The Application Process

The MBA admissions season is kicking into high gear, and I wanted to start some discussion around a topic that my clients often ask me this time of year:

"How can I make the most of the school information sessions and MBA fairs I attend?"

I will offer a few of my own tips, and then I'd love to hear from others about the things they do or plan to do to make these sessions worthwhile. Specifically, it would be great if a few other people could share some beneficial questions to ask when applicants find themselves face-to-face with a school representative (admissions officer, student, etc). Those are high pressure moments, and I'm sure everyone would appreciate hearing about questions that yielded great information and a memorable moment for both parties in that situation.

One question to start us off is: Should you attend these info sessions?

My philosophy is that school information sessions are always worthwhile so I believe you should attend whenever your schedule allows.

In terms of making the most of the time you invest, remember that at these events, you are the buyer and not the seller. In other words, you are trying to identity specific reasons why the program is perfectly suited to someone with your career history and your future career objectives. Questions to investigate include: What are the differentiating strengths of the program? What is the culture of the place? Can you imagine yourself spending two years there? Do you click with the students, alumni, and school representatives that you meet?

Another tip I have is that any connection you make with students or admissions officers needs to be organic - same career history, same career goals, same hometown, etc. Current students might have opinions regarding what to emphasize on your application. Please don't "pit dive" at the end of the formal presentation. Be courteous to everyone you meet, relax, enjoy yourself, and everything should be fine.

So those are a few of my tips. Now, I'd love to hear from some others about how they make the most of these situations. Perhaps, we could generate a list of questions that people have field-tested that yielded helpful information whether asked in a group-setting or one-on-one.