6 Items To Check Before Submitting Your MBA Application

You’ve spent hours on your MBA app and are anxious to submit it. Go over it once more to be sure that you’ve checked each of the following items:

 1.  Your app paints a complete picture of you.

Review your application to ensure that every section shows you in the best light. The adcoms want to get a clear picture of who you are and how you will fit in with their other MBA students. Be sure that all of the information in your application is accurate, and that each section matches the others. Each section is a piece of the puzzle that, when complete, shows a picture of the unique person you are.

2.  You have demonstrated to the adcoms why you should be admitted to their MBA program.

Adcoms want to get to know you to determine your fit with their program. Showing what you will gain from the program, as well as what you will contribute to it, will demonstrate your perfect fit. Demonstrating fit is not always an easy thing. Many MBA applicants make use of MBA admissions consulting services to get this just right.

3.  Your letters of recommendation are spot-on.

There are 2 parts to this.

• You need to choose the best people to complete the recommendations. Be sure to select people who you are well-acquainted with and who can provide specific instances demonstrating the characteristics they say you have.
• Be sure that your recommenders have completed the paperwork and submitted it before the deadline. Make sure that their recommendations are what you need and expected.

4.  Another person has reviewed your personal statements.

Ask someone you trust – a family member, friend, or professional editor – to read your statements and make suggestions. Take any criticism in a constructive manner. You want to correct errors BEFORE you submit your app. It’s much better to have your friend find mistakes than the adcom. Reading your personal statement out loud will also help you catch errors.

5.  You have proofread your whole application.

Your personal statement isn’t the only part of your application that needs proofing. Take the time to go over all the sections of your application for spelling, grammatical, or stylistic mistakes. Be sure that all sections are complete and that your response matches the question asked. Your application should look neat and clean, be easy to read, and is error-free. This is not the place to use your creativity with fonts. Use a font and size that is easy on the eyes. You want to make your application one that is simple to get through.

6.  Give yourself time.

Don’t wait until the last possible moment to complete your application. Rushing through the process will lead to errors and not enough time to do a thorough edit. Give yourself a deadline to submit your app few days before the actual deadline. Sending in your completed, proofread, edited application before the deadline shows that you’re submitting because you’re ready and not because you don’t have a choice. Getting your application in early gives the adcoms the opportunity to spend the time on it that your hard work deserves before the avalanche of last-minute apps descends on them.

If you’ve gone over all of these items, you can submit your application with confidence that it’s the best it can be.

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Do you need help ensuring that each of these items are totally complete before you check them off and hit that “Submit” button? Check out Accepted’s MBA Admissions Consulting Services and work one-on-one with an admissions expert who will help you get ACCEPTED.

Linda Abraham is the founder of Accepted, the premier admissions consultancy. She has coached MBA applicants to acceptance for over 20 years. The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News, and Poets&Quants are among the media outlets that seek her admissions expertise.