MBA Admissions Tip: Know Your Audience
As anyone who’s going through the process knows, applying to business school is an incredibly demanding process. In addition to taking the GMAT/GRE, assembling academic transcripts and providing recommendation letters, candidates are required to draft multiple essays, job descriptions, lists of activities and more.
With the obvious incentive to save time wherever possible, it’s understandable that many applicants simply cut and paste content from an existing résumé and write about their work in the manner that comes most naturally. However, in doing so, countless candidates each year assemble their materials without ever asking a fundamental question:
Who will read my MBA application?
While the answer to this question may vary from school to school, one thing is certain: It is unlikely that the person reading your MBA application will have an intimate level of familiarity with your specific industry or job function. In fact, admissions readers at some schools have spent their careers in higher education and have never worked in the for-profit realm.
Why does this matter?
The bottom line here is that if you use industry-specific jargon throughout your application – or even just assume that the reader has prior knowledge of your field – you’re likely to lose them.
Even if the admissions reader is familiar with your field, they’ll be using your application materials to gauge how well you’ll be able to explain your work and background to classmates who aren’t. Drawing on their past experience in class discussions is a key way that students contribute to each other’s learning during an MBA program. But if you aren’t able to share your insights in a way that your peers from other professional backgrounds can readily understand, this affects the amount of value you’re able to add.
Writing for All Audiences
As you’re writing about your experiences throughout your application, imagine that you’re explaining your work to a friend who works in a different field. While this is easier said than done, it underlines the importance of sharing your materials with an unbiased adviser (ideally not a work colleague or family member) to make sure that you aren’t off-base with some of your assumptions.
It’s also important to keep the big picture in mind. Many applicants get so focused on the details of their own work and role that they forger to provide enough background and context for an outsider to understand how their efforts fit into the success of their larger department or organization as a whole. To ensure that a reader fully appreciates your impact, you need to set the scene.
Clear Admit Resources
For some extra resources on how to perfect your application, read our Essay Topic Analyses for each school and interviews with admissions committee members. Visit the Clear Admit shop for our Strategy Guides and Interview Guides, which provide added insight into all aspects of the admissions process.
MBA Admissions Academy
Episode 5: Understanding Your Admissions Reader
MBA Applywire
Hello Alex,
Decided to post my deferred MBA specification after binging the Clear Admit podcast with you and Graham. Love the show and thank you for providing valuable, anecdotal advice for the world's aspiring MBA students!
I'm planning to apply to the aforementioned MBA programs as a deferred applicant, looking to obtain some work experience before matriculation.
I am currently in my senior year at a top 2 public university in California, majoring in a social science. I originally transferred from my local community college with a 4.0, and will most likely finish out my current quarter at the four-year university with the same GPA.
Ever since the beginning of community college, I have been involved in student organizations: I was the president of a business leaders student org, and a treasurer for an honors society during community college. I am also a founding member and VP of an economics club at my four-year university.
In addition, from the beginning of high school to before I transferred to a four-year university (6+ years), I volunteered and founded a recruitment program at my local senior center that harbored over 100 new volunteers. While the org was not an NGO, it did provide caregiving services for senior citizens in our local community.
I have had 3 wealth management internships: a top 10 mega RIA, a boutique firm, and a top 5 wirehouse. I have a return offer, which I plan to pursue, from the wirehouse and plan to partner with a senior advisor as an associate advisor on a 1.3B+ AUM portfolio. This will involve financial advisory and investment management services for UHNW clients, but I also foresee greater involvement and client ownership as I obtain my requisite designations.
I also founded a social enterprise that has received over 200K in pre-seed angel investment funding. I am working with a lean group of software engineers and social scientists to supply affordable business consulting and accounting for small businesses. While the startup is still in the seed stage, I plan to continue working on this throughout my pre-MBA career alongside my role in wealth management.
Not sure if this is relevant or something I should include in my application, but I also had a few side gigs during school to help pay for tuition. I worked as a server for over 3 years during the latter half of high school and throughout community college. I was also an account analyst in the university's department of wealth management during the first year. Then, I picked up an AI data annotation gig for the second year. One of the main reasons for choosing community college after high school was the cost savings, so it was imperative that I worked during college to help pay for tuition.
My intention in obtaining an MBA is to learn more about entrepreneurship or social entrepreneurship, looking to combine the explosion in the current tech/AI market with social impact. Also looking to learn management fundamentals for mid/late-stage startups.
While I do not have a test score at the moment, I do plan to take the GMAT Focus at the end of the month. I am hoping to get around the median scores of the M7; 685+. Also hoping to crush the quant component of the GMAT to mitigate quantitative doubts, but hopefully, some of my internship experiences with investment management help. I also took some entrepreneurship classes at the four-year university that involved accounting principles.
Looking for some advice on whether I am aiming too high. I am almost viewing my deferred application as an opportunity to shoot for the stars, but at the same time, I don't want to fall too hard. Any other advice on how to clean up my application is also welcome!
GPA: 4.0 Undergrad (Business Admin/Accounting)
Work Experience: 8 Years as an IT Director/Information Security Director
Test Results: Hoping to get a waiver but am willing to take an exam
Targeted Programs: Hoping to get into Kellogg Part-Time/Evening/Accelerated Full-Time, or Stanford preferred but open to options
I also do have my PMP and CISSP, which are not relevant pre se but was asked if I had one before. I am going to get CPA once I finish MBA or part of MBA due to state requirements. I am also white and have owned businesses and do have copyrights and trademarks due to a brand I own.
Does this profile seem good enough? I did have one of the admissions officers ask why even get an MBA, but I want one, and feel they are valuable. Also, scholarships would be cool but plan on self-funding if scholarships are unavailable.
Short-term: Short-Term (Post-Graduation, Pre-MBA):
After completing my undergraduate degree, I plan to work full-time in management consulting or a strategy/finance-oriented role within India. In the short term, my goal is to gain rigorous exposure to problem-solving, business fundamentals, and decision-making across industries by working closely with organizations that are navigating growth, transformation, or operational challenges. I aim to build a strong foundation in analytical thinking, stakeholder management, and execution while developing a practical understanding of how businesses operate on the ground in an emerging market context. These early professional experiences will help me identify real-world gaps where scalable, responsible business solutions can create meaningful impact.
Long-term: Long-Term (Post-MBA):
In the long run, I aspire to leverage an MBA from a top global institution to transition into leadership roles where I can build or scale impact-driven ventures at the intersection of business, finance, and social development. Drawing from my background in grassroots social work and exposure to entrepreneurship and consulting, I aim to work in impact investing, social entrepreneurship, or leadership roles within mission-driven organizations, with a focus on education, financial inclusion, and livelihood creation. My ultimate goal is to create sustainable business models that deliver measurable social impact while remaining financially viable, particularly in developing economies like India.
I am planning to apply for Deferred MBA this year. I am currently in the final year of my college at IIM Jammu