5 Things You Need to Know Before Attending an MBA Fair
MBA Fair events provide an opportunity for candidates to efficiently learn about a variety of MBA offerings. Some Fairs might include as many as a hundred programs, in a trade fair type setting. We’re offering five pointers in terms of the best way to use these events as part of your application strategy.
1. Come prepared
Events that include multiple MBA programs can be overwhelming. The natural inclination is to come away from the event with as much information as possible, which can mean, visiting as many schools as possible, to gather that information. This approach really means you will end up knowing little about any of the programs. It’s much better to do your online research first. Go to the event’s web page. Look closely at the list of schools attending, and do your initial research online, narrowing down a list of target schools. Know your career goals and objectives for pursuing the MBA, and come to the event prepared to talk to each of your selected schools about those goals.
2. Bring a notepad
While it would seem obvious, take lots of notes during the event. Summarize your conversation with each of the schools you meet with. You might find yourself returning to a school, later in the day, after your knowledge of the MBA program space evolves, through your various discussions with the different school’s admissions teams. Your notes from the event will be useful as you draft your application essays, they also may prove an important guide for your interview preparation.
3. Don’t monopolize
You may need to wait a few minutes to talk to a specific school, especially one of the more popular ones. When it’s your turn, ask thoughtful questions (see point 1), don’t just try to get unnecessary facetime. You will annoy the admissions officer if you do this. Rarely will you be able to make a positive impression during an MBA admissions fair, but the reverse is not true. You can easily leave a bad impression, and this might get noted.
4. Dress appropriately
If you feel comfortable in a suit, feel free to wear a suit. If you feel comfortable wearing business casual dress, that’s good too. Don’t attend a fair in your beach wear, shorts and a T-shirt. Again, you don’t want to leave a negative impression. Look like you fit in, not stand out.
5. Collect contact information and follow up
Most admissions officers will have their contact information available for interested candidates to collect. Make sure you do this. Follow up with the admissions officer within 24 hours. Your follow up should include a thank you for their time, as well as some acknowledgment of the specific conversation you had. You will be helped in this endeavour by the note taking you did during the MBA fair (point 2.)
MBA Applywire
29Yo ORM
8 YOE in Finance
4 years Big 4 M&A - Investment Banking (Closed 6 deals)
4 years at domestic venture debt fund, last 15 months led my own team of 5 people and managed a $40 million portfolio (primarily in healthcare investments)
Part time CFO/operator advisor role for last 18 months for a consumer startup, helped raised seed funding of $120,000 and scaled monthly revenue 6x during this period
Founder Investor of an angel fund with 3 others since the last 3 years, managing AUM of $50,000 of combined personal capital into domestic impact-focused ventures
Background:
U.S. diplomat with 10 years experience across Latin America, Asia, and Eurasia, currently posted in Moscow. Career focused on crisis response, policy analysis, stakeholder coordination, and public-facing engagement in complex political and diverse social environments. Have led interagency initiatives, advised senior leadership (ambassadors, U.S. congresspeople, foreign supreme court justices) and managed high-stakes issues involving reputational risk, public trust, and institutional decision-making.
Academics:
Undergraduate GPA: 3.2.
Graduate GPA: 3.7, including strong performance in graduate-level quantitative coursework.
GRE: 319 (169V 150Q) - planning to retake and update on Feb 21 - anticipating a quant increase to 155-158
Career Goals:
Short term: transition into brand or experiential strategy roles (agency or in-house) with exposure to senior brand leadership, partnerships, and investment decisions, particularly within marketing, media, and consumer-facing organizations.
Long term: build a boutique strategy firm focused on helping brands engage LGBTQ+ audiences in durable, values-driven ways that hold up under political and cultural pressure.
Why MBA / Why Now:
Seeking formal business training to complement public-sector leadership experience, gain analytical and financial grounding, and credibly pivot into strategy-facing commercial roles. Interested in programs that combine rigorous general management training with proximity to marketing, media, and cultural ecosystems, particularly in NYC.
Target Schools:
CBS, Kellogg, Yale, Stern, LBS (in that order)
Demographics / Other:
37, Public-sector background, extensive international experience, LGBTQ+.
Post-MBA location preference: NYC.
I applied to HSW in the previous admissions cycle and was rejected without an interview. I plan to reapply next year to the same schools, along with the additional M7/T15 programs listed above.
My work experience includes employment at a Tier 2/3 technology consulting firm in Canada. I currently have five years of experience with two promotions and will have six years by the time of matriculation. My background includes leading global teams on B2B2C initiatives, with end-to-end responsibility for implementation and delivery. Post-MBA, I aim to pivot into either MBB consulting or a product management role at a large technology firm.
Academically, I completed an associate-level diploma at a Canadian college (CGPA: 3.8/4.0) before transferring to a university to earn a BSc in Computer Science (CGPA: 3.6/4.0), while working full time throughout my studies.
My extracurricular involvement includes participation in firm-wide mentorship programs, serving as an onboarding buddy, supporting campus recruitment initiatives, and extensive engagement during college (e.g., Peer Mentor, Learning Assistant).
My GMAT score appears to have plateaued, though I am willing to make another attempt before the next application round. Demographically, I am an Indian-origin male with Canadian citizenship.
Any tips on how to stand out at selected schools since I do have almost a year to prep for the applications?
This is a follow up to Wire Taps 221. I was featured on the Podcast 3 years ago when i was 22. Would love to be featured again if i am allowed to be greedy :). Your insights were really helpful the last time
I have been working as a co-founder and CMO, in a D2C luxury tableware company in India. We have grown from about 20k USD in Sales, when i first joined, to about 1.5 Million USD now.
Being in the luxury industry, i realized we could never have spectacular year on year growth, so i started a clothing brand as a solo founder in August 2024. But we are close to shutting down because of unit economics issues and lack of growth.
The more i read about industry stalwarts, i realized i have been getting basic business fundamentals like market sizing wrong and maybe a MBA would 'polish' me more in these aspects.
I had a question about school selection as i understand my profile is very untraditional in MBA circles. What would be a natural fit in terms of 'school hierachy'. I was thinking:
Reach
Harvard
Wharton
Fit
Kellogg
Columbia
"Safety"
Yale SOM
NYU Stern
Tuck
Does this sound about right? For additional information, i have been seeing quite a few admits in the M7 from my undergrad university. I also have done all 3 levels of the CFA. Great extracurriculars during college.
For recommendations, i was thinking of the CEOs of the suppliers for our products, as they are fairly big companies.
Sorry if this was a big post. Just wanted to provide you with all relevant information and give you updates from last time. Cheers!
MBA LiveWire
Applied via Consortium