Advice from Former MBA Admissions Officers
You probably already know that we have a diverse group of MBAs on the Stacy Blackman Consulting team. We each bring something unique to the table that can benefit the rest of our staff (and our clients). This week we thought the timing was right to highlight consultants who have previous adcom experience. We’re proud to have former MBA admissions officers from all of the top MBA programs on our team!
In addition to directly advising applicants, our ex-adcom consultants help with Flight Test reviews for each of our All-In clients. They also contribute their inside knowledge of the admissions process to our internal message boards (so that our entire team can benefit from their experience). Furthermore, they also weigh in on program-specific or client-specific questions when the need arises.
We asked these valuable resources to share their insights with those of you gearing up to submit your materials in Round 2. Here’s (some of) what our former MBA admissions officers on the team had to say. We’ll cover the rest in a future post, so stay tuned.
Insider Intel from SBC’s Former MBA Admissions Officers
- The adcom will spend about 20 minutes in total reading all of your application materials.
- During the early part of the screening process in each round, adcom members may review as many as 50 to 100 applications per day. Details and unique stories about your background can make you stand out from the crowd.
- At least two individuals read each application: either two adcom members or a contract reader does the first pass, followed by an adcom member.
- Admissions teams will often compare applicants from the same industry, the same firm, or even the same office location. Your toughest competition may work just a few “virtual” cubicles away.
- The application questionnaire is one of the most overlooked opportunities to highlight your accomplishments. Many candidates copy text from their resume into the application. Instead, you should view it as an opportunity to add rich details and expand on your limited resume bullet points.
- You can take the GMAT or GRE as many times as you want. Adcom members like to see you keep trying to improve your score (assuming it needs improvement).
Heed this sound advice when it comes to your applications (and life in general):
Ready to get serious about your MBA applications? Take advantage of a free consultation with one of our former MBA admissions officers!
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