. They want unique and diverse individuals who will bring different strengths to the program. You should assess what sets you apart from the crowd and build additional skills and experience in preparation based on the following.
Professional Experience
Many programs require applicants to have some professional experience. For example, do you have years of experience in a management or administrative role? Think about how your professional career has shaped and equipped you with skills that could stand out on your MBA application.
Better yet, find ways to gain experience in business administration through your current role. Volunteer yourself for duties that will resonate with the MBA admissions team.
If you need an extra year to progress in your company to a point where you’re taking on these responsibilities, it could be worth postponing MBA application deadlines. The extra experience could allow you to get onto a more prestigious program.
Academic Background
MBA admissions typically require you to have a minimum of a 3.0GPA from a 4-year undergraduate program. Is yours higher than this? How was your undergraduate degree relevant to the program you’re now applying for? Do you have extra qualifications?
If so, the MBA admissions team needs to know about it and why it means you can bring something special to the course.
If your academic record isn’t your strongest suit, make sure to put your relevant experience in the foreground. You should be able to demonstrate why it equips you with the skills you’d learn in an undergraduate program. Research relevant undergraduate degrees and their learning goals, check out their reading material and do the reading yourself. This will help you build a convincing case for the MBA admissions team that you’re right for their program.
Extracurricular Experience
The MBA admissions team is looking for passionate individuals. Any projects you’ve undertaken outside your professional life (or initiatives you’ve helped with through your job) show passion and determination to make a change in the world.
This reflects well on you as part of your MBA application and shows the MBA admissions team that you’re someone who puts the work in. Furthermore, it shows that you’ll treat their program with the respect and hard work it deserves.
It’s never too late to start working on extracurricular activities (at least if you start before the MBA application deadlines). Consider the kind of help you could offer people that would suit your strengths and that you could commit to. You may also gain valuable experience in leadership and administration through extracurricular programs.
Take the GMAT Seriously
Except for some online programs, most MBA admissions require you to take the GMAT exam. However, the GMAT isn’t simply a pass/fail exam to determine whether a college accepts you onto their program. Instead, your score will be considered against the score of everyone else who has submitted before the MBA application deadlines, and thus it’s another way you can make yourself stand out.
The competition will be fierce. Other candidates will realize that they need to take the exam seriously and prepare for it for months. Mock papers and explanations of the exam’s structure can easily be found online, but make sure you’re getting them from a high-quality learning resource. Take as many mock papers as you can. You should also try to reach out to someone who has experience with the GMAT exam to have them graded.
Identifying your weaknesses and addressing them before the MBA application deadlines is essential. Treat the GMAT as an opportunity to showcase your talents and display your all-around depth rather than as a tick-box MBA admissions exercise.
Know the Program Before You Start
When you prepare for a job interview, it’s common to learn everything about the company you’re working with before the interview. For example, you should know what they believe in, their goals, their past work, etc.
It’s the same with your MBA application: learn everything about the college and the program. Read the syllabus and research it. Learn about the department staff and their areas of interest.
Your MBA application stands a higher chance of acceptance if the college knows that you want to attend that college — not just any college. Take the time to learn how your interests, goals, and ideals align with those of the college you wish to attend.
Practice For the Interview
Research the kind of questions you’ll typically face at your interview. Work with a friend or a professional colleague who has substantial experience interviewing candidates for a role and provide them with a list of questions. Ask them to give you tips on how to improve your performance. Make notes of which areas you seem to be weakest in.
If possible, we recommend working with different practice partners. Learning to respond to different approaches will help you prepare for any possible questions and give your MBA application interview the strongest chance of success.
Conclusion
Preparing the strongest MBA application possible means making sure there are no cracks in your armor, but more importantly, keeping your strengths at the forefront of the application all the way. Of course, you need to be ready to respond to anything and demonstrate your competence, but the MBA admissions team also wants to see your unique strengths.
Prepare for every step of the process, get to know the people and college you want to work with, and make sure you can show that the school is your #1 priority.
