Toggle navigation
MBA Watch Logo
MBA Watch Sponsor
Rice Business | Mr. Doesn’t Know When To Quit
GRE 331, GPA 3
Stanford GSB | Mr. Anti W2
GRE 331, GPA 3.0
MIT Sloan | Ms. Sassy
GRE 329, GPA 3.46
MBA Watch Sponsor
Kellogg SOM | Mr. HealthAI
GMAT 700, GPA 3
Harvard | Mr. Global Consultant Leader
GMAT GMAT FE 705, GPA 7
INSEAD | Mr. SE To PM
GMAT 675, GPA 3.0
MBA Watch Sponsor
Harvard | Mr. Data Econ
GMAT 750, GPA 4
Harvard | Mr. Energetic Indian
GMAT 760, GPA 9
Stanford GSB | Ms. Multifaceted Desi
GRE 309, GPA 4
MBA Watch Sponsor
Tepper | Ms. MRI Gal
GRE N/A, GPA 3.3
Columbia | Ms. Big4 CPA To MBA
GMAT 730, GPA 3.69
Cornell Johnson | Ms. Indonesian Tech
GMAT 740, GPA 3.02
MBA Watch Sponsor
Stanford GSB | Mr. IB To TFA
GMAT 750, GPA 3.4
NYU Stern | Ms. CA – Controller
GRE 321, GPA 8
Chicago Booth | Ms. Low GPA High Impact Care
GMAT 685, GPA 2.56
MBA Watch Sponsor
PQ Logo
Featured Schools
University of Cambridge Judge Business School logo
NYU Color (440 x 200 px)
ASB Landscape logo 440 x 200
Babson College
MBA Full time event
Today's Featured Schools
Featured Schools
University of Cambridge Judge Business School logo
NYU Color (440 x 200 px)
ASB Landscape logo 440 x 200
Babson College
MBA Full time event
  • Home
  • Main Menu
  • Most Recent
  • This Week’s Most Viewed
  • GMAT Master
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Study In UK
  • Special Reports
Rankings
  • MBA
  • Online MBA
  • Specialized Masters
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Executive MBA
  • Undergraduate Business Schools
News & Features
  • All Business School News
  • MBA
  • International MBA News
  • Online MBA
  • Specialized Masters
  • Admissions
Inside Business Education
  • THE Register
  • Thought Leadership
MBA
  • School Profiles
  • Rankings
  • News
  • Jobs
  • Faculty & Leadership
  • Best 40 Under 40 Professors
  • Events
Students
  • News & Features
  • Meet The Class
  • Best & Brightest MBAs
  • Best & Brightest Online MBAs
  • Women In Business School
Careers & Pay
  • News, Advice, & Trends
Online MBA
  • News & Advice
  • School Profiles
  • Rankings
  • Events
  • Pursuing Purpose At Gies
Masters Degrees in Business
  • News & Advice
  • Specialized Masters Directory
  • Rankings
  • Business Analytics
  • Master's In Management
  • Events
Financing
  • Financing Your Degree
Study IN Series
  • Study In France
  • Study In UK
Admissions
  • News & Advice
  • Admissions Consultant Directory
  • Your MBA Game Plan
  • Admissions Gateway
  • Getting Into HBS, GSB, & Wharton
  • Handicapping Your MBA Odds
  • MBA Watch
  • Events
GMAT & GRE
  • News & Advice
  • GMAT Master
More Resources
  • FREE: Insider Guides
  • FREE: Successful Essays To The GSB & HBS
  • Special Reports
Events
Videos
Podcasts
Executive MBA
Undergrad
Full Archive

About | Privacy Policy | Advertising| Editorial | Contact Us

Follow Us

Subscribe | Login

  1. Home
  2. Sponsored Blogs: Insights & Advice From MBA Admissions Consultants
  3. Are You The Perfect MBA Candidate?

Are You The Perfect MBA Candidate?

by: Karen Marks, president and founder of North Star Admissions Consulting on April 19, 2018 | 2,515 Views
April 19, 2018
    • Copy Link
    • Share on Facebook
    • Share on Twitter
    • Email
    • Share on LinkedIn
    • Share on WhatsApp
    • Share on Reddit

Do you have a 4.0 from Harvard, an 800 GMAT, international experience with McKinsey and your own charity, which you started in your garage while also building your social impact tech start-up? If so, you are the perfect MBA candidate!

Just kidding. Actually, MBA candidates who look stereotypically “perfect” on paper (and there is no singular definition of perfect, obviously) frequently don’t get in to their top choice schools. Although it is important to be qualified, these factors matter a whole lot more.

  • Personality.

For real, business schools want students who can get along with people and who have interests outside of work. This creates a more dynamic and engaged MBA community, and interpersonal skills are highly correlated with future personal and professional success. B schools are therefore looking for interesting people who play well with others – these students are more likely to excel (reflecting well on the program throughout their careers) and to stay engaged with their peers and the institution.

  • Goal clarity.

You need to tell a compelling story about what you want to do when graduate, short and long term. These goals need to be the sort of thing that your target schools can actually help you achieve. You also need to articulate how your prior experience has helped prepare you, and why you need an MBA to fill in the gaps. Your goals need to make sense, and you need to demonstrate that you can sell yourself to future employers – in part by selling these goals in your application. Goal clarity is non-negotiable, and usually the first thing I work on with my clients.

  • School fit.

Such an amorphous concept. When business schools talk about fit, they mean a couple of things. Will your professional and academic goals be well-served by their program? Can you articulate why and how? (Do you understand the school?) Finally, and most important, what will you contribute? Will you sit silently in class and then go home, or will you organize the international lunch after leading class discussion? Similar to the personality point above, MBA programs want to admit students who will participate and be happy. It creates a better experience for everyone, fosters alumni loyalty and helps them in certain rankings, since student and alumni satisfaction are criteria.

Business schools ask a lot of questions about what you did in college. They also ask you (and your recommenders) about growth. The admissions committee is looking for clues about your character – can you handle setbacks? Do you have a history of taking risks and driving change? Do you improve organizations and are you able to innovate and pivot? Again, these traits are highly correlated with success in business school and beyond, so be sure to offer specific examples throughout your application.

So, are you a “perfect” MBA candidate? Whether or not you have sparkling credentials on paper, your grit, tenacity, goals and ability to contribute matter as much if not more.


Karen has more than 12 years of experience evaluating candidates for admission to Dartmouth College and to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Since founding North Star Admissions Consulting in 2012, she has helped applicants gain admission to the nation’s top schools, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, MIT, Tuck, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, Haas, Duke, Johnson, Ross, NYU, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown and more. Clients have been awarded more than $47 million dollars in scholarships, and more than 98% have gotten into one of their top choice schools.

MORE FROM KAREN:  Should You Settle For Your Second Choice Business School?, Admissions Advice That Might Surprise You, Ready For Your Business School Interview?

Trending
first-dinged-then-admitted-to-hbs-stanford-2

First Dinged, Then Admitted To HBS & Stanford

How To Get Into HBS? Part 2 Of 2

tips-to-nail-new-harvard-mba-essays

Top Tips To Nail The New Harvard MBA Essays

Admissions Gateway MBA Resume

5 Common Mistakes To Avoid While Building Your MBA Resume

Top Tips For Military Veterans Applying To B-School

Applying To Business School While Unemployed

NEW Karen Marks Photo

Advice Column: Invited To A Business School Interview? Here’s What It Means.

How To Stand Out In The Application Pile

Tagged: Karen Marks, mba admissions consultant, MBA application, North Star Admissions Consulting, perfect MBA candidate

Post navigation

Previous Article: HBS Kicks Off 2018-19 MBA App Season
Next Article: Kellogg MBA Faces Possible Deportation
  • Stay Informed. Sign Up! Login
    Logout
    Search for:
  • Personal MBA Coach's Chicago Booth Essay Tips
  • Partner Blogs

    How To Stand Out In The Application Pile

    by Matt Symonds, Fortuna Admissions (1 week ago)
    Jody Keating, Fortuna Admissions

    5 Tips To Craft A Killer MBA Resume

    by Jody Keating, Fortuna Admissions (2 weeks ago)

    MBA Application Rounds: What To Know About Round 1, Round 2, & Round 3

    by Judith Silverman Hodara, Fortuna Admissions (4 weeks ago)
    NEW Karen Marks Photo

    Advice Column: True Or False: Are You Falling For These Business School Application Myths?

    by Karen Marks, North Star Admissions Consulting (4 weeks ago)

    GRE vs. GMAT For MBA: Which Test Should You Take?

    by Judith Silverman Hodara, Fortuna Admissions (1 month ago)
  • Online MBA Hub Specialized Masters Directory Business Analytics Hub MBA Admissions Consultants Assess My MBA Odds

Our Partner Sites: Poets&Quants for Execs | Poets&Quants for Undergrads | Tipping the Scales | We See Genius

About Poets&Quants | P&Q News Archives | Privacy Policy | Advertising & Partnerships | Editorial | Contact Us | Sign In / Register

Copyright© 2025 C Change Media, LLC All Rights Reserved.

Website Design By: Yellowfarmstudios.com