MBA School Fit: What Admissions Officers Assume About Your Background

Every document in your application, from the resume to the recommendation letters, reaches an admissions officer who already holds assumptions about your culture, city, country and region, your pre-MBA industry and function, your current and previous employers, and the goals you cite. You need to know what those assumptions are before you write a single line.

From all these first impressions, nothing is more important than these 3 fit factors:

Values

Each school has a brand  because the admissions team ensured that they attract students with similar values. If you start writing your application essays without understanding the DNA of the school, you will shortlist the wrong examples. It is like movie making where even the best actors can’t rescue a mediocre script, but an excellent script can be made memorable by actors with average skills. This is one focus area that most applicants don’t pay any attention.  

Once you shortlist the wrong examples, no narrative exuberance will save you. That is why it is strange when applicants are obsessed only about writing memorable phrases and not about capturing their unique voice and connecting it with the school’s values.

Exposure

This is a controversial topic. Last year, I received numerous tips from applicants in China that US schools were hesitant to accept Chinese applicants who had no connection with the US either as an undergraduate student or as partner doing Business. This could be the result of the growing power struggle between the US and China, but if you look at the most international MBA program – INSEAD, they openly share that applicants with international multi-city exposure either in work or with their studies are better suited for the 2-campus structure.

Exposure to different cultures is a proxy to see your adaptability.

An MBA class should not be the first place where you worked with peers from diverse ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds. You will find it tough to adapt and by the time you adapt you will complete all 1st year where most of the peer to peer learning happens.  

By 2nd year job search will begin. If you came out of your shell only by 2nd year, it is a big loss for the admissions team because they miscalculated your potential to adapt and contribute to the class. So exposure is a VERY VERY VERY important part of admissions.

Cultural

It is a big flaw in how humans think. We stereotype to make faster decisions. This innate tendency of humans cannot be changed.

One common myth that caused a huge controversy was the intentional denial of admissions to Asian Americans in ivy league schools to avoid over representation of the ethnicity. Asian Americans tick all the checkboxes for an ideal student – hardworking, great extra-curricular, and impressive volunteering. 

The investigation revealed that one of the admissions persons allegedly used a stereotype of not social enough to reject an Asian American applicant. So you should be aware of your competition from similar background and ethnicity. If you are an Asian American, and most of your friends are quoting instrumental music as a strength, maybe you should shortlist examples that breaks the stereotypes and confirms fit with the culture of the school. If the school values such extra-curricular, fit with the stereotype.

Another common cultural-fit challenge is the organizational structure in developing economies vs US-based companies. Typically, large organizations in developing economies have a top-down hierarchy. When applicants mention billions of dollars under their budget, I ask them, is it a government project. If it is, such projects are typical in Asia. Suddenly these numbers are not a differentiating factor.  

That is why even applicants who had limited exposure to international clients find it easier to get admissions to US schools if they worked in a startup.

Working in a startup is a proxy for your adaptability, work ethics, creativity and an entrepreneurial can-do mindset that aligns with how the US grew and became a super power.

While strategizing your MBA or Master’s Application for US schools, plan for fit with:

1) Values of the School
2) Exposure to International peers
3) Cultural fit with the US

If you need an independent evaluation and help with strategy to prioritize fit with the school, contact me Atul Jose