Admissions Tips
Browse our weekly admissions tips, or choose the category most relevant to you: researching, planning, applying, deciding.
Latest Stories About Admissions Tips
Admissions Tip: Consider Pre-MBA Courses Before Applying
Pre-MBA courses offer applicants a chance to bolster their academic records, prepare for the rigor of business school and more. As you prepare for the MBA admissions process, you might want to consider whether you should undertake additional undergraduate-level coursework before you apply. Who Should Take Additional Pre-MBA Courses? There... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Reapplying to Business School
Thinking about reapplying to business school? It hurts to get a “no” from all the MBA programs you applied to, but it happens to a lot of applicants – especially those who apply to the very best business schools in the world. The good news is that it’s quite common... Read more »
Upcoming Virtual Event Series: MBA Application Overview
You’ve got your grades and (maybe) your test scores. You’ve put in the time and effort at work, and have accomplishments and skills to show for it. You’re also active and involved in your community. You have the raw materials. So how do you put them together into a compelling... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Can I Negotiate A Scholarship for Business School?
When decisions are released, excitement among the applicant pool can be palpable. After months of hard work and significant introspection, many candidates are rewarded with offers from their dream programs. Some of those offers come with scholarships; money that helps defray the significant financial burden of taking two years away... Read more »
How to Get into the Wharton MBA Program
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is consistently at the top of best business school rankings. Its prestigious MBA program is notoriously competitive, with acceptance rates between 18 and 21 percent. An MBA from Wharton represents leadership skills, the ability to collaborate, intellectual curiosity, and a global business... Read more »
Should MBA Scholarship Money Impact Your Choice of Business School?
A brief look at MBA DecisionWire shows leading MBA programs offering scholarship money, either need-based or merit-based, to encourage admitted candidates to enroll. This may be the result of competing for a smaller pool of top applicants amidst declining application volume (particularly in the USA and Europe). This scholarship money reduces... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Choosing Between Business Schools
Many successful MBA applicants face the enviable – but often agonizing — decision of choosing between programs. Though we know that those of you in this position will already be juggling an overwhelming amount of information about the schools on your short lists, we wanted to offer a few pointers... Read more »
Waitlisted in Round 2? Here’s How You Should Proceed
As Round 2 decisions roll out and several candidates report being waitlisted on MBA LiveWire, we have some guidance for candidates who find themselves placed on a waitlist. Before we get to that, let’s look first at why schools use a waitlist. First and foremost, while schools now know the... Read more »
MBA Admissions Tip: Background Checks
Following decision notifications from business schools, we know that many of our readers will be asking about the background checks conducted by leading MBA programs. Here are some quick facts to help explain this part of the MBA admissions process: 1. What are background checks? Background checks involve the verification... Read more »
How to Get into Business School
Have you reached a crossroads in your career and aren’t sure where to go next? Are you looking for a new profession or want to bring your idea for a business to fruition, but aren’t sure how? If so, going to business school for an MBA might be your best... Read more »
How to Get into Harvard Business School
Let’s delve into how to get into Harvard Business School (HBS), one of the most prestigious business schools in the world that offers a rigorous MBA program and international opportunities for its graduates. Admission is highly selective and every year thousands of applicants from all over the world compete for... Read more »
The Seven Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions—and How to Answer Them
You have already read our analysis of the most commonly asked MBA admissions interview questions. In this article, we’ve decided to up the ante by deconstructing the toughest and trickiest MBA admissions interview questions. To accomplish this, our team of former admissions officers combed through our extensive MBA interview archive and hand picked... Read more »
Sweethearts & Success: Applying for an MBA as a Couple
In light of Valentine’s Day, we’re taking a look at applying for an MBA together as a couple. For career-minded couples, it sometimes happens that an MBA makes sense for both partners, often at the same time. And because attending the best business school in one’s field can often mean... Read more »
5 MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace (And How to Do So)
Interviews, interviews, interviews…they are the post-essay hurdle to gaining admission. Instead of driving yourself crazy with worry, why not buckle down and perfect your answers to the questions you are most likely to be asked? To help you prepare, we’ve scoured our Interview Guides and Interview Archive to compile our very own list... Read more »
Resume- vs. Application-Based MBA Admissions Interviews
Some business schools believe strongly in the notion of résumé-based interviews, which means that your interviewer will know nothing about you in advance of the MBA admissions interview other than what appears on the résumé you give them. Schools that fall firmly into this camp include Yale School of Management (SOM), Columbia... Read more »
