-
Target Test Prep's 2024 GMAT Focus Edition prep is discounted for the BTG community!
Redeem
MBA Applicant Reality Check
When it comes to making mistakes on a business school application, there are many places where candidates can run afoul and ruin their chances at admission. Theroad to an MBA contains countless potential pitfalls.
You might input the wrong school name or otherwise failing to proofread. You could have generic essaysdesigned to impress rather than reveal. Applicants often err by choosing recommenders based on their titles, not their relationship with them.
However, there are also more process-oriented mistakes students make and ways to avoid them. Time for an MBA applicant reality check to help you sidestep the most common blunders.
MBA Applicant Reality Check #1: Unrealistic School Selection
There's a lot of hype around the top b-school brands. Of course most applicants dream of earning their MBA at Harvard or Stanford. But the cold, hard truth is that these schools admit a tiny fraction of applicants each cycle.
Harvard Business School admitted about 10 percent of applicants to the class of 2020. Stanford acceptance rates hover around a mere 6percent. UC Berkeley Haas School of Business or MITSloan School of Management are only a tad less competitive, with acceptance rates of about 13percent and 12percent, respectively.
This doesnt mean you should abandon all hope of attending one of the worlds best business schools. If you have strong stats and varied leadership examples and extracurriculars, go for it. But, should you to fall in the camp of the other 85percent of applicants,then having appropriate back-up schools is a must.
Not all programs are the same. Applicants should do a lot of research and soul-searching before the school selection process. Be realistic about your profile. Aligning yourself with programs that mesh with your academic and professional background is the surest recipe for success.
MBA Applicant Reality Check #2: Scores Affect Selection
As weve talked about in this space before, preparing early for the entrance exam is critical. Then, you can focus on compelling application essays or cultivating extra leadership opportunities.
Truth is, your GMAT or GRE score will influence your school selection process. Sure, each year we hear of that miracle casewhere someone gets into Harvard with a 550. But that person likely had an extraordinary profile in every other way, so it offset the low score.
Use your GMAT or GRE score as a barometer to determine a comfortable range of schools to target. You can go for the "reach school" as well despite a middling test score. But make sure you incorporate the fact that you have a low score into your overall strategy.
MBA Applicant Reality Check #3: Youre Not Ready for B-SchoolYet
A huge mistake is applying to business school before you are really ready. It is true MBA admissions skew younger these days. Now it's common to accept applicants with five or fewer years of work experience. But that means candidates need to be even more amazing in less time.
Have you had enough life experiences to provide an interesting perspective to a class? Will your recommenders act as champions for your cause?
Or is your relationship with a supervisor still new and untested? Can you devote time to improving your test score to expand your portfolio of program options? Would taking another year to strengthen your profile make more sense and yield better results?
Making 100percent sure that an MBA is the right step now is a crucial part of the soul-searching. once you can answer in the affirmative, you can embark on the challenging but rewarding journey toward an MBA.
Image by Kristian Bjornard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Recent Articles
Archive
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009