What MBA Admissions Teams Look For (Quick Reads)

It is common knowledge that every business school has a unique approach to processing and assessing applications. Still, there is consensus on critical features which you should include each time regardless of where you are applying to. In this summary of Stacy Blackman’s article, we present the shared aspects MBA admissions teams focus on the most when reviewing a candidate’s application.

Published on 2018-08-23 Ina Iontcheva

Helpful for: MBA Applicants

Read Time: 7 minutes

Quick Facts:

Even though admissions committees prefer to see three or more years of experience prior to starting an MBA, the quality of the experience—achieved results and skills gained—is of greater importance.
Leadership is the strongest quality you should use to demonstrate your suitability for the MBA program, and the admissions team will definitely be looking for specific examples as proof. Stacy adds:

Selected Quote:

Successful leadership examples should show how you motivated other people, bringing out their passions, educating them and helping them see organizational priorities in new ways. A leader's work energizes or improves the work of others, so find anecdotes in your professional and extracurricular background that illustrate this kind of behavior. Define the leadership challenges you faced, rather than in preference to management ones. Collecting impressive titles does not make someone a great leader – helping a team overcome great challenges does.

The ability to solve problems creatively and your intellectual aptitude (GPA and test scores) are other factors the admissions team will consider when reviewing your application. Use your essay to highlight scenarios in which your ability to think critically and creatively brought your team great results. Remember that quantifying outstanding performance will make your application stronger.

Useful Information:

Apart from convincing the business school of your intellectual and professional abilities, the admissions team will need to be sure that you are open-minded and cooperative and possess the interpersonal skills that will help you fit in well with the incoming cohort.

Check Out: Impress at the Admissions Interview Tips and Tricks

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Source: US News