MBA Admissions Tip: Considering the Campus
There are many factors that go into deciding whether to apply to a specific school, one of which is the physical place where you’ll be spending 1-2 years. Whether speaking with current students or touring the campus for yourself, it’s helpful to approach these information-gathering experiences with as clear a sense of what matters to you as possible.
Factors to consider about a business school’s campus:
1. Facilities
Are state-of-the-art classrooms and impressive new architecture a priority for you? Would you prefer a school that is headquartered in a single building to one spread over a larger campus? What about use of technology in teaching? If any of these factors are of significant importance and could tip the balance between schools on your list of target programs, you’ll want to do this sort of research up front.
If you decide to visit your target schools’ campuses yourself, we’d recommend that you take pictures or write up your thoughts after the fact while your impression is still fresh in your mind.
2. Surroundings
In addition to the campus itself, you’ll want to allow yourself some time to ask about and explore the larger city, town or rural location. Where do students live, eat and socialize? What is the cost of living? How do they get from place to place (parking or public transit may be an issue)? Are you interested in an active night life, or a wholesome place to raise a family? While considerations of academics and post-graduation career prospects generally take priority, you will be spending two years of your life in business school, and these more subtle factors can often tip the balance in favor of a certain program when all other elements are more or less equal.
3. Atmosphere
Along with the campus and its location comes a certain culture or climate. Are students generally competitive or collaborative? Do students tend to socialize before or after class, or do they go their separate ways? How closely knit are learning teams, sections, clusters and cohorts, and what are the relationships among them? How strong are the bonds among classmates, and the ties between past and present students? This questions point to the often elusive issue of “fit.” The pervasive atmosphere that informs interactions among your peers will undoubtedly make a significant impact on your business school experience, so it’s important to get a sense of this by speaking with current students and/or visiting the school.
MBA Admissions Academy
Episode 1: How to choose target schools for application
MBA Applywire
Nationality: Ghanaian
Current Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Industry: Banking & Financial Services
Current Role: Finance
Years of Experience: 6 years
Education: BSc Accounting; MSc Business Consulting & Enterprise Risk Management
GRE: 332/340
A Ghanaian finance professional with six years of experience across the Telecommunication, Fintech, Reinsurance and Banking sectors. Currently based in Abidjan, working in finance control a within a leading bank.
Previously worked in the reinsurance industry, gaining experience across fixed asset accounting, staff debtor reconciliations, bank reconciliations, financial reporting, statutory payments, and internal controls. Was also selected by the Director of Finance to serve on a committee responsible for updating the organization's accounting manual, providing valuable exposure to accounting processes, controls, and organizational improvement.
Beyond professional experience, has demonstrated a strong commitment to community impact. Since 2020, has worked with friends through a community initiative providing food to underserved communities and street hawkers across Ghana, reaching more than 6,000 people. Has also participated in community development and school improvement projects.
Holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting and is pursuing graduate-level studies in Business Consulting and Enterprise Risk Management.
An MBA will provide me with the opportunity to build stronger capabilities in strategy, leadership, and financial management while transitioning from technical finance roles into broader leadership positions in banking and financial services. The long-term goal is to combine finance expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership to contribute to the growth and development of Africa's financial sector.
First off, I'm a huge fan of the podcast—I've listened to nearly every episode for the last two years, and it's a little surreal that I'm now submitting my profile. I'm excited to put into practice everything Alex and Graham have taught me!
I graduated over four years ago from a well-known and respected university with a degree in Biophysics and have spent my career in medical device sales, primarily in surgical robotics. I spent three years at a Fortune 500 medical device company, with a lateral/upward move halfway through, before joining a mid-sized robotics company prominent in urology (though probably less familiar to AdCom) a year and a half ago. I've since been promoted there as well. My experience includes launching new hospital programs and onboarding surgeons to new technologies, and I can secure two strong recommendations.
I want to pursue an MBA because I believe AI will revolutionize surgery, and I want to help ensure those changes benefit patients. Having worked with two different surgical robots in very different specialties, I've seen how powerful the combination of robotics and AI could become, as well as the potential for misuse. I want to work with clinicians to develop technology that genuinely improves patient care rather than eliminating the need for physicians, as several prominent technology leaders have suggested. I believe healthcare resembling what we see in Star Trek could be possible within this generation.
My goal is to use an MBA to transition into a strategic role in surgical robotics. My current role has given me on-the-ground knowledge of how operating rooms function and what matters to patients and clinicians; an MBA would allow me to apply those insights to developing new technology. Short term, I hope to join a leadership development program at a top robotics company. Long term, I aim for a strategic leadership role at a leading robotics company or cutting-edge startup—wherever the strongest technology is being developed.
Outside of work, I'm highly active in my church, including roles serving in leadership, teaching children, and as my congregation's organist. In college, I captained multiple intramural sports teams and was a team lead in a research lab. I also enjoy outdoor activities such as skiing and scuba diving (I'm a certified Rescue Diver) and have completed several triathlons.
Beyond a general review of my profile, my biggest question is the GMAT. I scored a 705, including 80th-percentile Quant, which I'm happy with, but I think I could potentially gain another 10–20 points, especially with the new superscoring feature. My problem is time: I have a demanding work travel schedule, and my wife and I are in the process of adopting a baby. Preparing for a retake would likely mean sacrificing 1–2 months that I could otherwise spend networking with current students and strengthening my applications.
I know there's some subjectivity, but is pursuing another 10–20 GMAT points worth that tradeoff, or would my time be better spent focusing on preparing my applications? Again, thanks to the ClearAdmit community for all that you do!
First-gen/low-income college student.
Earned a top-ranked M.A. in humanities discipline post-undergrad, 3.9 GPA.
Hello,
Here is my background:
- Graduated Dec 22, Engineering top 10 program USA
- Starting work in Aug 2023 in Engineering Leadership Dev program at fortune 250 manufacturing
- Did 1 year working product marketing in USA
- Did 1 year working an expat in Eastern Europe doing continuous improvement in Manufacturing
- Now Strategic planner for business transformation in a sub business unit that is underperforming (leading corporate planning process/getting involved in manufacturing ops turnaround)
GMAT: Not taken yet but confident I can get above 700
Not sure if my work history/a potentially high gmat score will get me into these schools. Is industrial manufacturing background valued? I've got some good stories to tell and really want to get the MBA to broaden my understanding of other industries and go in a generalist consultant to top firm.
Thanks!