Profile of an MBA Applicant- How to get admission at top B-schools - MBAkarma

Professional growth, career shift or simply more money; whatever your reasons – you have decided to pursue an MBA at top business schools in the world.

Good. It is always advisable to start planning your MBA well in advance. Having finally deciding to pursue an MBA, the applicant’s first questions are-

· What is the admissions committee looking for?

How do I improve my profile?

Coming to the first question, what are the top business schools in the world looking for in successful MBA Applications?

image-error MBA applications. How to get admission into top B-Schools.

Getting into a B-school can be a daunting task. However, the journey can become easier once an applicant breaks down what the admission committee is looking for in a good candidate.

Admissions to top Global B-schools such as the Harvard Business School, INSEAD, London Business School, Indian School of Business and even the one-year Executive Programs at IIMs happen on basis of GMAT, Essays & Interviews.

A combination of this holy trinity helps the admission committee judge the applicant on primarily six parameters-

1. Academic Potential – Past Scores + GMAT help assess your ability to handle the academic rigor. While a good GMAT score will improve your chances, a below average score can still be compensated with other spikes in your profile.
2. Work Experience – The Admissions Committee is interested more in the Quality of your work than the industry, function or the number of years of experience. What has been your career progress and key achievements? How did you contribute to the place of your employment? How did you face the challenges posed by your dynamic work environment? Use your essays and recommendations to bring out your story.
3. Goal Clarity – This is the most critical piece of the MBA admissions puzzle. Why MBA and why your choice of university? Why is an MBA an absolute necessity to achieve your future goals? Candidates should have a compelling reason to succeed.
4. Diversity – Top B-Schools accept several bright applicants every year. Why should they admit you? What unique perspective will you bring to the institute? How will your peers benefit from your experiences? An application must stand out not for the ordinary but the extra-ordinary in you.
5. Leadership –Does the Admissions Committee see a potential leader in you? What transferable skills have you gained from your past experiences? Essays and Interview will help you tell your story.
6. Communication– How well can you communicate your ideas? The essays are the platform to tell your story powerfully yet succinctly.

To successfully gain an admission a minimum of three factors out of the six mentioned above should have a spike. However, at the same time do not let one weakness dishearten you. A weak area can always be offset by another strong element. For instance, a weak academic record could be offset by stellar work experience or an excellent GMAT score.

At the end of the day it is the sum of the parts that is the deciding factor. No single element can decide the outcome of your application. Do not rest on your laurels if you have a formidable GMAT score or an undergraduate degree. At times applicants spend disproportionate time on GMAT preparation and falter in writing great application essays or become tongue tied in the interviews due to lack of preparation.

It is therefore important to spend equal effort on making each element of your profile compelling.

How to improve your Profile?

Once you identify the elements examined by the Admissions Committee, the next question is – how to improve your profile? A majority of applicants focus on their profile closer to MBA application dates. There’s not much that can be do at this stage and they realize the importance of developing themselves holistically in the preceding years. Building a profile is a long-term process, so it is recommended that you work on it much before the actual MBA applications.

Follow these 3 Steps

STEP 1- Take the GMAT early

Taking GMAT early would have the following advantages-

1. High Stamina– Endurance to study as you’d still be a recent graduate.
2. Lower Work Pressure– The pressure in your job would be relatively lower, since you would be in early stages of your career. You can therefore devote more time to studies.
3. Better Focus– since GMAT is out of your way, spend the next few years really excelling at your profession. By putting in this extra effort, you would grow faster and have better achievements, thereby increasing your chances of getting an MBA admit. Also excelling at your job will allow you to realize whether you truly need an MBA.
4. Improved Profile– Spend these years to strengthen your profile by doing extracurricular activities that you love- volunteering, learning music or photography, running marathons. Whatever excites you and makes you an all-rounder at the same time.
5. Freedom to Choose– GMAT is valid for 5 years so taking it early helps you get freedom to pursue other interests.
6. Taking the GMAT early will not only strengthen your Academic Potential but also give you time to further improve your Work Experience, Leadership and Diversity.

Step 2 – Build a Strong Work Ex

Work really hard. Take the best projects that you can and really pump up those achievements at work. Do not care about the MBA, money or time. Just focus on your job and make it a quality work experience.

The key-word here is Quality. More than the number of years your focus should be on-

• Career progress

The top business schools in the world are more interested in seeing and analyzing your learning curve and how well and fast you climbed the corporate ladder. If you have been entrusted with larger responsibility or quick promotions it may show good progress. Progress can be displayed in other ways too, Entrepreneurship, initiative or maturity. Sky is the limit to your career progression.

• Accomplishments

It is essential to truly bring out your achievement as a life story instead of just mentioning your role and duties in the organization. For example, most of us tend to draft our Résumé with, ‘Responsible for XYZ’ or ‘Handled ABC’. These are passive career statements.

Instead, mention how your work helped company cut costs, earn profits or simply reduce man-hours. Remember, a promotion or an award is not an achievement in itself; it is a result of your positive impact on the business. We all have achieved a lot in our jobs but sometimes fail to acknowledge or express the same.

Both Career Progress and Achievements will then need to translate wonderfully onto the application essays. Otherwise the whole process is futile.

Do some soul searching; speak to friends, colleagues, seniors or other experts. Such brainstorming and introspection will help you identify your progress and key achievements while also offering a much needed clarity and perspective.

As a conclusion to Step Two, spend a few years building your career to improve your Work Ex, Clarity of Goals and Leadership.

Step 3- Become an All-rounder

All work and no play makes Jack a dull MBA applicant.

Don’t be like Jack.

Spend time following your interests and becoming great at them. For example-

1. Learn a new language
2. Paint
3. Become a marathon runner, swimmer, or yoga instructor
4. Volunteer for causes
5. Raise money for charity

These are just some examples. Follow an interest that you can see yourself doing for a long time and absolutely love. Do NOT do it for the sake of an MBA. A good extracurricular activity is one which shows long term involvement, seriousness and brings meaning to you or others around you.

These extracurricular activities will help you flesh out your Leadership and Diversity.

The above three steps cover all the aspects of building your profile and will significantly improve the chances to reach top business schools in the world. 

To read more on Planning your MBA Applications Timeline read HERE.

Still have questions? Reach out to us on info@MBAkarma.com to get a free consultation on your career goals.