Additional Courses

[dave12]

Hello! I had a question on taking courses to improve an MBA application.

I've read how acing courses at local colleges can help your application if you do not have a quant background or strong test scores. However, my GMAT and GPA are competitive for my target schools, and I was a finance major in undergrad. I was wondering if taking an extra course would still be valuable, even if my quant background is fairly strong.

Do you think it would be helpful / a worthwhile investment to take a class such as a business strategy course at the Harvard Extension School? I was thinking this might help demonstrate motivation, and give me valuable exposure to the case method. Would this improve my application?

Thank you!

[dave12]

In addition, I thought the class could be a valuable talking point in essays/admissions interviews.

[MargaretStrother]

Hi Dave,
Top business schools love to see applicants who strive to improve, even after submitting their applications. However, be sure you really need the courses you are taking. If you're taking a course just for brand value, it might not be as effective as a course that you've identified to target a specific weakness. For example, if your leadership is spotty, taking a course that works on leadership fundamentals would demonstrate your commitment to shore up this area. So no matter how strong you already feel as an applicant, being truly self-analytical and targeting your weaknesses in this coursework would give you even more "talking points" in an interview.

Good luck!
Margaret Strother