What is applying to and attending business school really like? Clear Admit recently hosted 13 current students and alumni from 13 leading business schools to share their insights in our Real Humans Live Webinar series.
The represented MBA programs span North America: Berkeley Haas, Carnegie Mellon Tepper, Dartmouth Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Georgetown McDonough, Georgia Tech Scheller, Johns Hopkins Carey, Michigan Ross, Texas McCombs, Toronto Rotman, UC Irvine Merage, UNC Kenan-Flagler and Yale SOM.
Despite the panelists’ varied backgrounds and choice of MBA program, the same lessons came up again and again. Here are seven takeaways from them every MBA applicant should know.
1. Your Test Score Is One Data Point. Your Story Carries the Application.
This was the loudest message of the series. Prepare for the test seriously, but don’t let it crowd out your essays.
Berkeley Haas’s Dipti Vaithiswaran could have retaken her exam for a possible two-point gain. She chose to spend that time on her story instead. As a Haas student ambassador who works closely with admissions, she put it plainly: “The test is just one data point. It’s a very holistic review.”
Duke Fuqua alum Gil Vasquez went further. “I am a living testament that you can still get a full ride at an institution with low test scores,” he said. He invested in his essays and in-person connections instead.
When we asked which part of the application took longest, essays were the most common answer, and the hard part isn’t listing accomplishments. “The most important part is explaining what matters to you, why you’ve made certain decisions in your life and where you want to go next,” said Tuck alum Jack Noble.
For applicants: Set a target score based on your schools, then shift your energy to your story. Leave real time for revisions; several panelists reworked their essays for months.
2. Translate Your Background. Don’t Hide It.
Some of the panel’s most compelling applicants had non-traditional backgrounds. Their advice was to embrace that background and make it understandable to an admissions reader.
CMU Tepper’s Tessa Douglas came from theater. The key, she said, was translating her experience “into MBA vocabulary” to show what she could bring to the program. “Embrace your background,” she said.
UC Irvine Merage alum Steven Yang, a military veteran, spent months learning to “demilitarize” his essays so civilian readers could follow them. And Yale SOM’s Maurya Kakumanu, who targeted a traditional finance career, still found ways to show fit with Yale’s business-and-society mission.
For applicants: Ask someone outside your industry to read your essays. If they can’t follow your impact, translate the jargon.
3. Reflect Deeply, and Write in Your Own Voice
Panelists agreed that strong essays start with self-reflection, and that you don’t have to do it alone. Dipti asked friends and family to describe her in three words. Jack’s mentors and friends reminded him of experiences that became his strongest essay stories.
AI came up as well. Johns Hopkins Carey’s Juan Fernandez struggled with AI-assisted drafts and ended up writing his final essays by hand. “I was hearing myself reading it out loud and it wasn’t myself,” he said. His rule: Use AI only for punctuation at the very end.
The same goes for recommendations. Jack built a pack for his recommenders with his essays, resume and examples from past reviews. “The strongest examples are from when you coach them,” he said.
For applicants: Talk to people who know you well before you draft. Keep AI out of the writing itself, and give recommenders specific examples to draw on.
4. Current Students Are Your Best Research Tool
Asked how they chose their schools, panelists pointed most often to conversations with current students. Those conversations also strengthened their applications.
Tessa narrowed her list from 13 schools to six largely through student conversations. Tepper’s Connections Weekend sealed her decision. Michigan Ross alum Jasmin Lopez asked students about specific courses and independent studies, then wove them into her application. “A lot of these schools will offer very similar things with maybe different names,” she said. “You really need to show that school what sets them apart for you.”
Texas McCombs’ Aletha Garnett took every chance to meet the community, including optional student-led interviews. “Familiarity is a heck of a tool at the end of the day,” she said. Panelists also urged applicants to start from their own goals. Maurya first built his school list backward, then started over with what he wanted from his career.
And the students you meet now will be your mentors later. “If you’re talking to first-years right now, they will be the second-years when you get there,” Jasmin noted. Tessa’s parting advice on Night 2 could have been the series motto: “It doesn’t start once you’re at the program, it starts now. Reach out.”
For applicants: Define your goals before finalizing your list. Then contact student ambassadors, attend admissions events and use what you learn in your essays.
5. The Cutthroat MBA Is Largely a Myth
Panelists on both nights pushed back on the stereotype of the competitive, sharp-elbowed MBA. “I can honestly say with certainty, I have not experienced any of that,” said Toronto Rotman’s Miha Saluja, who now shares notes and study sessions with classmates.
The most striking examples came from recruiting, where competition should be fiercest. At UNC Kenan-Flagler, Pete Franco’s classmates leaving investment banking Super Days whispered tips to him on their way out. At Georgia Tech, Savannah Thomas and her best friend interviewed for the same job, and the friend got it. “Our friendship and the relationship that we built at Georgia Tech was much more impactful,” Savannah said.
At McCombs, Aletha described a culture in which “we’re not really stepping over each other for opportunities.” Many panelists credited small class sizes, which ranged from about 90 students at Georgia Tech to roughly 170 to 200 at UNC.
For applicants: Ask students directly how classmates treat each other during recruiting. Culture varies by school, and it will shape your two years.
6. Second-Years and Career Offices Do Heavy Lifting, But Recruiting Is on You
Across schools, peer mentoring stood out as a core part of recruiting support.
- At UNC, a student-run banking club paired Pete with a second-year mentor and ran two-hour Friday sessions on accounting, M&A math and leveraged buyouts.
- At Ross, every first-year can join a FACT group led by second-years who coach resumes and interviews for a target industry.
- At Yale, the finance club’s second-years train first-years. “That real pay-it-forward culture is true,” said Maurya, who now mentors others.
Career offices also went above and beyond. Merage staff ran after-hours mock interviews before Steven’s Tesla interview, and he got the internship. A Tepper career counselor texted Tessa to talk through her summer options. Ross’s career office director helped Jasmin weigh her offer from Cisco.
Still, panelists cautioned that support only goes so far. “You’re going to be in an interview room by yourself,” said Georgetown’s Grigori. “Vouch for yourself and take the initiative.” Gil’s story makes the point: PepsiCo didn’t call him back at first, but a chat with a recruiter in the lobby led to his full-time role.
For applicants: Ask schools how second-years support recruiting in your target industry. Look at employment reports to see which companies actually hire from each program.
7. Have a Plan, and Expect It to Change
Many panelists left business school headed somewhere different from where they started.
- Miha came in a self-described “finance hater” and now has a finance specialization and is recruiting for VC and private equity roles.
- Jasmin interned in consumer packaged goods, realized it wasn’t the right fit and moved into tech.
- Grigori went from federal consulting to pharmaceutical marketing, and Maurya from consulting to investment banking.
- Dipti had never considered consulting until Haas’ International Business Development Program sent her team to work with SAP.
Others, like Jack in healthcare consulting and Pete in banking, arrived with a clear goal and stuck to it. “Don’t be afraid to chase what you want to chase,” Jack said. His closing advice captured the balance: “You should have goals, you should work hard towards them, but it’s important to leave room for things that surprise you.”
For applicants: Admissions committees want clear goals, so articulate yours. But choose a school with the breadth to support you if those goals change.
Your Applicant Checklist
Putting the series together, here is what our panelists would tell you to do this application season:
- Set a target test score based on your schools, then move on to your story.
- Ask friends, family and mentors which experiences define you.
- Translate any industry jargon so an outsider can follow your impact.
- Write in your own voice, using AI for proofreading at most.
- Give your recommenders a pack with specific examples.
- Define your goals first, then build your school list.
- Talk to current students and attend admissions events, and use what you learn in your essays.
- Ask how classmates support each other during recruiting.
- Check employment reports and second-year mentoring for your target industry.
As Fuqua’s Gil Vasquez reminded applicants, it’s not just the test score. And as Tuck’s Jack Noble put it, “There’s rarely one path to the life you want.”
A big thank-you to all 13 panelists for sharing their time and candor. Many serve as student ambassadors, so look them up through their schools’ websites. As you navigate the MBA admissions process, follow Clear Admit for tips, resources and events.
