Getting Into a Top 10 MBA Program: What it Takes to Join the Elite

 Getting into any MBA program is a big challenge; the application process is a troublesome hurdle for every aspiring applicant. Choosing the preference of your dream B-schools and listing the top ten MBA programs is a more arduous task. As the pool of applicants is getting overcrowded day by day, the competition is also growing stiffer. The admission tests, the application essays and the interviews are all distressing hurdles for the applicants. Sky-scraping GMAT scores and an ideal GPA are admittedly the important elements to strengthen your position but they do not guarantee that you will definitely get through. If your scores are not on the red hot end of the spectrum, it does not mean that you are out of the competition. There is plethora of ways to show you have what it takes. 

The first and foremost issue that you need to look at is how well do you know yourself and how well do you understand where you’ve been and where you are going and how can you capitalize on the investments that you have made so far in your life and career. The business schools are incredibly interested in people who are passionate about what they are doing and want to move forward with a higher pace. Most of the top notch B – schools seek people who have got potential of managing resources, managing people and markets which is exactly what a MBA teaches you how to do.

The admission officers look candidates having qualities that can be demonstrated from any university experience and across many fields of work. They crave for people who can create, manage, and lead organizations in the future that can positively put a high value on creativity and innovation. The admission committee looks for people that have enough evidences of being good members of the team, as a lot of what the students do during the MBA program revolves around team projects and activities, it involves case studies and so they need people that have the ability to function well in a team environment. As an applicant it is important for you to explain how your experience has prepared you for a top MBA program regardless of what number of years that experience has been. Your professional responsibilities and the position you held is not what appeals the admission panel but do clearly discuss in your application what things you have learned and what skills you have gained in your professional experience till date as that is what will make the difference.

Experiences matter. Whether the experiences are from your work or from your extracurricular activities, you know where they have demonstrated some of your unique strengths or unique contributions. So narrate as much as experiences possible which you consider significant. For any top b-school involvement outside the class is really a hallmark that is something that they definitely want to see. They hardly worry about how the applicants are going to be doing in the classroom.

After you’ve managed to get your academic and professional credentials in place, you still need to set up the case for yourself. You need to get hold of a strong story line. Your stories, your experience, and most importantly your self-awareness as an individual and your ability to communicate all of these aspects is mainly what drives the decision of the admission committee. A good narrative story is vital to help admissions staff interpret the numbers and resumes attached to each candidate. A top notch story is key to getting into a top notch school. Many of the people have the misconception that the admission officers look for reasons to turn people down. But it’s actually the opposite. When they come across diverse streams of applicants they find reasons to like the person and to reward them. 

Recommendation letters are an added benefit for ensuring your admission. Your recommendation letter should be active and detailed. Good recommendations will prop up important achievements that the candidate has made and go beyond that to give further examples. Sometimes your senior sees those potentials in you which you might not be aware of. So always have strong recommendation letters handy during the application process, to add stars to your application.

Assess where you stand in your career; get your numbers where they need to be, prepare yourself with a good story of your life and your future goals and surely the acceptance letter from a top ten schools could be addressed to you.