Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.
As candidates race to meet deadlines these days, many will tell you that they wish they had completed the small details of the applications in advance, so that they could spend their final moments polishing their essays. Indeed, it can be quite stressful to realize, at the last moment, that you need to go through dozens of online forms and fill in addresses, phone numbers, parents’ professional histories, academic records and more. Thus, we suggest that, as you look toward round two, you take the time to get these details out of the way now.
By completing these forms, you will not only remove a source of deadline anxiety, but you will also ensure that your entire application meets your highest quality standards and has the greatest impact on the MBA Admissions Committee. If you take the time earlier in the process, you can actually ensure that these forms strengthen your candidacy. For example, many of the schools ask for thorough work histories, including accomplishments, responsibilities, setbacks and reasons for moving on. These sections are every bit as important as your resume and should be carefully considered to maximize impact!
This is a fairly straightforward admission tip, but one that is often overlooked. If you take this one to heart, you will remove significant anxiety going forward.