Too many times, as an admissions officer, I read applications from candidates who shared career goals that didn’t quite make sense. Whether there was no connection between their target position and what they had been doing or no explanation of how they would successfully pivot to their desired role, I was left wondering how much…
When the MBA Optional Essay Is No Longer Optional
You’ve already written the required essays that your target business schools have asked for. Do you really need to write the optional essay, too? If you’re a strong applicant who has no weaknesses, low stats, or application inconsistencies to explain, then you might be able to skip the optional essay. But the optional essay is…
Cornell Johnson College of Business MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile
If you are looking for a small MBA class in an idyllic location with warm and genuine classmates, then Cornell Johnson might be the business school for you. While the largest portion of Johnson’s graduates typically enter the consulting industry after graduation (42% of its Class of 2023), 35% accepted roles in the consulting industry,…
The Consortium MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025]
Are you committed to increasing diversity and the inclusion of underrepresented populations in education and business? If so, applying to MBA programs through The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM) might be for you. In addition to having the opportunity to receive a full-tuition scholarship to a top business school, Consortium fellows enjoy the…
Thirteen MBA Resume Tips to Help You Get Accepted
This post was originally excerpted from MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, by Linda Abraham and Judy Gruen, and has since been updated by Kelly Wilson to reflect recent trends and information. Want to get accepted to a top business school? Check out these 13 helpful MBA resume…
UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile
Are you a team leader? Are you committed to sustainable enterprise? Are you seeking the resources and intellectual capital needed to shape both business and government? Are you a motivated, goal-oriented, innovative individual? If you answered yes to these questions, the UNC Kenan-Flagler adcom is interested in learning more about your multidimensional personality and capabilities. …
Emory Goizueta MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile
Emory Goizueta wants to learn about your professional plans, alignment with the school’s core values, and ability to concisely convey this information through written essays. Additionally, the school’s video essay allows you to present yourself in a dynamic and spontaneous way. Don’t be fooled by the short length of Goizueta’s required essays. Their brevity requires…
UCLA Anderson MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025]
Business schools, in general, must keep up with the pace of change, particularly as technology strongly influences business. Technology and analytics are skills required for success, yet leaders must also possess complementary soft skills to be able to inspire teams to achieve their goals and positively affect the world. UCLA believes these are characteristics of…
You’ve Attended an MBA Fair – Now What? A Guide to Engaging with B-Schools
As an MBA hopeful, you will likely attend an MBA fair, which is an event that allows representatives from various business schools to meet prospective students. Entering the fair room can be a bit overwhelming, given the number of schools represented. As you make your way around the room, you introduce yourself to school reps…
Georgetown McDonough MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile
Georgetown McDonough continues to require two essays from all its applicants. Sharing the same structure as last year, the first required essay allows you to choose to answer one of three prompts. The program’s second required essay is a video essay. The admissions office also provides an optional essay, and reapplicants have a dedicated essay. …
MIT Sloan MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile
According to its website, MIT Sloan is looking for individuals from all around the world, from a broad array of academic backgrounds, who value dignity and respect and demonstrate the following: To uncover these attributes, the MIT Sloan MBA application continues to include its signature cover letter and resume requirements. It also retains the video…
Harvard Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024 – 2025]
Harvard Business School (HBS) continues to be one of the few schools, if not the only one, with just admissions two rounds (September and January). HBS uses an April deadline exclusively for HBS 2+2, its deferred enrollment program. The HBS admissions office announced several updates for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. New criteria for admission were…
Considering a STEM MBA? Some Benefits and Options
The U.S. Department of Education’s STEM classification includes college degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. For an MBA program to earn a STEM designation, its curriculum must emphasize the quantitative and technical side of business management − areas such as business analytics, mathematics, data modeling, digital marketing, and technology. Historically, the MBA degree has…
UVA Darden MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024-2025], Class Profile
The University of Virginia’s Darden MBA program boasts the case-based method of learning, which puts students in the role of business leaders faced with challenging situations. Through this discussion-based approach, students are active participants as they learn to make decisions in real-world scenarios. Darden is one of the largest case publishers in North America, and…
UC Berkeley Haas MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024 – 2025], Class Profile & Podcast Episode 547 with Eric Askins
While the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, has made it very clear that applicants need outstanding academics to get in, the program will not compromise its values to maintain it high stats. Haas’s four Defining Leadership Principles are taken very seriously by the school’s administration and admissions team. You will…
U.S. News & World Report 2024 MBA Rankings [Full-Time & Part-Time]
As we have come to expect with the U.S. News & World Report ranking, movement is the name of the game. This year, the Stanford GSB has found its way back to the top of the list, tying with Wharton for the #1 spot, while Harvard takes its place at #6, and Michigan Ross exits…
How an Admissions Committee Views Your MBA Work Experience
As you apply to MBA programs, you need to think about your work experience and how it fits into your overall story. Work experience is important because of what it reveals about you with respect to your character, maturity level, and abilities. Even if your GPA and GMAT/GRE scores are spectacular, your work experience still…
Deferred MBA Programs and Other Options for MBA Hopefuls With No Work Experience
For many business degree hopefuls, the MBA remains the gold standard of graduate management education, and not without reason – an MBA can be the start of a new chapter in your life. Professionally, it can help you accelerate your career or make a career pivot. Academically, it can help fill gaps in hard and…
Seven Tips for MBA Applicants from a Family Business Background
You work for the family business and are applying for an MBA. Will this background be a net plus for you, or a minus? How can you make the most of this experience? Whether you work for your family’s tiny startup with headquarters in your home’s basement, at one of the local grocery stores your…
Four Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future
Schools are looking for and will actively contribute not only to their student/alumni communities but also to the greater community and society. Many applications include an essay question with some variation of “What would you contribute to your future campus community?” or “How will you contribute to our program?” If you are invited to interview, you’ll…