So, you want to go to business school. You’ve dedicated a lot of time to this goal. Weeks, if not months, drafting and refining your application. You’ve adjusted your resume, pondered the short questions, and crafted your essays through countless iterations. Friends, family, and colleagues have reviewed everything to spot any glitches or mistakes.
You’re tempted to submit it today, but you worry something might be wrong or missing, potentially causing the admissions committee to reject you.
Is Your MBA Application Really Ready?
You need to be able to show that you’re the right person to fill valuable real estate in incoming classes at top-tier b-school programs. Basically, all of the many steps it takes to complete MBA applications are related to this key need.
How does an MBA fit into the larger trajectory of your life’s story? How does it relate to where you’ve been and where you want to go? You’ll get furthest in the MBA admissions process if you’ve got a clear sense of your direction, intention and reasons before applying to an MBA.
Consider these three key points before you apply:
- Are specific examples of strength in your professional, academic and personal profiles?
- Is there a relevant, compelling and achievable vision for your post-MBA career?
- Have you conveyed a seamless fit with the offerings and culture of the school?
When your materials give your authentic answer to questions of purpose and direction, all provided in an attention-catching package with the benefits of unerring internal accuracy and consistency, then you’ll have an MBA application that’s ready to go.
Your application essays provide a “window” into your past, present and future. If all that your application does is present a narrative version of your credentials and achievements, then you’re not going to win the hearts and minds of the admissions committee. They really want to see the person behind the app. And the only way to help them do so is to reveal your ideas, values and emotions along with all the facts and figures.
That’s all pretty abstract, let’s be real. So, as a counterbalance to the theory stuff, here are some more actionable tips to make sure your MBA application is ready to submit.
Final Steps Before Submitting Your MBA Application
A ready MBA application is the result of lots of small steps needed to complete MBA application elements, combined with diligence and double-checking on a wider scale. Here are five timely tips worth considering when you think you’re ready to click the mouse and submit your app:
Prep yourself
Know MBA facts before you apply. When you’re well-prepared with key information about your target programs, their offerings and the admissions process as a whole, you can ensure that all of your application materials remain on target in terms of your larger strategy.
Essay editing is a must
Check on your essays and short answers a few final times. It can be helpful to reread your short answers and essays out loud. This lets you catch small mistakes in syntax or grammar that spell-check may have missed.
Have a trusted friend read your essays to confirm that the content really sounds like you. Not too arrogant, not too humble. Authentic!
Perfect your resume
Make sure you’ve used optimal techniques, design, and phrasing to write your MBA resume. Review our tips and tricks for transforming a looking-for-work resume into an MBA-application-ready resume that fully captures your professional, academic and personal accomplishments.
Check for errors one more time
Finally, before you submit any MBA application, double-check one last time to be sure that you haven’t used the name of a different school in the application you’re sending in. (Trust us, it happens more often than you might think!)
Get early reviews
Do you have a ready MBA application, or not? What’s the best way to be sure you have all of these important bases covered? You can re-read the application yourself, but you might still be missing something important. Or you can have a trusted friend or colleague review it for you. However, they don’t have the objectivity or admissions experience to be constructively critical.
That’s why it’s a good idea to have a professional admissions consultant scrutinize your application from an admissions committee perspective. Call it “quality assurance.” Call it “insurance.” Call it whatever you want. But, with this much on the line, you probably need it.
What To Do After Submitting Your MBA Application
You’ve taken all the right steps to complete your MBA applications. Take pride in that accomplishment! That said, we’ve seen that some applicants find it impossible to not do anything after they submit an MBA application.
So, they decide to make a second (or third) visit to campus to show enthusiasm hoping to “accidentally” bump into an admissions officer, oops. Or perhaps they email the adcom just to say, “I really really REALLY want to attend your school.”
Such impulsive actions convey a lack of confidence in your candidacy. That’s not the impression that you want the admissions committee to have while they’re determining your fate. Since some of you won’t believe that “doing nothing” is the right way to go, here are some other suggestions for how to productively use your energy:
Prepare for the Admissions Interview
The MBA admissions interview is the last hurdle between you and your seat. You can support your performance by doing some additional online research about the school, talking with friends and family about your strengths and experiences, or practicing answering the toughest questions you can imagine, such as explaining that “C-” in freshman calculus or the 2-month backpacking trip in between jobs.
Get an Expert Evaluation
Even though you’ve already submitted them, having some objective feedback on your strengths and weaknesses will help you prepare for your upcoming interview or worst case for your waitlist campaign or reapplication campaign. Submit your free evaluation request today.
Apply to More Schools
Yep, more apps! If you’re having serious doubts about the competitiveness of your candidacy or the quality of your submitted applications, don’t just obsess about it, harness that energy into a search for other good schools whose deadlines have not yet passed. Learn more about MBA rankings and expand your targeting sights.
How will this help? Well, if you submit more MBA applications, your chances of getting admitted somewhere can only improve. Or maybe you’ve confirmed for yourself that your original applications are solid, you’re super competitive and you can finally relax.
Conclusion
Applying to business school is a significant step that requires meticulous preparation. Ensuring your MBA application is polished and accurately represents your strengths and fit with your target schools is crucial. Follow the tips outlined in this article to enhance your application and increase your chances of acceptance. Seek objective feedback, pay attention to details, and consider professional review services. After submitting, prepare for the admissions interview and consider applying to additional schools to broaden your options. Remember, the goal is not just to apply but to get admitted. By taking these extra steps, you can approach the admissions process with confidence. Good luck!
