Applying to business school can require a lot more time and energy than you might initially think.  Many applicants reduce the number of schools they apply to after beginning work on the applications and realizing just how much is involved with each and every application; the average candidate applies to 3-4 schools.  With so many admissions factors (resume, work experience, GPA, activities, volunteer experience, GMAT score, recommendations, essays, interviews, etc), how should you prioritize your time?

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Throughout this MBA admissions video, we look at the unique challenge (and advantage) of applying to an MBA program without traditional business experience. We often get questions from applicants who work for non-profit organizations, are musicians, or have worked in another field that doesn’t have much to do with “real” business. More often than not, these applicants’ experiences are much more applicable to their candidacies, and their weaknesses are much less formidable than they expect!

If you’re an applicant coming from a non-business background, today’s video emphasizes the things you can do to overcome your potential weaknesses in the eyes of an MBA admissions officer.
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Last week I discussed the definition of community service and explained its importance to business school admissions committees. Today I’ll answer three common questions that should help further clarify the subject of community service.

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In this MBA admissions video, we investigate how some of our admissions experts help their applicants write successful admissions essays. This clip covers two important steps that every applicant should take — one tactical step at the beginning, and one strategic step towards the end of the process.
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If you have a glaring weakness like bad grades or test scores, you may be tempted to address it in your personal essay. Tread carefully if you choose to go this route.

Admissions committees don’t expect you to sail through life unscathed. They do, however, expect you to own up to your shortcomings and move on with confidence. It’s best to address your weaknesses honestly, take responsibility for them, then discuss how you grew or changed as a result. Focus on the positive results of a negative situation. Don’t whine or blame others.

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In this Veritas Prep MBA admissions video, we ask how personal someone should get in their admissions essays, and how much personal information is too much. One thing that we always say to our clients — and admissions officers frequently tell their applicants — is that they should not be afraid to get personal in their essays. Admissions officers don’t want to solely read about your accomplishments; they want to get to know the real you, and that means sharing a part of yourself, even if it means showing some vulnerability.
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A lot of students write in asking questions about the personal statement. And for good reason: It’s your one shot to really introduce your personality to an admissions board. It’s like you’re running for President and you’re at the convention. You get a podium and only a few minutes to present your case to the voters.

With that in mind, here are some time-worn Do’s and Don’ts of personal statement writing.

Don’t: Talk about the school too much. Admissions officers already know how great their institutions are (or aren’t). Customization is important, but two or three sentences about the school should suffice.

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MBA admissions experts from Veritas Prep discuss what research an applicant can do to determine how well he or she will fit in at a top-ranked school, and how this effort shows through in the business school application.

Gaining admission to a top business school requires that you 1) distinguish yourself from the other applicants and 2) show fit with that school.  ”Showing fit” is a nebulous concept that many applicants don’t fully understand. Consider admissions consultant Jim Fleigner’s take on fit and how to identify it.

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A low quant score on the GMAT (at the lower end of the school’s 80% range) is never good news, but it doesn’t equal immediate rejection. As I mentioned last week, no single score is scrutinized independently, but rather your entire profile is examined as a unified package.

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This week’s article is written by guest author Amanda Albright Turner.

You studied tirelessly for the GMAT, courted old bosses for glowing recommendations, dazzled your interviewer and wrote arguably the best essays in the history of b-school.  Signed, sealed, delivered.

What happens next can seem like the proverbial black box.  We went behind the scenes with two admissions directors—Sara Neher at University of Virginia Darden School of Business and John Roeder at Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management to hear what takes place around the conference room table.

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MBA admissions experts from Veritas Prep discuss what applicants with unusual or non-business backgrounds can do to take advantage of their uniqueness and overcome their weaknesses in the admissions process.

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In the past, we have addressed the prevailing MBA admissions myth that there is a “right” professional path to follow. Just as there is no ideal position to have pre-MBA, there is no ideal life experience either. International experience is not a prerequisite for admission to top MBA programs, so a lack of international experience does not suddenly disqualify you.

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A low GMAT score or a low GPA is not necessarily an MBA deal breaker. No adcom is going to admit or dismiss a candidate based solely on one semester’s poor GPA or a low verbal GMAT score without also reflecting on other numbers as well as the rest of the non-quantitative parts of the applicant’s profile. Average numbers vary according to school, as well as numbers within your demographic group. You should examine each of these aspects needs and weigh the strengths and weaknesses in your application before you can really start to worry. And once you’re worrying, before you figure out how to respond to those concerns.

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As you may have noticed if you are deep into your application essays at this time, there is a lot of overlap among the essay questions you’ll see on MBA applications.  The exact wordings of the various questions can change quite a bit, but what schools want to know is basically the same.  To that extent, most essays can be put into one of these three categories.

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It might seem ironic to some that formal management experience is not a prerequisite for getting into a top MBA program. It is important to keep in mind that an MBA education is for those who aspire to become managers and is not necessarily exclusive to those who already are managers. So, if you are fretting about the fact that you have not had any subordinates to date and feel that overseeing a staff is a prerequisite to getting in to a top program, you are adhering to a myth and should worry no more. Instead, think about how you have simply excelled in your position and made the most of the leadership opportunities before you.

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