The following post is written by Sodany Sor, a graduating MBA student at the Wharton School.
As the workplace becomes increasingly competitive, more people are looking at an MBA as a way to distinguish themselves. The benefits of attending a top-tier business school are numerous: rigorous academic and leadership training, a powerful student and alumni network, and access to prestigious employers who make on-campus recruitment visits. Thus, it makes sense to see MBA candidates spending hours perfecting their applications. But, it can take only one mistake to undo all that hard work. Here are 5 mistakes that I commonly see when consulting business school candidates:
1. Not knowing “your story”: All business school applications will ask about your short- and long-term goals and how you arrived at them. The personal, professional, academic and/or extracurricular experiences you cite should logically support your future objectives. If they don’t, be prepared for skepticism from the admissions committee. The committee will be identifying candidates they believe will have trouble convincing future employers of their desire to switch careers. Do yourself a favor in both the admissions and recruiting process: craft a believable story with a clear plan toward achieving your goals.
2. Not answering essay questions: Several of my classmates who read applications for Wharton tell me that a surprising number of candidates will submit beautifully written essays that simply ignore the essay prompt or sugarcoat mistakes. When answering a “failure” essay question, do not write about a situation gone awry because of factors beyond your control. You wind up circling the issue and demonstrating a lack of self-awareness by answering the question without really answering.
3. Not quantifying: I have read many resumes and essays where the “results” portion is extremely lacking. Some resume bullet points sound more like generic job descriptions from a Monster.com posting than a candidate’s actual accomplishments. Even if you don’t know the exact number of additional dollar sales that resulted from your actions, provide a conservative percentage estimate. Alternatively, talk about organizational improvements if financial measures are lacking.
4. Not taking advantage of every section of the application: Recommendations, for instance. Since applicants don’t write recommendations, many of them view this section as being out of their control. Not true. You can definitely guide your recommenders. Most likely you will be asking your superiors for recommendations to business school. And most likely those superiors will be senior people with limited time and many recommendation requests. Help them help you. Give them not only your resume, but also a detailed list of characteristics (both strengths and improvement areas) and points you would like them to highlight. Are there stories you haven’t managed to squeeze into your 500-word essays? If so, your recommenders can provide that color to the admissions committee.
5. Not providing a convincing reason for “Why School X”: Admissions may be partly a crapshoot, but it’s also a yield game. The admissions committee favors candidates they believe will come to their school after being admitted. Higher yield = higher ranking. Convince the committee that you will help their ranking by providing concrete reasons for why you are interested in that particular school. Do your research early (it will only help you in your decision-making process further on) by attending classes and information sessions and by speaking with current students and alumni. Then, in your application, showcase your knowledge about the school’s program and make clear how their program aligns with personal objectives and goals. If you have a first-choice school, make that preference known at your interview.
You may not be able to change your GMAT score or college transcript, but these five tips are certainly within your control. Good luck!
About the author: Sodany Sor is currently a second year student at Wharton majoring in Marketing and Operations. Prior to Wharton, she provided M&A consulting services to private equity clients at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She also worked at General Electric, marketing the launch of an internal professional networking website. After Wharton, she plans to return to her summer employer, Procter & Gamble, as an assistant brand manager. Sodany graduated cum laude from Yale University with a degree in Economics, and can be contacted at sodany.sor@aya.yale.edu for admissions and recruiting consultation.
That’s really good advice. You have be honest and direct about your successes and failures, and probably most importantly, the admissions officers do want to see why you are choosing that particular school. Knowing the area, the local job market, and even the dating scene are good to know for essays and interviews. It shows you are interested in that school.