All MBA Application Related Tips

The number of Round 2 applicants tends to be higher than Round 1 despite the admission team and consultants, including me, recommending applicants to target dream schools (first and second in the list) by round one.

Before you start the application process for Round 2, here are 5 things to consider

Everyone in the admissions committee knows what an investment banking, hedge fund or private equity analyst does all day. Many of your peers are also working hard to gain admission, and thousands of applications later, your work experience may start to seem similar to all the others in the pile.

Read: Common MBA Application Mistakes made by Finance Professionals (Part 2)

Applying for an MBA after your business has gone bankrupt does not have to be a weakness. Business schools appreciate innovation and entrepreneurship. The experience of starting and running your own company can be an interesting perspective you can bring to enrich the MBA program. Even the lessons learned from the failed venture can be worthwhile as well. There are some key questions on the minds of the admission boards when evaluating an entrepreneur whose business has failed.

First, they will evaluate the scope of the business (is this someone tinkering with a hobby or is this a real venture?) Then they will assess what you achieved (did you create a product that is being patented/raise funds from investors to expand the business or did the business not take off in the first place?) And finally, they will investigate why the business failed and the lessons you learned from the bankruptcy (are there holes in your skill set that you need to strengthen or did you make glaring mistakes that raise questions about your judgment?)

If you are like thousands of other Americans who are exhausted by the election campaigns and the 'nasty' debates, take solace in the fact that there are some lessons that you can apply in your MBA application essays.

MBA Application Essay Tips

Because applicants from finance are overrepresented in the admissions pool, your goal is to stand out as much as possible from peers with similar backgrounds. However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to attract the admission committee’s attention, so make sure to avoid these 10 common MBA application mistakes made by finance professionals. 

If you have watched stand-up comedians deliver their best performances, you will notice three things: a good set-up, an amusing punch line, and a unique delivery. Here is what you can learn from these comedians about MBA Application essays, especially with changing essay lengths and formats. 

An average human makes 27 decisions per day, from selecting the tie, to choosing grocery, to making life-altering commitments. Decisions that demonstrate courage in leadership has one thing in common: lack of information.

World limits for your MBA essays is a topic that is quite confusing. Here are some pointers that might be useful for  you. Keep your essays 10% higher or lower than the word limit provided. But be very careful not to fall short by 10% in more than two essays. Do not try to manipulate with line and paragraph spacing, margins, indentation or alignment.


Read Complete MBA Application Essay - Word Limit Tips

Transcripts verify your academic performance, and recommendation letter affirms your competency at work, but your involvement with non-profit through volunteering and your entrepreneurial initiatives need much more than a certificate of participation, or a ‘single line’ in a resume. 

There is a thin line between a Manager and a Leader. As a leader, you are expected to have worked with more than one person, persuaded them to follow your suggestions and impact the team in a positive way.