Blog

Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.

These days, as candidates consider their strategies for the coming MBA admissions cycle, many have a logical question in mind: How many business schools should I apply to? The answer, of course, varies dramatically from applicant to applicant, but the golden rule is that you should only apply to an MBA program if you have enough time to make your application the best it can be. So, if you have time to “perfect” only three applications, then you should focus on applying to just three schools—and not consider submitting five “average” applications.

In terms of a target number—assuming that time is not a factor and you can commit yourself to all of your applications—five or six is generally optimal. With five or six applications, candidates can apply to a mix of reach, competitive and safe schools and can thereby truly cover their bases. Of course, each applicant has his/her own risk profile and timing to consider, but for most candidates, applying to too few schools can increase the risk of not being admitted, and too many can be overkill.

Harvard Business School (HBS) is well known for using the case method, through which virtually all of the school’s classes are taught. Rather than resting on their laurels with regard to teaching the case method, however, HBS faculty members work hard to stay at the top of their respective games. Complementing the school’s tradition of faculty-to-faculty mentoring, in 2004, HBS established the C. Roland Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning (named for the late HBS professor) to promote and support teaching excellence and innovation. The center conducts research on pedagogical innovation and teaching effectiveness related to gender and diversity issues, and helps faculty members refine their teaching styles and techniques. The center also offers professors classroom observations and the opportunity to do pre-class planning, receive within-term troubleshooting/post-term feedback and conduct case and course development.

For more information on Harvard Business School or 14 other leading MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

With regard to the tone of your essays, you must ensure that the admissions committees readily recognize your certainty and self-confidence. Being clear and direct about who you are and how you envision your future is vital. Consider the following basic examples:

Weak: “I now have adequate work experience and hope to pursue an MBA.”

Strong: “Through my work experience, I have gained both breadth and depth, providing me with a solid, practical foundation for pursuing my MBA.”

——

Weak: “I now want to pursue an MBA.”

Strong: “I am certain that now is the ideal time for me to pursue my MBA.”

——

Weak: “I have good quantitative skills and will succeed academically.”

Strong: “I have already mastered the quantitative skills necessary to thrive in my MBA studies.”

——

Weak: “With my MBA, I hope to establish myself as a leader.”

Strong: “I am certain that with my MBA, I will propel myself to the next levels of leadership.”

The key in all of these examples is the use of language that conveys self-confidence—instead of “hope,” use “will;” instead of saying you have “good” skills, show “mastery.” Although you should avoid sounding arrogant, by being assertive and direct, you will inspire confidence in your reader and ensure that you make a positive impression.

How does MIT-Sloan review applications? True to the rigorous analytic nature of its curriculum—in a rigorous analytic fashion! When the admissions office receives an application, the candidate’s information is loaded into a database and the application is printed. Rod Garcia, who has been admissions director for MIT-Sloan for the past decade, first reviews every application online, then distributes applications randomly among readers, all of whom are either internal admissions staff members or contract readers. After picking up a batch of applications, readers review, score and then return them one week later. The scores are entered into the database, where Garcia reviews them to determine which candidates will be interviewed.

After the selected candidates have been interviewed, their applications are scored again, and the committee then decides which ones to admit. Application scoring is based on nine attributes, which Sloan divides into two major groups: demonstrated success (e.g., GPA, GMAT, work accomplishments) and leadership (e.g., high competency in creativity, relationship building, goal setting, influencing). Each attribute group is scored separately, and the two scores are added together. At mbaMission, we always tell candidates that MBA admissions is not a science—yet at MIT Sloan, there is some after all…

For more information on MIT-Sloan or 14 other leading MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

There is an old journalistic maxim—“Show, don’t tell,”— that demands that writers truly illustrate the actions involved in an event or story and not just state the results of what happened.

Tell (Results Oriented):

“I arrived at ABC Bank and took on a great deal of responsibility in corporate lending. I managed diverse clients in my first year and earned the recognition of my manager. Because of my hard work, initiative and leadership, he placed me on the management track, and I knew that I would be a success in this challenging position.”

In these two sentences, the reader is told that the applicant “took on a great deal of responsibility,” “managed diverse clients” and “earned recognition,” none of which is substantiated via the story. Further, we are given no real evidence of the writer’s “hard work, initiative and leadership.”

Show (Action Oriented):

“Almost immediately after joining ABC bank, I took a risk in asking management for the accounts left behind by a recently transferred manager. I soon expanded our lending relationships with a children’s clothing retailer, a metal recycler and a food distributor, making decisions on loans of up to $1M. Although I had a commercial banking background, I sought the mentorship of our District Manager and studied aggressively for the CFA exam (before and after 14-hour days at the office); I was encouraged when the Lending Officer cited my initiative and desire to learn, placing me on our management track….”

In this second example, we see clear evidence of the writer’s “great deal of responsibility” (client coverage, $1M lending decisions) and “diverse clients” (a children’s clothing retailer, a metal recycler and a food distributor). Further, the candidate’s “hard work, initiative and leadership” are clear throughout.

The latter is a more interesting, rich and humble paragraph—one that is more likely to captivate the reader. By showing your actions in detail, you ensure that your reader draws the same conclusions, by offering facts that facilitate this. Essentially, facts become your evidence!