Beware the Urban Legends of MBA Admissions!

True of False?

1. You increase your chances of admission to an MBA program if you get a famous person to write your letter of recommendation.

2. Being admitted from the waitlist means that you’re a “second-class” student.

3. If you are 29, you’re too old to get an MBA.

4. Don’t let an MBA program know which schools you are applying to, because they could negatively influence your applications at the other schools.

Answers:

1. False

2. False

3. False

4. False

Yes, all false. And yet, these are very common fears of MBA applicants. I call them the “Urban Legends of MBA Admissions.” Well-meaning MBA applicants and others pass around these statements as fact. MBA Admissions offices frequently receive these questions in their email in-boxes.

Many applicants view the MBA admissions process as a mysterious process fraught with dire pitfalls. In reality, each MBA admissions team is working strategically to admit and yield the group of MBA applicants that best fit the goals of their institution. Every school knows how many applicants and admits they need in order to meet their target (statistically speaking). MBA programs want to admit the best candidates for the right reasons.

In my 15 years as Director of MBA Admissions and now as an MBA Admissions Consultant, I commonly see MBA applicants who speculate with their fellow applicants to figure out the “game” of MBA admissions. It’s human nature to want to understand information that is unknown or not apparent to us.

I encourage MBA applicants to approach the process with solid information and confidence. Don’t be drawn like a moth to a flame by the urban legends. Seek your information from the schools directly or from a truly reliable source. Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions about the Urban Legends of MBA Admissions. And, in my free time, maybe I’ll work on an “MBA edition” of Snopes! [spoiler][/spoiler]