Over the years, MBA programs have been reducing the word count for the essays in their applications. For example, Stanford’s most well-known question, “What matters most to you, and why” has been condensed from 750 words a few years ago to 650 words in more recent application cycles. While this may initially come as a relief to many candidates, the reality is that being more concise is actually more challenging; essentially, business schools are forcing applicants to focus on

Most candidates approach the MBA application process with the best intentions when it comes to completing the applications, namely starting early and working systematically. However, as the weeks go by, other things start to take more precedence, such as professional obligations and GMAT/GRE studying (and unfortunately, this happens more often than not). While these other commitments are, of course, extremely important, preparation of the applications should not fall to the w

Last month, the Association of Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) held its annual conference in a virtual format where Admissions Officers from both US and European MBA programs spoke about recent trends and developments pertaining to their schools, the broader business school community, and MBA admissions one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Key takeaways from the conference are below. Application volume is expected to be flat to up in the 2021-2022 application cycle Th

This article originally appeared on fortefoundation.org. An important area that Admissions Committees will evaluate in your MBA applications is your professional trajectory. In addition to evaluating your career progress, Admissions Committees will want to understand what you have accomplished in your roles, and in particular, the impact that you have had on organizations and people. Your prior experiences will give the Admissions Committee confidence that you will continue t

Are you a college senior seeking admission to a deferred MBA program? Many business school programs now offer the opportunity for younger candidates in college to apply to their MBA programs on a deferred basis – in other words, admission is granted early for a spot a few years in the future. This means that after these candidates graduate from college, they join the professional workforce for a few years knowing where they will be heading to business school. Some of these de

In this day and age, it’s extremely rare to not have a social media presence; you probably have accounts with multiple social media channels, such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, to name a few. So, what are the implications of your social media presence when it comes to business school applications? This is a question that arises often. While your social media presence is not a component of the formal business school application for a majority of MBA programs,

Business school applications require A LOT of hard work – after all, it’s not easy to distill who you are and what you aspire to do in a compelling way within a few sheets of paper. Therefore, I am never surprised when candidates begin to revisit their applications again and again after they have already hit the submit button. Often, there is second guessing with respect to what they have chosen to write about or concerns that they may have missed a typo and/or grammatical er

As part of their MBA applications, most business schools require candidates to complete short answers – these can be questions that ask an applicant to elaborate on areas such as his/her professional background, extracurricular involvement, and awards/recognitions received. The short answer sections are just as important as the rest of the application. However, too many times, I see candidates hastily completing these sections, which is a mistake. Below are my thoughts on how

If you're a reapplicant, that’s great that you are giving it another shot! I've worked with quite a few reapplicants, who by bolstering their profile from a prior year, were successful in gaining admittance to an MBA program of their choice. Reapplying is looked upon positively by business schools. By reapplying, you are demonstrating a strong, continued interest in an MBA program as well as your ability to be self-reflective and grow (a highly valued quality). If you are

For any candidate applying to business school, this is a critical question to ask. After all, why are you willing to invest your resources (both time and money) as well as your energy to pursue this degree? As you immerse yourself in the application process, you’ll see that this question comes up over and over again, such as in information sessions, essays, and interviews. As you think about your response to this question, keep the following elements in mind. Your post-MBA

This article originally appeared on fortefoundation.org. A question that I often get asked by candidates is how to juggle both professional responsibilities and MBA applications, given the demands of both. Performing well at work is, of course, extremely important. Moreover, there is no doubt that MBA applications require a lot of dedication – studying for the GMAT/GRE, developing your strategy/story, and writing your essays are just a few of the steps in the process. So h

There is no doubt about it – the coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused many changes to take place across practically every part of normal life, including business school and MBA admissions. As a result of the uncertainty due to COVID-19, the MBA admissions landscape, not surprisingly, remains in flux. The Association of Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) recently held its annual conference in a virtual format where Admissions Officers from both US and European MBA programs

While only time will tell, there is an expectation that as we head into Round 1 deadlines in the Fall, there will be an increase in the number of candidates applying to business school given the recessionary environment that has been spurred by the coronavirus (COVID-19). If this plays out as anticipated, the upcoming MBA application cycle will be more competitive than it has been in recent years as people look to enhance their professional skillset while riding out the weak

With the rapid changes taking place in the MBA application world due to coronavirus (COVID-19), I have been getting a lot of questions from candidates on whether they should apply in the current Round 3 for admission to the Class of 2022 (since deadlines have been extended) or in the upcoming 2020-2021 MBA application cycle for admission to the Class of 2023 (with deadlines starting in the Fall). Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut response to this question – it really depen

I hope you are all hanging in there with the many disruptions that I know have taken place in your daily lives. There is no doubt about it –

Applying to business school requires A LOT of hard work – there are many steps involved in the process and there can be myriad frustrations along the way. As a result, the one quality that it is imperative to possess while on your application journey is grit. With determination, you can take your applications to a level that will help you stand out from the crowd. Grit is required in the pre-MBA stage The pre-MBA stage is a critical one since it lays the foundation for the en

Are you planning to apply in Round 3 (or in the last round) of a school’s application cycle? As you may be aware, the final application round is a very difficult one, given that there are so few spots left for schools to fill (while most US schools’ final application round is the third round, many European schools' last round is the fourth round). As a result, it can often be better to push to Round 1 of the following year instead of applying in the last round, but that needs

Are you an older candidate who is thinking about applying to business school? Although most applicants are in their mid-upper 20s, if you are 30 years or older, pursuing an MBA degree can still be a very viable option for you. However, before delving into the application process, make sure that you are able to answer the following questions; based on my experience, the most successful older candidates can very clearly convey what their future career goals are, why they need t

Business school essays are an extremely important element of the application; unfortunately, however, I often see candidates not giving the essays the attention that they deserve. Remember that through your essays, Admissions Committees will begin to piece together your story: who you are, your values, your goals and aspirations, and how an MBA from their school fits into the picture. Below are five common mistakes that arise in business school essays – be sure to avoid them

Most business school applications will have either an essay or a short answer question where you can provide optional/additional information to help shed more light on your candidacy. It’s important to read the directions carefully, as most schools will make it clear that this space should only be used to clarify or explain things in your candidacy that you may not have been able to do so anywhere else in your application. Many candidates believe that they should be utilizing