5 Focus Areas for MBA Admissions Success
The MBA admissions process is rigorous and time-consuming. Therefore, having a strategy to guide you will go a long way toward helping you manage this experience. Admissions committee members evaluate MBA applicants across a host of components, so your goal is to maximize the impact of each one. Think of it like assembling a portfolio: Every piece should serve a purpose and tell part of your story. Turn your focus to these five specific areas for MBA admissions success in the fall.
Remember, each touchpoint is an opportunity to tell the admissions office something new about yourself. As we’ve noted before, it’s a good thing that AdCom will judge you based on your entire package. After all, we’re so much more than just our jobs, our grades, and our volunteer experience. The strongest candidates know how to connect the dots across every part of their application.
Curious about your chances of getting into a top B-school? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
Focus Areas for MBA Admissions Success
GPA
Your GPA is a significant element of your MBA application. Besides your admissions test score, it’s a clear signal of your ability to handle the academic rigor of business school. AdComs want to know: Can you keep up with the quant-heavy, case-method firehose that is B-school?
Unfortunately, it is also one of the only components already set in stone. Keep in mind that a 3.5 or better undergraduate GPA is acceptable for most MBA applications. Check the mean standard for admitted students at your target programs to see whether you have a problem to overcome.
If you have a below-average GPA or low grades in quantitative/business classes, consider taking an online course this summer. Earning A’s in college-level quant courses will help convince the admissions committee that you can succeed in a challenging, fast-paced MBA program.
Also, taking steps to shore up those weaknesses shows maturity and your ability to balance academics with work. It also signals a growth mindset, which business schools love.
SBC consultant Sherry offers these tips for applicants worried about the impact of their low GPA:
@stacyblackmanconsultingMath for Management: MATH X402 at UC Berkeley Extension Mathematical Solutions for Businesses: MGMT X 110 at UCLA Extension? original sound – Stacy Blackman Consulting
Career Progression
When applying to a top-tier business school, show a clear path of professional growth in your application. The admissions team likes to meet potential students who have the drive to advance their skills and leadership abilities continually. No one’s expecting you to be a VP at 26, but they do expect to see momentum.
If this is a trouble spot for you, it’s time to get creative. Think of ways to add value and continue to develop your career. If an official title change is not in the cards in the coming months, find other ways to take on more senior responsibilities at work. Ask to join a high-level project. Take on a leadership role. If you have a new member on the team, volunteer to mentor that person.
Even within a flat organization with no title change, you can still show career progression on your resume. Review your accomplishments and see how you can portray them in a way that reveals your professional growth. Each time your responsibilities grew, you can describe it in a bullet point with the date. For example:
- Directed a staff of three in servicing 45 client relationships of global corporations with more than $25B in assets. (2024)
- Contributed to the growth of $34B business through a mix of market research, marketing, and client servicing. (2022-2023)
Pro tip: Make sure your resume clearly shows how you’ve grown—not just what you’ve done.
The essays also provide ample opportunities to summarize career progress and explain the structure of your organization.
Admissions Test
Unlike your GPA, business school aspirants have a great deal of control over this aspect of the application. Try to get the test out of the way as soon as possible. Then, you can focus your energy on the essays and recommendation letters during the summer months.
Explore your options and take a practice test. Consider taking a free or paid prep course, studying with a friend, or hiring a tutor if possible. These strategies can help you maintain discipline while studying. If English is not your first language, factor this into your plan as well. After all, preparation is essential for most candidates to excel on the test.
If you received a below-average score the first time, plan to retake the exam. Reflect on whether you genuinely gave it 100 percent the first time around. Admissions committees often look favorably upon applicants who try to improve their scores. A score boost can help clear the path for MBA admissions success. One strong test score can override a lot of academic doubts. Don’t underestimate it.
Partner with Stacy Blackman’s best-in-class GMAT and GRE experts and increase your score significantly. Request a free game plan chat with SBC’s lead test prep coach by emailing testprep@stacyblackman.com.
Recommendation Letters
The admissions committee pays close attention to the content of recommendation letters supporting your MBA candidacy. Therefore, you should only choose recommenders who will champion your business school aspirations. A lukewarm letter of recommendation could do more damage to your chances of admission than a lower GPA or test score.
Few applicants realize how much they can influence their recommenders to help them draft powerful, persuasive letters of support. While you should never write the letter yourself, you can guide your recommender to focus on key traits—leadership, communication skills, integrity, innovation mindset—that you wish to highlight.
Remind them of at least three compelling, work-related anecdotes that show how you contributed to a project, led a team, inspired others, communicated effectively, etc. Your recommenders can help you stand out from thousands of other highly qualified applicants by painting a clear picture of both the personal and professional you. You want them to say: “This person is going places—and here’s why.”
Recommenders need to do a lot of work on your behalf. Start identifying who you want to approach now and have a preliminary chat with them about your MBA plans. Once they are on board, begin assembling materials so you can guide them to write the most effective letter on your behalf. The earlier you prep them, the better the letter. It’s that simple.
Essays
While business schools have yet to publish their MBA essays for the 2025-2026 season, you can get a good idea of the types of stories you will need by reading last year’s application. Knowing that you will have to describe a leadership experience may motivate you to take on a new leadership role – in or outside of work. Realizing that you will see questions about your level of community involvement may push you to step up your volunteering efforts.
And here’s the truth: the strongest essays don’t just “answer the question.” They reveal what kind of person you are.
It is also a good idea to begin brainstorming your answers to two questions that will crop up in either essay questions or the MBA interview. First, what are your career goals? And second, why do you need an MBA now? Reflect on your background and what stories you could share. If you identify gaps, create a plan to fill them.
For more expert advice, check out B-Schooled podcast episode #130: 6 Things You Think You Know About MBA Essay Writing (But Might Not)
We recommend that candidates allocate two to three hours each time they sit down to work on their essays, especially for the first few drafts. Non-native English speakers may find they need to allow even more time for their applications, particularly writing, revising, editing, proofing, formatting, and inputting essays.
That said, applicants should also avoid the “marathon session.” Few people remain sharp or creative during eight hours of writing and editing. Build momentum, not burnout.
Summer is right around the corner. Now is the time to launch into your MBA application journey with an eye toward MBA admissions success. Make 2025 the year you take those vital first steps toward transforming your career.
***
Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs. From our All-In Partnership to interview prep, essay editing, resume review, and much more, we’ve got you covered. 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 ...
×
