Use Social Media To Make Your MBA Applications Stand Out

Many of you spend countless hours on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media. Did you know you could use those sites to help you improve your application to business school? Here’s how.

Instagram

Are you struggling with identifying your passions? What motivates you? What makes you tick? Your Instagram might be able to help. Look through your pictures. Do you notice any themes? Perhaps you’re the great organizer for your group of friends. Are there one or two pictures that spark an idea for a really good essay topic? To be successful in your application to business school, it’s important to convey to the admissions committee not only what you’ve done (your accomplishments), but also who you are. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Let your pictures remind you what inspires you.

LinkedIn

A strong application to business school will have career goals that are researched, realistic, and real. Admissions officers expect that you will have researched your career goals prior to applying. In addition to conducting online research about potential post-MBA career paths, we strongly encourage applicants to conduct “human research.” Use LinkedIn and other networks to find people who currently have your target position and ask them about it. Find what it would take to transition into such a field. Ideally, speak with hiring managers in the field as well, and learn whether an MBA would be the best way to achieve this transition. Then in your essay you can use lines such as, “In speaking with top performers and hiring managers in this industry, they have recommended ___, so I have done ___ to prepare for the upcoming transition.” You can very clearly and concretely demonstrate that your goals are well-researched.

Facebook

It’s said that Facebook is a person’s highlight reel. You can use that to your advantage in crafting your business school application narrative. Looking through Facebook may remind you of times you’ve had an impact on others, or you might discover you’ve liked a lot of posts about saving the planet and there’s a story there that you could share in your essays. Maybe you’ll even notice that you work too much and you should do more outside of work so you’ll have more interesting things to post on Facebook and talk about in your essays!

So look back through your social media accounts, even the old ones you may have not used in a while. It may just provide a spark of inspiration to get you moving in the right direction.

Cecile Matthews is the director of MBA admissions consulting at Veritas Prep, the largest privately owned test prep and admissions consulting company in the world. Since 2002, Veritas Prep has helped thousands of applicants gain admission to their dream schools using its team of experienced consultants and a personalized game plan for each client.

Whatever stage you’re at with your MBA applications, Veritas Prep can help! Contact Veritas Prep for a free consultation! You can also give Veritas Prep a call at 800-925-7737 to speak with an MBA admissions expert about your chances of getting into business school — and what you can do to increase them! For more insights and advice, check out Veritas Prep’s blog, and be sure to find Veritas Prep on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.