Applicants accepted at multiple top business schools attribute their success to how they highlighted the ways they differed from the typical MBA student.
“It can be tempting to try to fashion yourself as a well-rounded applicant, but that approach can get you lost in the crowd, especially if you have more of a traditional applicant background,” Arjun Venkataswamy, a prospective student who was admitted in this MBA admissions cycle to the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, said via email.
“Instead of laying out all of your positive traits and experiences, focus on the things that make you unique to a particular program and flesh those characteristics and experiences out into a compelling story,” he said.
Rather than shying away from the fact that he had a nontraditional job for an MBA applicant, Venkataswamy emphasized how his experience in the technology and education sector would allow him to bring a unique perspective to b-school. Venkataswamy is a partner and head of product with Digital Adventures, an education company that teaches children about coding and engineering through camps and classes.
“Part of what I tried to do in my application was show how the MBA would kind of help propel me forward in my career in ways that were unique to my past, and the complement of that was, I think, demonstrating that I would be an asset to the school going forward,” he says.
Demonstrate [five key qualities of successful MBA applications.]
MBA admissions consultants say their clients who were accepted to multiple top business schools typically emphasize the unique contributions they can make to an MBA class.
Shaifali Aggarwal, founder and CEO of the admissions consulting firm Ivy Groupe, says attempting to mimic the stories of friends and colleagues who were accepted to top programs is a mistake, because experienced MBA admissions officers are looking for authenticity.
The ability to learn from past experiences is a quality that admissions officers appreciate, Aggarwal says, regardless of whether a person’s background is unusual. She says that what sets her clients who have been admitted to multiple MBA programs apart from others is their ability to eloquently explain why their experiences mattered.
Learn from [an accepted MBA applicant’s resume.]
Here are four other tips from experts on how to maximize the chances of getting multiple MBA program acceptances.
1. Apply to schools that match career goals and academic interests: Misha Kaura, a fashion entrepreneur who was recently admitted to several elite MBA programs, says she targeted b-schools that offered both retail-oriented student clubs and strategy specializations.
“I spent a lot of time studying myself, analyzing my strengths, and determining my lifelong goals before I even started to think about where I might apply,” Kaura, CEO of Darlinghurst Enterprises, said via email.
2. Research target schools and customize each application: “The more research one does on a school and how its curriculum can help them get to where they want to go, the better,” Jeff Magnuson, a 2011 MBA graduate from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, said via email.
“The admissions folks read hundreds, if not thousands, of essays a year. They can spot the generic essays that could apply to any school.”
Read [two successful MBA admissions essays.]
3. Highlight extracurricular activities, not just professional accomplishments: Nisha Trivedi, a 2012 alumna of the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor’s Ross School of Business who was accepted to three other top-20 MBA programs, says she emphasized her extracurricular activities — including her extensive volunteerism — in her MBA applications.
Trivedi, a senior consultant at admissions consulting firm mbaMission, urges applicants to remember that their professional accomplishments aren’t the only ones that count. She suggests writing about extracurricular activities in short-answer essay responses.
“Often there’s an opportunity to communicate personal experiences or accomplishments outside of work,” she says. “So I’d say to people, definitely take advantage of that opportunity.”
4. Retake the GMAT if needed: Venkataswamy from Digital Adventures says MBA applicants shouldn’t get discouraged if their first GMAT score isn’t as high as they’d hoped.
“If you approach the test with a growth mindset, it’s possible to dramatically improve your scores,” he said via email. “I had to take the GMAT more than once to get a score I was satisfied with. It will take time and planning, though, so don’t wait until the last minute.”
Searching for a business school? Get our complete rankings of Best Business Schools.
More from U.S. News
10 Ingredients of a Strong MBA Resume
10 Mistakes to Avoid in MBA Applications
MBA Recommendations That Counted
How to Get Into Multiple Top Business Schools originally appeared on usnews.com
