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2 Ways To Make Your B-School Applications Easier
 

phantombanker's picture
(Gorilla, 588
 
Points)
 on 6/14/12 at 5:00pm
fight.jpg

I recently read an NPR article that talks about how colleges fight for top students by offering merit-scholarships to students that would otherwise attend other institutions. This “discount” is then made up for by the students that end up paying full price. This makes sense, and in the end, a school is really just a business that makes decisions that maximize its brand value. There is really no point in offering someone money for something that they would have done anyways. Similarly, knowing who to offer money and how much to offer to get them to choose your school over another is definitely a practice that takes place.

This got me to thinking about b-schools (something that I have been doing a lot lately). Schools are competing with each other for top talent just like students are competing with each other for spots at the top programs. In reality, potential students waiting around for acceptances/denials are not all that different from admissions committees waiting around to see who will accept/deny their admissions offers. Although the advantage is definitely in the schools’ favor because there are way more applicants than there are top MBA programs, this led me to two seemingly important realizations:

1. You can not discount the importance of “fit” in the applications process.

If after reading your application, the admissions committee is not convinced that you would accept an admissions offer, you probably will not get in (unless you are a “top choice admit” in which case you might get in anyways). If you are on the bubble, you might be lucky enough to get waitlisted at which point it would probably be in your best interest to do some convincing.

I think that the best way to address this issue is in the essays and by visiting the school. Many schools give you a chance to address why them in a specific question, or in the “optional” additional information essay. I also think it is a good idea to visit the school because I doubt that many people would waste the time and money visiting a school that they do not intend to go to – I am also willing to bet that admissions committees are cognizant of this fact.

2. It will probably make your applications process much less stressful if you realize that schools want good students just as bad as students want to get in to the best programs.

Schools are businesses that are fighting over students that will add value to their brands. Increasing their statistics (GMAT, GPA, percent employed after graduation) and increasing diversity with respect to ethnicities, countries represented, and backgrounds, are all things that schools can brag about, and if you bring a combination of these attributes to the table, they can and will want you.

Just some thoughts as I put off starting on my applications and Ponder ways to convince myself that this whole process will be easier than I have built it up to be in my mind. Tune in next week for the latest on my path to conquering the MBA admissions game.

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Xepa's picture

Amazing points, and so

CO
 
Points)
 on 6/14/12 at 6:23pm

Amazing points, and so true.

I do admissions consulting on the side and I did that Summer Venture in Management Program at Harvard Business School last summer. The program coordinators are admission directors to HBS, so I got pretty good exposure to them. They said point blank that people overrate the GMAT because it's the only objective way for people to measure themselves, when admission officers themselves only use it to reject people, not accept them.

Admissions are also relative to the types of applicants as well. Finance people compete against each other; non-profit people compete against each other.

Admittingly, HBS is known to care less about the GMAT than say...Wharton or NYU. However, the thoughts on this thread are true for every college.

You need to craft your story.

You need to craft your story.

You need to craft your story.

If you come in with the similar IB>PE>MBA>PE story or IB>MBA>PE>Microfinance story, you're a commodity. But if you really define your story, then you can show your uniqueness.

And in order to define your story, you have to do what you're intrinsically passionate about and pursue it. It makes your essays easier because...well, hey...you're not bullshitting anymore. You're doing real talk.

And if IB>MBA>PE is your actual intrinsic passion, you won't have a hard time conveying it in your essays. Just let it rip.

You're not a commodity. You're the gem that admission officers want. Treat your application and yourself that way. Demonstrate it.

When the OP said "fit" another way to think of it is "differentiation."

Brady4MVP's picture

Xepa: Amazing points, and so

HF
(Neanderthal, 3,158
 
Points)
 on 6/14/12 at 6:58pm
Xepa:

Amazing points, and so true.

I do admissions consulting on the side and I did that Summer Venture in Management Program at Harvard Business School last summer. The program coordinators are admission directors to HBS, so I got pretty good exposure to them. They said point blank that people overrate the GMAT because it's the only objective way for people to measure themselves, when admission officers themselves only use it to reject people, not accept them.

Admissions are also relative to the types of applicants as well. Finance people compete against each other; non-profit people compete against each other.

Admittingly, HBS is known to care less about the GMAT than say...Wharton or NYU. However, the thoughts on this thread are true for every college.

You need to craft your story.

You need to craft your story.

You need to craft your story.

If you come in with the similar IB>PE>MBA>PE story or IB>MBA>PE>Microfinance story, you're a commodity. But if you really define your story, then you can show your uniqueness.

And in order to define your story, you have to do what you're intrinsically passionate about and pursue it. It makes your essays easier because...well, hey...you're not bullshitting anymore. You're doing real talk.

And if IB>MBA>PE is your actual intrinsic passion, you won't have a hard time conveying it in your essays. Just let it rip.

You're not a commodity. You're the gem that admission officers want. Treat your application and yourself that way. Demonstrate it.

When the OP said "fit" another way to think of it is "differentiation."

This is very much true. HBS cares less about the gmat than programs like wharton/sloan/booth/columbia.

I've made this point before; you're indeed competing against people within your demographic and industry background. So for finance, how do you distinguish yourself? I think at the M7, you MUST have either a brand name company on your resume and/or did something outside of finance that makes you stand out and something you're genuinely passionate about. Adcom officers are MASTERS at detecting bullshit on your essays. They read thousands of essays every year, and they are good at figuring out whose story is genuine. My general rule of thumb is this: do NOT enage in an activity that you otherwise would not have done if you weren't applying to b-schools. It will be a waste of your time, and if you write about it in the essays, the lack of passion will clearly show.

IBTeaching's picture

@Xepa, I did SVMP summer

O
 
Points)
 on 6/14/12 at 8:04pm

@Xepa, I did SVMP summer 2010. You going to the reunion this weekend?

RanMan's picture

Thanks phantombanker, looking

(Monkey, 33
 
Points)
 on 6/15/12 at 12:47am

Thanks phantombanker, looking forward to your follow up.

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