Getting a Master of Business Administration (MBA) can teach you invaluable skills and take your career to the next level. But getting into business school, especially a highly ranked one, is not an easy feat. How can you send off an impressive application that will get you noticed by the admissions committee?
By understanding exactly what business schools look for, you can make your candidacy the best it can be.
How to get into business school
Here are our seven tips on how to improve your chances of getting into business school, as well as some thoughts on why a solid application is so important.
1. Figure out your goals
2. Find the right MBA program
3. Get some professional experience first
4. Gather letters of recommendation
5. Study long and hard for the GMAT
6. Apply for first-round admissions
7. Start early
Why it’s important to apply to business school the right way
1. Figure out your goals
This first step may seem obvious, but it’s essential. Only by identifying your personal and professional goals will you be able to articulate them in an application.
Admissions committees want applicants who set clear goals for themselves. So in your application essay, get specific about why you’re applying and what your goals are. That way, admissions officers might set aside space for you in the next incoming class.
When considering how to get into business school, think about what makes you special. Before you start applying, ask yourself how the degree will advance your professional career. Then, consider what unique qualities you have that will make you stand out from the pack.
2. Find the right MBA program
Dr. Don Martin, a higher education admissions expert, encourages you to learn about a school’s educational philosophy and class sizes before applying to business school.
Figure out whether the student community is more conservative or liberal, individualistic or collaborative, Martin told Student Loan Hero.
Before investing your time and money, find a program that offers the best cultural fit for you. Not only will you get more from your experience, but you could increase your chances of getting in. Admissions officers are looking for candidates who will do well on campus.
Harvard Business School, for instance, is looking for leaders who are vocal and involved in their communities. Once you find your right program, you can communicate what makes you the perfect fit in your application.
3. Get some professional experience first
Most business schools aren’t interested in students straight out of college. Instead, they prefer people who have had a few years of professional experience under their belt.
Admissions company Magoosh suggests that you work for three to five years before applying to business school for an MBA. The average age of MBA students, in fact, is 27 to 29.
By working for a few years, you’ll gain professional skills that will help you in business school. Plus, you’ll get the chance to network with colleagues, learn about workplace cultures and clarify your own career goals.
4. Gather letters of recommendation
When figuring out how to get into business school, focus on business school requirements. This often includes two to three letters of recommendation. Admissions officers want to learn about you holistically. They’re interested not just in your grades and test scores, but also in your relationships with managers and professors.
Letters of recommendation are a chance to offer insight into your personality and the contributions you’ve made at school or work. To get good letters of recommendation, seek out people who know you well and are happy to support you.
Ask a few months ahead of your deadlines so that your recommenders have time to produce an outstanding letter. Additionally, take the time to sit down with your recommenders and talk about your ideas. By sharing your thoughts, you can make sure the letter is more in-depth.
5. Study long and hard for the GMAT
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a major hurdle you’ll have to jump if you want to go to business school. Most schools require the GMAT for admission.
This fast-paced test will measure your analytical and quantitative skills. It’s especially tough for anyone who hasn’t taken a math class in a few years. The GMAT is scored out of 800, but the average score for all test-takers in 2019 was only 561.27, according to Magoosh.
Schools usually don’t set a score cutoff. However, you can learn about business school requirements by researching the average scores of accepted students. Harvard Business School, for instance, has an average GMAT score of 731.
Since the GMAT is so tough, leave yourself several months so you can take it more than once. There is one forgiving aspect of this otherwise brutal test: The GMAT shows you your scores right after you finish.
You can choose whether to cancel your scores or send them to schools. If you cancel, the schools will never see your unsatisfactory test performance.
6. Apply for first-round admissions
Most business schools have several rounds of admissions. The first tends to be in the fall, the second sometime in January and the third in the spring.
Schools continue to let in applicants until all slots are full. That means they have the greatest number of spaces available in the first round.
If you can, aim to meet a first-round admissions deadline. That way, you can maximize your chances of acceptance for the following year.
Just be sure that accepting early admission doesn’t adversely affect your financial aid possibilities. It might not leave you enough time to compare award letters from multiple schools, for example.
7. Start early
As you can tell, there are a lot of moving parts to a business school application. You need to research MBA program requirements, gather letters of recommendation, take the GMAT and more.
All of this preparation takes months, if not years, of planning. Business school admissions are competitive, so don’t rush the process.
Start early so you can send off the strongest possible application. If you’re running out of time, it could make sense to wait until the following year to apply.
Applying to business school the right way
An MBA is a highly respected degree in the business world, and it has among the highest returns on investment. It can lead to a world of opportunities, whether you want to move up in a company or start your own enterprise.
Plus, you can develop a vast network of contacts over the two years of your program. Before applying, take the time to clarify your goals and find the right programs by researching MBA program requirements. Given how large a role your school could play in setting the tone for your career, it’s worth the effort now to nail your application to the best of your ability.
Once you’ve done some soul-searching and put together the strongest application you can, it’ll be time to focus on covering your cost of attendance. If your school’s financial aid package leaves you hanging, investigate your private student loan options to fill in any final gaps.
Andrew Pentis contributed to this report.
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Earnest DisclosuresInterest Rate Disclosure Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 2.59% APR to 5.79% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 1.88% APR to 5.64% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). For variable rate loans, although the interest rate will vary after you are approved, the interest rate will never exceed 36% (the maximum allowable for these loans). Earnest variable interest rate student loan refinance loans are based on a publicly available index, the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Your rate will be calculated each month by adding a margin between 2.04% and 5.8% to the one month LIBOR. Earnest rate ranges are current as of 6/8/2021, and are subject to change based on market conditions. Auto Pay Discount Disclosure You can take advantage of the Auto Pay interest rate reduction by setting up and maintaining active and automatic ACH withdrawal of your loan payment. 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CommonBond DisclosuresOffered terms are subject to change and state law restriction. Loans are offered by CommonBond Lending, LLC (NMLS # 1175900), NMLS Consumer Access. If you are approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your credit profile, your application, the loan term selected and will be within the ranges of rates shown. All Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed assume borrowers enroll in auto pay and account for the 0.25% reduction in interest rate. All variable rates are based on a 1-month LIBOR assumption of 0.15% effective Jan 1, 2021 and may increase after consummation. 5 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi DisclosuresFixed rates from 2.74% APR to 6.74% APR (with autopay). Variable rates from 2.25% APR to 6.39% APR (with autopay). All variable rates are based on the 1-month LIBOR and may increase after consummation if LIBOR increases; see more at SoFi.com/legal/#1. If approved for a loan your rate will depend on a variety of factors such as your credit profile, your application and your selected loan terms. Your rate will be within the ranges of rates listed above. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Lending Corp. or an affiliate (dba SoFi), a lender licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Financing Law, license #6054612; NMLS #1121636 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Additional terms and conditions apply; see SoFi.com/eligibility for details. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. 6 Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey DisclosuresRefinancing via LendKey.com is only available for applicants with qualified private education loans from an eligible institution. Loans that were used for exam preparation classes, including, but not limited to, loans for LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation, are not eligible for refinancing with a lender via LendKey.com. If you currently have any of these exam preparation loans, you should not include them in an application to refinance your student loans on this website. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. 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Assumptions: Repayment examples above assume a loan amount of $10,000 with repayment beginning immediately following disbursement. Repayment examples do not include the 0.25% AutoPay Discount. Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): This term represents the actual cost of financing to the borrower over the life of the loan expressed as a yearly rate. Interest Rate: A simple annual rate that is applied to an unpaid balance. Variable Rates: The current index for variable rate loans is derived from the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and changes in the LIBOR index may cause your monthly payment to increase. Borrowers who take out a term of 5, 7, or 10 years will have a maximum interest rate of 9%, those who take out a 15 or 20-year variable loan will have a maximum interest rate of 10%. KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. This information is current as of April 29, 2021. Information and rates are subject to change without notice. 8 Important Disclosures for PenFed. PenFed DisclosuresAnnual Percentage Rate (APR) is the cost of credit calculating the interest rate, loan amount, repayment term and the timing of payments. Fixed Rates range from 2.89%-4.78% APR and Variable Rates range from 2.13%-5.25% APR. Both Fixed and Variable Rates will vary based on application terms, level of degree and presence of a co-signer. These rates are subject to additional terms and conditions and rates are subject to change at any time without notice. For Variable Rate student loans, the rate will never exceed 9.00% for 5 year and 8 year loans and 10.00% for 12 and 15 years loans (the maximum allowable for this loan). Minimum variable rate will be 2.00%. These rates are subject to additional terms and conditions, and rates are subject to change at any time without notice. Such changes will only apply to applications taken after the effective date of change. |
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