Getting It Done 101: A Step-By-Step Guide To Your MBA Application

Pursuing an MBA gets on someone’s radar in a variety of ways. Maybe you’ve noticed many leaders in your organization have one. Maybe you’ve noticed a lack of solid business acumen in your organization. Maybe your Aunt Barbara tells the best stories about her MBA days, or maybe just a simple Google search got you thinking about it. Whatever path brought you to consider an MBA, the path to enrolling in a program always includes an application process.

Applying to an MBA program involves many of the same steps as applying to an undergraduate program, but since it has been a few years, many candidates have questions about the process and the materials schools require. Most business schools require the following:

Resume: Your resume is your chance to show how you’ve excelled professionally.
Transcripts: Transcripts convey your past academic performance and interests.
Recommendations: Your recommendations give context around how you relate to others and operate in a professional environment.
GMAT or GRE score: Your standardized test score shows what you are capable of academically.
Essays: Don’t shy away from the essays. This is your opportunity to provide a better understanding of your unique perspective and aspirations.
Interview: The interview is a great way to provide a more complete picture of who you are and how you’d be an excellent fit for a school.

Aspects of the application process can seem tedious (transcripts) while others may feel daunting (essays and interview). Each piece of your MBA application tells an important aspect of your unique story…and what your journey pre- and post-MBA will look like.

I’ve spent more than a decade reviewing MBA candidates’ application materials for some of the top business schools in the U.S. No matter where you choose to apply, my best piece of advice for any MBA applicant is to be honest, authentic, and engaged from the moment you decided to apply to business school. The application process is as much about you finding a right fit school as it is a school finding the right fit students.

At Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, our high-touch, intentional approach to business education starts during the admission process. You can experience this commitment first-hand during the Getting It Done 101: Application Prep Program provided by my admissions team. With more than 60 years of combined MBA admissions experience, the team has a deep knowledge of what applicants should focus on for each component of the application. The program is free and candidates who complete all the sessions receive an application fee waiver for Goizueta.

The four-session program is presented virtually and comprises one session each week for four weeks. The live Zoom sessions feature admissions professionals providing insights and answering questions about specific aspects of the application. A recording of each session is provided to all registrants to watch at their convenience.

Week 1 – Resume & Application Forms
Week 2 – Testing, Transcripts & Recommendations
Week 3 – Written & Video Essays
Week 4 – The Admission Interview

To meet differing candidate timelines, we offer a Getting Done 101 workshop before each application deadline for all our MBA programs [Full-Time MBA (One-Year and Two-Year MBA programs), Evening MBA and Executive MBA]. Knowing there are different concerns depending on where you are in the world, we also offer dedicated sessions for international candidates.

Launched in 2020, more than 2,000 MBA candidates have taken advantage of Goizueta’s Getting It Done 101: Application Prep Program and gone on to submit successful applications.

Whether you have been thinking about an MBA for years or just started thinking about it recently, the application process can seem overwhelming at first. We are ready to help you navigate the process and break it down into manageable segments. Candidates who complete the workshops and “homework” as assigned will have a completed application they are proud to submit in just four weeks. It’s like a couch-to-5K program but for MBA applications. And just like finishing a race, you’ll be the winner in the end with a great application.

Melissa Rapp is the Associate Dean of Graduate Admissions at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. In this role, she leads the team responsible for the recruitment, evaluation, and matriculation of students across Goizueta’s portfolio of MBA and specialized masters programs. Melissa has worked at both small and large institutions helping to form and implement admissions strategies. Prior to joining Goizueta, she was Director of Admissions for Full-Time MBA and MSMS programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

© Copyright 2026 Poets & Quants. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Poets & Quants, please submit your request HERE.