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If you are considering applying to business school for fall 2023 admission, this Round 3 season is shaping up to be the friendliest one in years. Except for spring 2020, this is the first time in over a decade that schools are making meaningful in-season admissions changes, from extended deadlines to test waivers. As a result, now could be a great time to apply! 

We compiled this handy table to help you decide where to focus your efforts:

Indiana Kelley, Vanderbilt Owen, and Georgia Tech Scheller have also adjusted their admissions processes. 

Many of these programs require that you apply for these terms, so please look closely at each one’s website for more details, or reach out to an mbaMission consultant for a free consultation call. 

If you are considering applying to a leading MBA program, start by ensuring that you have the right mind-set so that you are mentally prepared for the process and are positioned for success. Here is what you can expect the experience to be:

1. TIME INTENSIVE
Many applicants are surprised by how time-consuming the application process truly is—not just the bigger elements, such as writing essays and studying for and taking tests, but also the smaller demands of the application. To get a sense of how much time you will likely need and the many steps required, read this article: The Ideal MBA Application Timeline. Make sure you have thought through when you will be able to set aside time to dedicate to the process, whether that is after work, on the weekends, or early in the morning before your workday begins. You need to make this commitment to yourself to be sure you are giving your application the proper focus. An MBA admissions consultant can help keep you on track and serve as an accountability partner.

2. INTROSPECTIVE
To effectively answer the MBA application questions, you will need to be clear on your career goals—both short-term and long-term aspirations—and why you need an MBA to achieve them. Assessing new career paths, networking, and speaking to individuals in your (potential) desired future field might demand additional time. Many schools’ essay questions also require that you reflect on your personal values, your life experiences to date and what you have learned from them, and what makes you uniquely you. Ample time should be devoted to contemplating these key topics. For advice on answering the notoriously challenging, self-reflective questions posed by Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), watch our YouTube videos (HBS, Stanford GSB) and review our book (60% off for a limited time).

3. THOUGHT-PROVOKING
Given how time intensive each application is, you must thoroughly think through what is most important to you in an MBA program and refine your list of target schools accordingly. Going beyond the rankings to learn about a program in depth is essential to ensure that it is a good fit for your personal goals, learning style, and personality. mbaMission’s business school Insider’s Guides recommend considering eight different criteria when evaluating a school and provide a comprehensive look at all eight for today’s leading MBA programs. And our YouTube channel also provides a plethora of helpful school-specific information.

Key questions to ask yourself and reflect on include the following: Do you prefer a case study or traditional lecture-based teaching style? How important is experiential learning to you? Would you rather have a core curriculum set for you in the first year of the program or the flexibility to select electives from day one? Do you thrive in an urban setting or prefer a small, more intimate college town? Do the school’s academic specialization(s) and recruiting focus align with your career goals? Is a traditional two-year program right for you, or should you consider a one-year, part-time, or even executive MBA instead? Should you work for another year or two before applying? How does your personal profile align with the school’s class profile?

You also need to define your personal “tipping point.” What do you consider the “best” school that you would actually not attend if you were to be admitted to it? Some people believe that the commitment and opportunity cost an MBA program requires are only worthwhile if they are accepted to certain schools. Others are convinced of the value of an MBA in achieving their goals, regardless of the specific program. This is a very personal decision but one you must make early on because you should apply only to schools that you would confidently and proudly attend if you received a letter of acceptance. An mbaMission consultant can help you effectively navigate the school-selection process based on your personal profile, goals, and interests. Simply schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

The decision to attend a top-tier business school is a significant one, especially given the arduous application process. However, having the right perspective and being aware of the reality of everything involved will set you up for a successful and more enjoyable experience.

Are you a business school applicant in need of some guidance from an admissions advisor? If so, then we want to meet you for a free in-person consultation in Aspen, Colorado!

On the following dates, mbaMission Senior Consultant Nisha Trivedi will be holding free in-person, one-on-one consultations in Snowmass Village, Colorado.

• Tuesday, January 31
• Wednesday, February 1 
• Thursday, February 2
• Monday, February 6
• Tuesday, February 7

During your free in-person consultation, your admissions advisor will answer all your most pressing MBA application questions, including the following:

• What are my chances of being admitted?
• How can I differentiate myself from so many other applicants?
• What is the best way to showcase my accomplishments or mitigate my weaknesses?

If you would like to meet with Nisha to discuss your MBA applications, please provide some basic information about your candidacy via the submission form at www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions. We will reply to you within one business day with a link to schedule your in-person, 30-minute consultation.

We look forward to getting to know some of this season’s best and brightest business school applicants!

*This offer is valid only for those applicants who have not already had an mbaMission free 30-minute consultation. After booking, if you would like to confirm the local time of your appointment, please contact [email protected]. 

Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Today, we focus on Eric Sussman from UCLA Anderson.

Eric Sussman is an adjunct professor in Anderson’s accounting department and also serves as president of Amber Capital, a real estate investment company. He has been voted Teacher of the Year 13 times by Anderson students and received the Citibank Teaching Award and the Neidorf Decade Teaching Award—both honors decided by a faculty committee. In addition, Sussman has won the Teaching Excellence Award in the full-time MBA program, which is decided by a vote of second-year students, and the University-Wide Distinguished Teacher Award. Sussman has also been recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek as one of Anderson’s Outstanding Faculty members numerous times and as one of the Top Ten Most Popular Business School Professors. In addition to his work in the classroom, Sussman created Insight FSA, a software tool that measures and evaluates the financial accounting and corporate reporting risk for public companies via Edgar Online.

A second-year student blogger at Anderson once described Sussman in a post as “one of what I call the five rock-star professors here,” and a first year we interviewed stated that Sussman “has an outstanding reputation at the school.” A graduate we spoke with who had taken Sussman’s “Corporate Financial Reporting” class agreed: “[Sussman is] probably the best professor at Anderson in my eyes and to a lot of other students,” they said, continuing, “Professor Sussman is also incredibly flexible when it comes to helping students. If you need the help, he will find a way to make time for you no matter your level. He truly was a passionate practitioner who invested so much in the students and school. People like him make Anderson exceptional.”

For more information about UCLA Anderson and 16 other top-ranked business schools, check out our free mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

With regard to the GMAT, raw intellectual horsepower helps, but it is not everything. Manhattan Prep’s Stacey Koprince teaches you how to perform at your best on test day by using some common sense.

“How do I make sure I don’t get more than two, three, or four questions wrong in a row?”

Students ask this all the time—they have heard that GMAT scoring penalizes us for getting a lot of questions wrong in a row.

This is true, to some extent. The GMAT test writers prioritize steady performance over the length of the entire test, so they have built safeguards into the algorithm to ensure that if, for example, we spend too much time early on, we will get penalized for running out of time at the end.

So… how do I avoid getting multiple questions wrong in a row?

People will say something like, “I am pretty sure I got the last two wrong—I just outright guessed on the last one. Now, how do I make sure I get the next one right?”

You cannot. You can never “make sure” that you get any particular question right. If you could… well, then you would not need any help, right? Nobody on the planet, not even the best test takers, can guarantee that they are going to answer any particular question correctly.

What do I do when I know I have just gotten a couple of questions wrong?

You are going to hate my answer: you ignore it. Do not even think about it in the first place.

You likely hate that answer because you feel that you have no control—and you are right. We cannot control this at all. That is why we should not waste a single second thinking about it. Try the question in front of you for some reasonable amount of time. If you just cannot do it in the expected time frame, find a way to make a guess and move on.

Spending more time (more than the rough average) does not actually increase the chances that you will get something right!

But then, how do I get better?

Expect that you are not going to be able to answer everything.

Know how to make an educated guess wherever possible.

Acknowledge when a problem just is not going your way, and, when needed, make a random guess without wasting a single second longer.

Change your response to the thought “I have to get this one right.” Have you already read this article: But I studied this – I should know how to do it!? If so, then you will remember that we talk about changing your response to the “but!” feeling. (If not, go read the article right now.)

The same thing applies here. When you find yourself thinking, “Oh, I need to get this one right!,” change your reaction. Instead of spending extra time and stressing yourself out, tell yourself, “I cannot guarantee anything. If I can do this one in regular time, great. If not, I will guess without losing time on it and move on.”