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: Selecting Your Recommenders
Since many of our readers are just beginning the business school application process, we wanted to offer some basic tips on a critical variable in the MBA admissions equation: selecting recommenders. When choosing your recommenders, remember that it can be seen as a test of judgment – selecting a recommender... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Feedback Session Etiquette
At the beginning of April, we discussed the importance of signing up for a feedback session when one is planning to reapply to a program that provides this opportunity. Today we’d like to follow up on that post by offering a few thoughts on feedback session etiquette. While on one hand a... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Going Beyond School Websites
In keeping with the recent Admissions Tips we have posted for the new crop of applicants to the Class of 2016, today we want to offer some tips on engaging the community of one’s target programs. Communicating with b-school insiders can be beneficial for a number of reasons: In addition... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Approaching the Career Goals Essay
With essay topics for the coming year already being released by some schools, there are applicants who are eager to get started on their written applications. Though essay questions tend to vary year to year, the two things that nearly every prospective student can count on being asked are “What are your... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Round 3 Results
With the MBA programs releasing their Round 3 notifications in the upcoming weeks, the 2012-2013 admissions season is coming to a close for the vast majority of MBA aspirants. We’d like to offer our congratulations to all those who have gained admission to one of more of their target schools... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Considering the Campus
Continuing our series of admissions tips geared towards those individuals who are just beginning to think about their MBA applications, we wanted to offer some advice on factors to consider with respect to a school’s facilities and location. Whether speaking with current students or touring the campus for oneself, it’s... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Avoiding Red Flags
When applying to the top schools, it is important to avoid “red flags” in your application. For the uninitiated, red flags are negative items that stand out in your file and may result in rejection from business school. While most applicants understand the basic red flags, like a 2.4 GPA... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Addressing Academic Strengths
While we devoted time last week to advice on addressing weaknesses in one’s academic record, today we wanted to explore the other side of the issue: the strengths that lie in your undergraduate record. Beyond issues of aptitude or previous achievement, there are a number of other things that your academic... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Addressing Academic Weaknesses
To follow up on last month’s advice about GMAT preparation and timing, we wanted to offer some general comments about the role of academics in the admissions process. Many candidates considering business school focus on the credentials they will hold and the network that they will join upon graduation, but it... Read more »
Columbia Business School Admissions Officer Debunks Common Application Myths
A Columbia Business School (CBS) admissions officer devoted a recent post on Voices — a blog co-written by current CBS students and admissions officers to help provide a student perspective — to debunking some of the myths prospective applicants often seem to believe about the CBS admissions process. For starters,... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Feedback Sessions for Denied Applicants
As many of our readers know, a small number of leading MBA programs offer admissions feedback sessions to applicants who did not make the admissions cut in a given season. Though we’ve touched upon this subject before, we’d like to use today’s blog entry to underline the importance of these feedback sessions for... Read more »
Exclusive GMAT Insights and Advice for MBA Hopefuls From Top GMAT Community Leaders
Each year thousands of individuals begin journeys that they hope will ultimately lead to an acceptance offer from top-tier business schools around the world, and for the majority of these applicants one of the first steps on the b-school path is studying for and taking the GMAT exam. With the... Read more »
Clear Admit’s Kevin Chen Gives Advice to Asian MBA Applicants Targeting Top Business Schools
Navigating the MBA admissions process in the United States and Europe is a tricky task, even for applicants familiar with the expectations of the Western academic and corporate cultures. However, the process presents special challenges for East Asian applicants, who often possess cultural assumptions that can work to their disadvantage.... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Planning for the GMAT
For all you “early birds” who are planning to apply to business school this fall, we wanted to offer a few tips on managing your time as it relates to the GMAT exam. Because this is an important element for many applicants in determining at which schools they will be... Read more »
Admissions Tip: Avoiding Common Pitfalls, Part II
Last week we offered some advice to help applicants avoid common pitfalls in writing their essays for the Round Two deadlines. This week we’d like to offer some more advice. Although these tips might not apply to everyone or to every school, these are some good basic strategies to employ. For personalized advice... Read more »
