Stanford MBA AdCom has debunked myths about MBA Admission, Recommendation letter and Interviews in their blog. Here is the summary:
AdCom: Admission committee
Stanford MBA Admission Myth Debunked
Class Profile
1) Pre-MBA Education (Undergraduate Degree): Stanford doesn’t just take candidates from a Business background. For the 2023 Entering class, close to 80% have a non-business undergraduate degree
2) Pre-MBA Education (Pedigree of the University): The school doesn’t just take in candidates from branded and Ivy league colleges. The latest MBA class is constituted of candidates from over 165 colleges, including community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and military academies.
3) Pre-MBA Work Experience: Stanford has a diverse spread with representation from over 300 professional organizations – big and small. Candidates also come from non-profits, the military, and family businesses.
Related: Strategies to consider when you are a Military MBA Applicant
4) Entrepreneurs: Although Stanford stands out for nurturing entrepreneurial MBA candidates, and assists 15-20% of candidates start a venture, the program is also a powerhouse for Private Equity and Venture Capital placements.
5) Cost: Stanford is the costliest MBA program. However, the school also has a generous fellowship and financial aid support, with a person on average receiving $42,000 each year.
Related: MBA Fellowship vs. MBA Scholarship - What is the difference
6) Regular Updates: You will not receive regular updates about your MBA Application status. The statuses that would be visible to applicants are:
a) Submitted
b) Under Review
On the day of the decision, you will receive a link to the decision letter.
7) Full-Time work experience: This does not include experience during or before your undergraduate degree.
8) Campus Visit: Visiting Campus does not increase your chance of admission other than helping you with your research. There are many international students who are admitted without any campus visits.
Stanford MBA Recommendation Letter Myths Debunked
9) More Recommendation Letters are Not Better: Presenting your profile with the required number of recommendation letters is ideal. More is not always better. Don’t waste AdCom’s time with 3 to 4 recommendation letters. Develop a strategy to present your profile completely with one professional recommendation and one non-professional. If your performance is best highlighted by your work, present two professional recommendation letters. There is no hard and fast rule; strategize and plan accordingly.
10) No Need for a GSB Alum: A recommendation letter from a GSB alum has no special advantages. The supervisor should have worked with you closely over any other factors, including the person’s title (CXO role).
11) Business Owners or Self-Employed Applicants: Although getting recommendation letters for Self-Employed Applicants or Business Owners would be tricky, applicants can get recommendation letters from clients or other partners (not relatives).
12) Recommendation Letter Quality: Although you can provide guidelines on how to write the recommendation letter, you can’t control the whole process unless you are editing the recommendation letter yourself. This is not recommended. There might be flaws in grammar or sentence structure, especially among non-native recommenders, but if the content is good, AdCom understands what the recommender is trying to convey. You will not be at a disadvantage.
Stanford MBA Interview Myths Debunked
13) Early Invitation: An early interview invitation in an Interview round does not mean that you have a better chance of getting into the Stanford MBA program. It just means that your application was reviewed first. Again, the order of application review has no bearing on the results.
14) Interview Weightage: Although interviews are important for MBA Admissions, if you didn’t perform well in the interview, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any chance. Stanford AdCom looks into your application as a whole. The admission decision would be based on that.
15) Alumni in Location: The interview invites are not based on the available alumni in your location. In some cases, AdCom will ask the applicant to fly to another city for an interview with Alumni or, in the worst-case scenario, set up a virtual interview. The chances of admission are not impacted by the mode of interview.
16) Post-MBA Location: The divide between East Coast and West Coast placements has been narrowing over the past 5 years with a rise in Finance placements.For the latest class, 26%, a 4% increase in placements were on the east coast. That is just the short-term. The 45 international alumni chapters and 15 US chapters shows the reach of the Stanford MBA brand beyond California.
Recommended Resources
1) Stanford MBA Essay Guide
2) Stanford MBA Interview Guide
3) Stanford MBA Admission Blog
