The Early Bird’s Guide to Applying to MBA Programs

Do Your Legwork

Numerous resources exist for researching MBA programs, including this website. In addition to the schools’ websites, take advantage of on- and off-campus information sessions, school visits, admissions departments, student blogs, and your college’s alumni network. Reach out to current MBA students and alumni to understand these programs and their respective cultures from the inside. Do the schools have both the courses you seek and other learning opportunities such as conferences, international study trips, hands-on consulting projects, leadership coaching, etc., that will help you achieve your career goals? Have their career-services departments succeeded in placing people who want to go into your chosen field? Which companies come to campus to recruit?

Also take a look at the various program rankings/ratings out there. I consider those published by Business Week and U.S. News & World Report, but review each ranking’s methodology and don’t take any of them as gospel. If you are interested in corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and social enterprise in particular, check out Net Impact’s Business Unusual Guide and the Beyond Grey Pinstripes rankings.

I also suggest starting to researching school costs; financial-aid packages; and loan, scholarship, and grant options. It’s good to have a handle on what your future obligations will be and what resources are available. Once you have a sense of how much you’ll need to save, you’ll be able to plan better.

Shine in the Workplace

Most people attend business school after having worked for awhile, usually for at least two years and sometimes six or more (the average is in the four-to-five range). At this point, they’ve become clearer regarding what they want to do with their careers, and they have work and leadership experience that they can bring into the classroom.

What types of employment situations will enhance your chances of admission to a top MBA program? Some schools put great stock in pedigree, favoring those who have worked for prestigious, highly competitive organizations with strong brands, e.g., McKinsey, Google, Disney, Procter & Gamble, Goldman Sachs, and Teach for America. If you’ve made it through these companies’ employment hoops, you’ve already prequalified in a sense. If you aren’t drawn to such situations, seek opportunities where you can advance quickly and have a lot of input/responsibility. And be on the lookout for a great boss. I worked for two no-name businesses in two obscure industries before attending business school. Rapidly promoted to vice president in my second job, I got to conduct business for the company in Europe and the Caribbean; hire, train, and manage employees; and develop marketing campaigns. Needless to say, I had a great boss.

Once on the job, always look for ways to go above and beyond your job description, whether that involves improving internal operations, helping develop your peers, or finding ways to generate more revenue or cut costs. Also, continually seek feedback through both formal reviews (if offered) and the informal solicitation of input from managers and peers. This will not only help you grow as a professional, but it’ll also give your recommenders something to write about in your recommendation when asked about constructive criticism they’ve given you and your response to it!

Many MBA candidates have worked for more than one employer before applying to business school. This is fine, but it’s not to your advantage to have, for example, five jobs in four years, with huge gaps during which you were unemployed. This makes you look ungrounded, unstable, or unable to commit.

Seek Mentors and Build Your Network

Most successful people I know have gotten where they are thanks, in part, to three things: relationship, relationship, relationship. Whether you are just getting started in the working world or you have been a CEO of a company, having seasoned mentors who can give you advice and feedback, introduce you to key players, and lead you to hard-to-find opportunities can be invaluable. Where can you find these people? I’d get in touch with alums from your school and attend class reunions, find people in your workplace who like to take someone under their wing (your company may also have a formal mentoring program), attend industry-related networking events, and meet people through volunteer activities. Also, make use of LinkedIn.com. Investigate whom your connections know and ask for introductions; join and participate in industry-related and topically interesting groups; and reach out, to both ask for and offer help.