Digging Deep with Your MBA Program Research: Anecdotes & Advocates
Communicating with insiders (current students, alumni, and faculty members) can be beneficial to your MBA applications for a number of reasons. In addition to learning about a given school and your potential fit, you’ll also generate material for your essays, demonstrate your interest in the program, and perhaps even make an ally or two.
As you aim to go beyond the schools’ websites and promotional materials, we specifically recommend reaching out to individuals in a few key groups:
Current Students
People who are currently enrolled in a given program can obviously provide the clearest picture of the present state of the school community. They are often able to describe their school’s overall culture more vividly than brochures put out by the admissions offices. Current students can also help you understand the ins and outs of academic and extracurricular options.
So how do you get in touch with MBA students at your target schools? One strategy is to reach out to friends and acquaintances who are studying at a given school (or who know someone who is). It’s also helpful to get in touch with the leaders of clubs and programs in which you are interested; their contact information is generally available through the club website. This will help you to understand the club’s needs and priorities, as well as the impact you could make while on campus. Students can also provide a sounding board on this topic as you work to demonstrate your potential contribution during the admissions process.
Alumni
While students offer a great view of the program itself, a school’s graduates can often provide the best perspective on just how far an MBA from a given program can get you in a certain field. Meeting with alumni working in your target post-MBA industry (tracking them down either through your own network or school-sponsored events) may help you anticipate the program’s strengths and weaknesses in setting you on the right professional course. You might also gain some valuable insight that will help you to refine your career goals and better understand what short-term position would best prepare you for your long-term plan.
Faculty
Professors at business school tend to be a bit less accessible than students and alumni, but if you’ve identified someone whose research interests match yours or if you’ve sat in on a class that you found particularly intriguing, there’s no harm in sending a note to let the faculty member know and to ask them for a brief call or meeting. The individuals responsible for designing and delivering the MBA curriculum can offer great insight into the specific skills and lessons you would learn from one class to the next, and improve your understanding of the ways that an MBA would bridge the gap between your current skills and those you will need to achieve your goals.
So if you’re working on a business school application, consider reaching out! These folks are often happy to discuss their experiences with prospective students, and admissions committees also like thoroughly informed applicants (of course in all cases, patience and manners are of great importance). You might also gain advocates from your target b-schools, who you can later tap for unofficial ‘letters of support’ after you have submitted an application.
MBA Admissions Academy
Episode 1: How to choose target schools for application
MBA Applywire
27F. Asian. Graduated T20 undergrad with double major in Biology and Statistics.
I applied Round 2 last cycle to Stanford, Northwestern MMM, Harvard, and MIT. I was accepted to the MMM with 30k in scholarship and waitlisted at MIT without interview. I actually posted on here back then and was featured on the podcast, which was awesome and I really appreciate it.
I ended up declining admission to Kellogg despite it honestly being the program I was most excited about as I received another promotion at work and the salary increase was too great compared to the cost of attendance. Applying round 2 last year was actually somewhat unexpected as I planned to apply this fall anyway, but did really well on my GMAT, so I ended up applying earlier. The extra time enabled me to save up more and gain more experience at work.
Professional Experience:
I currently work at a top gaming company as a mid-level project manager. I do a lot of operational work revolving around team morale and engagement. Think onboarding, swag, internal events, office management, and some executive assistant work. Since applying last year, I dove heavily into AI and how it can improve and automate my work. I then starting teaching other admins across the company how to make tools for themselves as well. I ran a 2 hour long workshop and launched an entire learning and development program for the admin discipline, featuring workshops, office hours, show and tells, and more. I have also been advocating with company leadership to get additional clarity and job architecture around the admin function at work.
For extracurriculars, I have and still do a number of speaking engagements at conventions and universities about gaming careers and breaking into the industry. I was also honored at a local university for my efforts with helping wit htheir gaming program and my work across collegiate gaming as a whole. I was president of my gaming club in college and founded a grassroots gaming community for students in response to COVID that grew to 3000+ members in 3 weeks. I have directly coached 100+ students and early career professionals, helping to place 10+% in jobs through my work. I also mentored 1 student very closely over 3 years, helping her secure a position at a top gaming brand. Since applying last year, I started a local gaming community for 100+ people in the Seattle area to connect and have hosted 20+ events both online and in person. I started a Gen Z career community with a friend but we haven't had a ton of time to build it out. We have a pilot group of 10+ individuals and have started ideating on programming. I also volunteer at my local aquarium educating people about ocean conservation and local marine wildlife.
Post-MBA: Last year I wanted to pivot into product within gaming and eventually entrepreneurship. This year, I realized my actual passion was going straight into entrepreneurship and hopefully building something that focuses on human connection and mentorship as a means to empower people to reach their dream careers. Also potentially with the focus on technology resilience and adaptability so people are able to develop skills that will help them as tech continues to evolve and change.
Applied/Applying Round 1. Reapplying to Kellogg MMM, Stanford, and MIT. Applying first time to Booth and Wharton. Hoping for more money this time around! I did speak with Kellogg and they understood this was a financial decision and that I was still very interested in attending.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Leadership from University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2022)
GPA: 3.3/4.0
Professional Experience:
I began my career at Cummins Inc., a global leader in commercial vehicle propulsion systems, as a Test Engineer focused on powertrain validation. I was responsible for validating the functionality of engines and then later progressed into a Senior Field Test Engineer role where I was testing the engines in trucks, leading technical and strategic team meetings and was also mentoring junior engineers.
In mid-2026, I relocated to Pakistan to join Lucky Motor Corporation as a Manufacturing Engineer in the Reliability & Compliance function. Here, I transitioned from validation to production, where I lead daily quality and reliability investigations, drive line balancing optimization using Yamazumi charting, and own production launch readiness initiatives.
Entrepreneurial Background:
During my undergraduate years, I co-founded an online export-quality apparel resale business. Within a year, we scaled to over Rs 1.5 million in revenue and managed a remote team of 10–15 people. While the business didn't sustain into its second year as competition intensified, the experience taught me the critical importance of strategic planning, market positioning, and team leadership.
Community Involvement:
I remain active in my community through leadership roles—I managed Cummins's World Cup team in 2023 (strategy, team organization, execution) and held officer positions in my university's Pakistani Society. More recently, I've mentored junior engineers transitioning from validation into manufacturing roles, helping them navigate the technical and interpersonal dimensions of production environments.
Post-MBA Goals:
My immediate goal is to move into a Product or Program Management role at an automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier, where I can own a product line's roadmap and drive cross-functional alignment on cost, schedule, and delivery. Over the longer term (5–10 years), I want to become a senior strategy leader in the automotive industry, shaping which products and technologies to bring to market, which markets to enter, and where to invest.
Questions for reviewer:
How competitive is my profile to not only get admission but also get a decent scholarship at these programs.
What do schools like to hear from candidates coming from an engineering background?
Are there any other schools I could add/replace with one on my list - my priority is scholarships.
Background: Pakistani male currently based in Tokyo, Japan
Academics:
Undergraduate degree from a leading university in Pakistan
GPA: 3.44
GRE: 334
Professional experience:
I began my career at a global research and expert network firm in Pakistan, where I supported quantitative research for major strategy consulting firms. My work included designing and delivering surveys for projects involving market entry, commercial due diligence, and growth strategy. I progressed into a team leadership role, managing research delivery and junior colleagues.
I later joined the Japan business of a large multinational consumer goods company and relocated from Pakistan to Tokyo following my professional progression. I currently work in category and consumer insights, supporting portfolio and investment decisions for a smoke free product business. My responsibilities include translating consumer behavior, market trends, and competitor activity into recommendations for senior management. I also manage our qualitative research budget, oversee external research agencies, and lead three analysts.
International exposure:
I have worked with consulting clients across international markets and have experience working for the Japanese market both remotely from Pakistan and in person after relocating to Tokyo. My professional experience has required me to adapt to a new country, business environment, and language while influencing cross functional decisions.
Community involvement:
I volunteer with a rural development organization in Pakistan, contributing to grant proposals and conducting workshops for small agribusiness owners on business planning, cost management, pricing, and digitization. This work is personally meaningful because of my family’s roots in the region.
Post MBA goal:
My immediate goal is to join the consumer products practice of a leading strategy consulting firm in the United States. Over the longer term, I want to build a consulting firm that gives small and medium sized consumer goods businesses across South Asia the evidence and strategic support needed to compete with larger companies and scale sustainably.
Target programs:
Tuck, Ross, Cornell, Yale, Kellogg, CBS
Questions for reviewers:
How competitive is my profile for these programs?
Is my school list appropriately balanced?
Which aspects of my profile should I emphasize most strongly?