MBA Admission Strategic Plan: What You Can Do Now to Help Get Accepted Next Year

Your application can definitely go from good to better for getting an acceptance letter from a top notch b-school of your choice. Just by a little knowledge and some fine-tuning your application can reach that table of the admission committee. All you need to do is start with a clear action. Instead of planning a check list, start with a strategy that would probably maximize your chances of getting selected. A strategy is important because without it you may fail to project all aspects of the person you actually are. You might be planning to focus on all that you have achieved till now, but that alone will not work out. Give your readers a chance to get a closer look on you. Project your unique traits. If you overlook these finer qualities in you, your struggle might not get noticed.

To write an application essay, you must begin with a strategy in your mind. It will tell you the right mix of attributes that you need to pack in your essays.

• How can you balance your personal and professional traits in your essays?
• A list of different subject areas that you must cover in your essays.
• Specific Dos and Don`ts for you.
• Other tips and suggestions for your essays and your resume.
• A definite action plan.

Your action plan starts with a few questions to yourself. The first important one is your goal. What do you want to do after your MBA? The second thing is your qualifications. Where can you qualify? Where can you get in? And the third element you have to look at is just personal preferences. Geographically, where do you want to be? Do you have educational preferences in terms of whether you want a case study school, or do you want a school that’s very experiential in its approach? Do you want a mix of academic methods? Are there any other preferences you have?

After interrogating yourself these questions, you may have come up with maybe ten business schools that fit your choice. Narrow your choices down to about three to five. Then introspect the school in terms of how it fits with the way you would like to learn and your ultimate objectives. And then, also take a close look at where a lot of the graduates passing out from these schools end up in terms of jobs in corporate sector, and in terms of how many actually go on to start their own businesses, if that’s what you’re interested in. Your selection would have now narrowed down to two schools probably. So, matching up your interests with what the school actually produces start there and move ahead.

It’s never too early to start studying for the GMAT. Demonstrate that you put your best foot forward; you’re taking the process seriously. Before you know you’re going to apply, start doing some sort of community service. Make sure it matches your passion, because if you don’t have passion for it, it’ll absolutely come through in your essays. The admissions committee will see right through it and it’s surely not going to help you.

The goal is to get the admissions committee to know who you are. And if that doesn’t come through in the application, then you’ve missed the whole point. Make sure that you portray what you actually are, but with a punch of uniqueness in it. If you are a traditional engineer or investment banker, what is the thing different in you that will appeal the admission committee? Do mention your specificity, for example you can say you are an environmental engineer or an investment banker for healthcare sector. That makes a difference. This might draw the attention of the admission officers towards your application.

The final point to consider in your strategy is timing. Make sure you give adequate time to each component of your application package. You must have enough time with you to read, re read and add points to your essays till they reach the table of the admission committee. It is always a good practice to seek suggestions from the people of your known circle, as they might recall some instances which you might have overlooked and add interesting points to your essay.