{"id":42161,"date":"2026-04-07T09:43:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/?p=42161"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:43:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:43:56","slug":"mba-extracurricular-activities-admissions-committees-ep-97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/mba-extracurricular-activities-admissions-committees-ep-97\/","title":{"rendered":"The mbaMission Podcast: How MBA Admissions Committees Evaluate Your Activities Outside Work| Ep. 97"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business school admissions committees ask about your activities outside of work, but what are they really looking for? Although much about the admissions process can be unpredictable, business schools generally have clear expectations for what an applicant\u2019s extracurricular profile should look like and include\u2014and understanding those expectations is key to building a stronger application.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-wrapper\"><div class=\"embed-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What Counts as an Extracurricular for MBA Applicants? | Ep 97\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9qYIg4iB7bw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this episode of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mbaMission Podcast,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> host <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/who-we-are\/team\/harold-simansky\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harold Simansky<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is joined by mbaMission Executive Director <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/who-we-are\/team\/jessica-shklar\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jessica Shklar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and mbaMission Managing Director <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/who-we-are\/team\/rachel-beck\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rachel Beck <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to break down how a candidate\u2019s extracurricular activities are evaluated, why \u201cwho you are as a person\u201d matters just as much as your professional story, and how to identify meaningful experiences you already have, rather than trying to fabricate something in an attempt to impress the admissions committee.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-mbamission-podcast\/id1748825410?i=1000760004683\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button.jpg\" alt=\"apple podcasts button\" class=\"wp-image-41854\" style=\"width:342px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/apple-podcasts-button-300x100.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/00twippDv6OhobW26kLqt9?si=429e9390a5d9440c\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"563\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/spotify-button.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41852\" style=\"width:359px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/spotify-button.jpg 563w, https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/spotify-button-300x100.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 563px) 100vw, 563px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their conversation explores critical factors such as what \u201cextraprofessional\u201d really means for your application, how admissions committees use three key questions to assess your activities, why high-hours professionals and candidates with family responsibilities are not at a disadvantage, what makes an activity description credible, and why nontraditional activities and authenticity often outweigh prestigious-sounding accomplishments. Jessica, Rachel, and Harold also discuss the difference between participation and leadership, how to find meaningful moments in everyday life, and what business schools are trying to learn about you from this section of your application.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are wondering whether your extracurricular activities are compelling enough for top MBA programs, are worried that your lack of formal extracurriculars puts you at a disadvantage, or simply want to understand why admissions committees ask about this facet of your life, this episode offers practical, actionable guidance to help you think about your application differently and present yourself with greater authenticity and confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New episodes of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mbaMission Podcast <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are released every Tuesday on all major streaming platforms, with full video episodes available on its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLtqzkG1bOTo8BgKcRYc2F5DcLjQz0pKD9\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube channel<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Sign up for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/consult\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a free 30-minute consultation <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with Harold, Jessica, Rachel, or another member of mbaMission&#8217;s admissions team.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Business school admissions committees ask about your activities outside of work, but what are they really looking for? Although much about the admissions process can be unpredictable, business schools generally have clear expectations for what an applicant\u2019s extracurricular profile should look like and include\u2014and understanding those expectations is key to building a stronger application.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":42165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[643],"tags":[71],"class_list":["post-42161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mbamission-podcast","tag-extracurricular-activities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How MBA Admissions Committees Evaluate Extracurricular Activities<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how MBA admissions committees evaluate extracurricular activities, what they really want to see, and how to present yourself authentically.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/mba-extracurricular-activities-admissions-committees-ep-97\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How MBA Admissions Committees Evaluate Extracurricular Activities\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how MBA admissions committees evaluate extracurricular activities, what they really want to see, and how to present yourself authentically.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/blog\/mba-extracurricular-activities-admissions-committees-ep-97\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"mbaMission - 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