5-Day Free Trial
5-day free, full-access trial TTP
Available with Beat the GMAT members only code
MORE DETAILS
A School's Board of Directors
This topic has expert replies
-
RutherfordTheBrave
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2014 3:24 pm
Just a quick question here. How influential are a top MBA program's board of directors (often called Board of Trustees, Overseers, etc)? Do they ever weigh in on admissions or help certain students make it through? How does this work exactly?
-
Kaneisha Grayson
- MBA Admissions Consultant
- Posts: 213
- Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 10:15 am
- Location: Austin, TX
- Thanked: 44 times
- Followed by:31 members
- GMAT Score:620
Hi Rutherford,
To be honest, I'm not all that familiar with schools' "back door dealings" type of admission activities. (I wasn't a well-connected applicant when I applied and most of my clients aren't either.) However, if one of the trustees, overseers, or board members of a particular school actually knows you well (and hasn't just met you a few times and had polite small talk over cocktails) and can vouch for your candidacy, you will want to consider having them write one of your letters for you or perhaps even making a call to the admissions office.
Your question will probably be answered a bit more satisfactorily by someone with more experience with these kinds of invisible modes of influence-but I also doubt someone with that experience will post on a public forum.
My short answer is: Go ahead and use the connection if s/he actually knows you well. Otherwise, it's a waste of time and could potentially make you look bad.
Best of luck with your application!
Kaneisha
To be honest, I'm not all that familiar with schools' "back door dealings" type of admission activities. (I wasn't a well-connected applicant when I applied and most of my clients aren't either.) However, if one of the trustees, overseers, or board members of a particular school actually knows you well (and hasn't just met you a few times and had polite small talk over cocktails) and can vouch for your candidacy, you will want to consider having them write one of your letters for you or perhaps even making a call to the admissions office.
Your question will probably be answered a bit more satisfactorily by someone with more experience with these kinds of invisible modes of influence-but I also doubt someone with that experience will post on a public forum.
My short answer is: Go ahead and use the connection if s/he actually knows you well. Otherwise, it's a waste of time and could potentially make you look bad.
Best of luck with your application!
Kaneisha
Harvard Business School MBA 2010, Harvard Kennedy School MPA 2010
Founder, The Art of Applying
Admissions Consulting for MBA, MPP, Joint Degrees, and Fellowships
https://theartofapplying.com
Want free advice that actually works? Sign up for my weekly MBA, MPP, and JD newsletter here: https://theartofapplying.com/newsletter/
My clients have earned over $3.1 million in fellowships from Harvard and other top MBA, MPP, and JD programs since 2010.
Founder, The Art of Applying
Admissions Consulting for MBA, MPP, Joint Degrees, and Fellowships
https://theartofapplying.com
Want free advice that actually works? Sign up for my weekly MBA, MPP, and JD newsletter here: https://theartofapplying.com/newsletter/
My clients have earned over $3.1 million in fellowships from Harvard and other top MBA, MPP, and JD programs since 2010.
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
CriticalSquareMBA
- Legendary Member
- Posts: 1088
- Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm
- Thanked: 171 times
- Followed by:52 members
Hey there,
Kaneisha is spot on - when we have clients utilize specific connections (e.g. trustees) we make SURE they know the applicant well. Cursory association actually does more harm than good. When the connection doesn't really know you very well and you try to drop their name or use them, it appears terrible and makes it look like you're trying to game the system by throwing in "advantages" you have. Most MBA programs don't want folks like that in their classes.
That said, if the person knows you well - then absolutely ask for their support. If they can make a case for why they think you're a strong applicant AND cultural fit, then an admissions committee will definitely take that into consideration.
This is, effectively, the same advice for any recommender at large. A manager who knows you really well is always better than a partner or CxO who couldn't pick you out of a line up.
Good luck!
Bhavik
Kaneisha is spot on - when we have clients utilize specific connections (e.g. trustees) we make SURE they know the applicant well. Cursory association actually does more harm than good. When the connection doesn't really know you very well and you try to drop their name or use them, it appears terrible and makes it look like you're trying to game the system by throwing in "advantages" you have. Most MBA programs don't want folks like that in their classes.
That said, if the person knows you well - then absolutely ask for their support. If they can make a case for why they think you're a strong applicant AND cultural fit, then an admissions committee will definitely take that into consideration.
This is, effectively, the same advice for any recommender at large. A manager who knows you really well is always better than a partner or CxO who couldn't pick you out of a line up.
Good luck!
Bhavik
Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services
Web | Facebook | Twitter
Sign up for a free consultation today!
We love helping! Was this post helpful to you? Thank us and let me know!
Web | Facebook | Twitter
Sign up for a free consultation today!
We love helping! Was this post helpful to you? Thank us and let me know!
