Last-Minute Tips for Round 1 MBA Applicants
Round one deadlines are imminent at several top MBA programs, and we have some last-minute tips for Round 1 MBA applicants. Congratulations if you’re one of the thousands scrambling to put the finishing details on your application over the next week or two. You’re almost over a critical hurdle. That means soon, you can take at least a day or two to relax and revel in your accomplishment.
Until then, here are four tips to consider as you check off items on your To-Do List. After that, you can jump-start the next phase of the process: interview prep.
Tip #1. If your best possible application is ready, applying in Round 1 may be safer than waiting until Round 2.
Every seat in the class and every scholarship dollar is available in Round 1. The Round 2 applicant pool has become larger and more competitive in recent years. For international students who need more time to process visas and find housing, it’s wise to apply to your target MBA programs as early as possible.
As the Tuck School of Business has noted, “it is to your advantage to apply as early as you’re ready to do so. We can’t predict the quality of the applicant pool in future rounds, so are inclined admit more applicants in earlier rounds. Naturally, the process also becomes more competitive as the season goes on because we have fewer ‘seats’ left in the class.”
Tip #2. Submit clear, evocative essays that adhere to the stated word limits.
Essay writing is a funny thing. Before you dive into your MBA applications, 400 or 500 words can seem like the equivalent of a doorstop-size Russian novel. But once you get going on your first drafts, you quickly realize just how little space you have to work with. Admissions committees want to see focused essays; respecting the word limit guidance demonstrates you can follow directions.
MBA Essay Editing: Top Tips & Tricks
Also, make sure to avoid careless and easily preventable mistakes. You’ve spent months writing drafts, seeking feedback from friends and family, and constantly tweaking your essays. Don’t just “accept all changes” and upload your essay documents. Ensure you have cut and pasted your essays into an entirely new document that is not used for drafting.
Tip #3. Don’t underestimate the importance of your resume.
MBA applicants should submit resumes that are clear, concise, and scrubbed of all industry jargon. Think of the resume as the “movie trailer” for your life, and ensure you’re sharing the most compelling, demonstrative details.
As the Michigan Ross School of Business admissions team has explained, “Make sure that your resume clearly states the progression that you have made over the years. You should highlight your personal successes as well as your contributions to your company’s success. Keep in mind we are not just looking at the number of years of work experience, but more importantly the impact you have had in those years.”
Tip #4. Forget about trying to be the traditional or “ideal” business school applicant.
Avoid telling the admissions committee what you think they want to hear. You’ll differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicant pool simply by allowing your personality to shine through.
“In each essay, we want to hear your genuine voice,” notes the AdCom team at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. “Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, and dreams. There is no ‘right answer’ to these questions — the best answer is the one that is truest for you.”
Protip: If you’re invited to interview at the B-school of your dreams, prep and practice will help ease any concerns you may have about your interview performance.
Now that you’ve read our last-minute tips for Round 1 MBA applicants, it’s time to turn to the next phase: interview prep. In the weeks after submitting, get back into the MBA applicant mindset by assessing your overall application strategy.
Start by reviewing some typical MBA interview questions. This is easy to do since many candidates post their experiences online. Write some bullet points to outline what you would say in response to your practice questions. Finally, practice, practice, practice! Enlist the help of family and friends and ask them to provide constructive feedback.
B-Schooled Podcast Episode #77: Interview Prep Do’s and Don’ts.
Our most crucial advice is to have fun and not let the process stress you out too much. While MBA applications are exhausting, time-consuming, and a heck of a lot of work, in the end, it will all be worth it.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs, from our All-In Partnership to hourly help reviewing your MBA resume. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
Dana
Dana served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School for the Full-Time MBA program and has over 10 years of experience working in higher education. Known as a scrupulous file reader, Dana reviewed countless applications and assisted in rendering final decisions for the Admissions Committee at CBS. While leading information sessions at Columbia and on the road, Dana met and advised myriad applicants� ...
×Holly
Holly worked as a member of the NYU Stern MBA Admissions team for seven years and holds an MBA from NYU Stern. In her tenure as Director of NYU MBA Admissions, Holly worked closely with admissions teams from Columbia, Michigan Ross, UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, and Duke Fuqua on recruiting events domestically and internationally. On the NYU Stern admissions committee, Holly conducted interviews, planned and hosted events, and trained staff on reading and interviewi ...
×Mark
Mark has been working in global higher education for nearly ten years, focusing on MBA Admissions at European programs including Oxford Said Business School and London Business School (LBS). At the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, Mark was the Associate Director of MBA Recruitment, leading the recruitment of all applicants to the Oxford MBA and 1+1 MBA programs. In this role, Mark advised countless MBA applic ...
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