Tips for Finance MBA Applicants

Finance is one of the most popular specializations in the MBA.

Princeton Review ranks finance as one of the top five ‘most popular MBA specializations.’

With so much demand behind the finance MBA, how can a prospective finance applicant stand out?

Stacy Blackman, of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recently released targeted tips on how finance applicants can take a more critical approach to MBA application strategy.

YOUR RESUME 

When it comes down to it, your resume is just the tip of what MBA admissions evaluate.

“Finance applicants automatically assume that their strong work ethic, employer brand and high stats will get them into a top school,” Blackman writes. “But that is not the case today. About 50% of our finance inquiries don’t realize the bar is higher for their cohort. Their application must be more compelling to differentiate themselves from the competition. Accepting that truth is the first step to securing a place on a top MBA program.”

HOLISTIC INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE

Blackman stresses the importance of having holistic interests and achievements when applying for a finance MBA.

Her firm conducted a study that looked at the application journeys of 21 MBA candidates from private equity firms applying to Harvard (HBS), Stanford (GSB), and Wharton.

“Our study concluded that neither past academic background nor GMAT scores could reliably predict whether finance applicants were admitted or rejected,” Blackman writes. “Rather, success— defined by either an admit or interview invite—was predicted by how interesting the candidate was to admissions officers.”

Blackman says successful finance applicants will highlight activities they were involved in outside the classroom.

“For example, debate leadership, athletic activity and a remarkable thesis were undergraduate experiences that led to admits to GSB and HBS,” she writes. “Emphasizing earlier life interests that show character and values can differentiate finance candidates vying for top MBA programs.”

DEMONSTRATED CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

Many b-schools stress the importance of demonstrated character and leadership – and that’s something that can’t be found in a resume or transcript.

“At the end of the day – and this is for Stanford but I bet some of this is shared – number one is intellectual vitality. And what does that mean? It means your curiosity,” Stanford GSB Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions, Kristen Moss, says. “Sure, I’ll see your transcript and what you studied, but that’s not really telling me whether you’ll be an energizer in the classroom who is really here to learn.”

Blackman says it can also be helpful to explain how you will be a leader at a specific b-school.

“Convey that you will be active and engaged on campus,” Blackman writes. “For example, how you will take on a leadership role within a club that you are passionate about?”

Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, Princeton Review, Poets & Quants

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