MBA Admissions Tips
Research Tips
Advice on how to navigate the sea of information about your target programs and identify the most useful sources and details.
- Making Your List of Business Schools
- Considering Campus and Lifestyle Factors
- School Hosted Blogs
- Making the Most of Your Campus Visit
- Off Campus Information Sessions
- 5 Things You Need to Know Before Attending an MBA Fair
- Digging Deep with Your Target B-Schools: Anecdotes & Advocates
Advice for Pre-Experience and Early Career Applicants
Application Tips
Strategic advice on executing your MBA application, including tips on your résumé, data forms, and essays.
Preparation & Groundwork
- Should I Apply in Round 1 or Round 2 to My Top Choice School?
- Defining Your MBA Career Goals
- Additional Coursework Before Applying for an MBA
- Addressing Employment Gaps
- Volunteer Experience
- Know Your Audience
- How to Write a Résumé That Will Get You Into Business School
- Sweethearts & Success: Applying for an MBA as a Couple
- A Guide to Test Waivers: Should You Request a Waiver for Submitting a GMAT or GRE Score?
Essay Writing
- Crafting the MBA Essay
- Avoid the Comparison Trap
- 3 Ways to Show MBA Program You Mean Business
- Essay Polishing
- Word Limits and Character Counts
- 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Submitting an Optional Essay
- Video Essays
Recommendations & Letters of Support
- Preparing and Selecting Recommenders
- GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation Analysis for MBA Applicants and Recommenders
- Letters of Support
Data Forms
After Submitting the Application
Interview Tips
- 2025-2026 Round 1 MBA Interview Invitations Timeline, Powered by MBA LiveWire
- 2025-2026 Round 2 MBA Interview Invitations Release Timeline, Powered by MBA LiveWire
Advice for business school applicants who are preparing for their MBA admissions interviews.
Understanding Interview Procedures
- Open Interviews vs Invitation-Only Interviews
- Resume- vs Application-Based Interviews
- Wharton Team-Based Discussion Interview
- Unusual Interview Practices (Post-interview Essays, Two Interviewers, Presentations)
Interview Preparation and Follow-Up Advice
- Interview Etiquette
- The Seven Hardest MBA Admissions Interview Questions—and How to Answer Them
- 5 MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace (And How to Do So)
- Interviewing the Interviewer
- How to Impress During a Video Interview
- Post-Interview Protocol: Thank You Letters and Other Follow Up
Results
Tips on how to handle your admissions decisions, and next steps.
Good News
- Choosing Between Business Schools
- Should Scholarship Money Impact Your Choice of Business School?
- Can I Negotiate a Scholarship for Business School?
- 5 Tips for Welcome Weekend Attendance
- Background Checks
Non-Optimal Outcomes
- Five Tips for Making the Best of the Waitlist
- Waitlisted in Round 2? Here’s How You Should Proceed
- Round 1 Rejection Reflections
- Reapplying to Business School
Check out the LiveWire Data Dashboard -the interactive data tool that allows you to conduct on-the-fly analyses and visualizations of years’ worth of LiveWire status updates!
Compare your stats to those of successful applicants – or just satisfy your curiosity.
MBA Applywire
EA Score: Quant: 12 IR: 12 V: 10
I got a Master Degree in Finance with a 3.7 GPA.
CV:
Purchasing Manager (2025- Current) in a Mexican Leading plumbing company that manufactures 1,900 Skus with 1,200+ employees.
Innovation Engineer (2023 - 2025) in a Mexican Leading plumbing company that manufactures 1,900 Skus with 1,200+ employees.
Financial Analyst Sr. (2022 - 2023) in Strategic business services center.
Financial Analyst (2020 - 2022) in a Telecommunications infrastructure company, 150 employees
Short Term Goals: Right after my MBA, my goal is to work in the US, in a strategic corporate role, like a Global Procurement Manager, Operations Consultant, or a member of a Supply Chain Leadership Program in a global company. I want to manage large international supply chains, lead cross-border projects, and learn how top companies use new technologies to run their operations.
Long Term Goals: Ten years after my MBA, my goal is to be the Director of Development, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the company where I work right now or Director of Product Development. In this position, I want to lead the company's high-level strategy, drive our global expansion, and make the executive decisions on where the company is heading. Additionally, depending on the company's timings and internal succession plans, my ultimate goal is to compete for the General Director (CEO) position to lead the entire enterprise.
Why MBA Now: Through my roles in innovation, finance, and procurement at a leading manufacturer, I’ve learned how operational decisions shape overall business performance. I’ve led the digital transformation integrating an AI-powered strategic sourcing platform in indirect purchases and building supply chain resilience against tariff changes. However, I want to increase my influence over high-level business direction and execution. Having optimized our foundational operations, this is the perfect window to pivot toward global leadership. I need to develop leadership experience in a world-class global organization to return and successfully lead the company as it reaches its mature, global scale.
Silver medallist/ 7 years finance experience in JP Morgan and American Express (US market) / Led $30B commercial portfolio, led multiple initiative leading to $100M profitability/ Running AI startup in Supply chain finance- backed by Entrepreneur First
I want to be on a COO track in the medical device industry. I want to focus my MBA on strategy within an operations framework, so I can be the best applicant for MBB consulting in the medical device industry.
Education/Testing
- T20 US University, 3.73 GPA, Economics - Graduated 2022
- Won some research/academic awards in undergrad - not sure if that matters
- GRE 332: 167Q/165V
Background & Experience
- 26M, based in South America, work across two roles in a family business
- Role 1: Small division within the family business making a leather goods (private label for a small client base). I led the entire public launch of our own brand, from the ground up, including hiring the full team and building out retail placement. Now have 3 of our own retail locations plus placement in larger third-party retailers, roughly $1.5M in sales over the last two years
- Role 2: Regional sales leadership for a distribution business, leading two teams (40+ people total). Led a strategy pivot that roughly quadrupled our regional sales target over three years to 250K$
ECs
- Regional chair of global professional organization
MBA LiveWire
June 8 applied
June 26 interview invite
July 2 interview
July 8 acceptance via email about portal update
Applied 6/4
Interview Invite 6/24
Interview 6/30
Accepted 7/8
Don't give up!