Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A white paper analyzing the issues and perceptions among admissions officers
at the leading U.S. business schools to provide prospective students with the insight
to improve their chances for admission in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Selected Results
Student Applications..............................................2
Conclusion...............................………………………….9
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Introduction
Application volume continues to climb as the economy slumps.
The applicant pool is becoming more diverse. Demand for various
types of graduate business education grows as applicants look for
more flexible learning options. To spread their bets and improve
their chances of admissions success, applicants are applying to
more schools than ever before. Clearly, gaining admission to a
graduate business program is getting more and more difficult.
“Understanding the issues
Business school applicants face a myriad of challenges and con-
siderations throughout the graduate admissions process. As the and perceptions among
world’s fastest-growing GMAT preparation and MBA admissions
consulting provider, Veritas Prep is committed to helping ap- admissions officers at the
plicants leverage their academic and personal strengths to gain
admission into the top business schools in the world, via sound leading MBA programs
intelligence and thorough preparation. Understanding the issues
and perceptions among admissions officers at the leading MBA provides prospective students
programs provides prospective students with the knowledge and
insight to improve their chances for admission. with the knowledge and
This white paper highlights notable findings from the Veritas Prep insight to improve their
Survey of MBA Admissions Officers, an eight-week online survey
conducted during the 2008-09 admissions cycle among the top chances for admission.”
30 business schools in the United States, according to bi-annual
rankings compiled by BusinessWeek. Based on responses from
admissions officers at over half of the top 30 business schools
nationwide, the survey sought to glean current trends in the ap-
plication process. The result is an enlightening snapshot of where
the MBA admissions landscape is currently, and where it is likely
headed in the next five years.
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Student Applications
The MBA application process at top 30 U.S. business schools can
be a complex and arduous exercise. Today, business schools re-
ceive more applications than ever before for the same number of
available seats, and the applicant demographic is shifting younger
as applicants try to outmaneuver one another for an advantage in
the process. In this dynamic landscape, applicants are urged to
avoid common mistakes that irk admissions officers and jeopar-
dize their chances of admission.
2 www.veritasprep.com
Student Evaluation Criteria
Admissions officers at top MBA programs evaluate applicants on
a wide scope of characteristics from GMAT score to community
service to professional experience. In many cases, candidates will
enlist the help of an admissions consultant for guidance in creating
the very best application possible, highlighting their strengths in
key areas and positioning themselves as viable prospects.
Relative Importance of
Student Selection Characteristics
25%
Interpersonal Skills
6% Maturity
50%
19% Analytical Skills “The importance of
Leadership
institutional priorities in
the admission process is a
• Professional experience (63%) is the most important fac- significant cue for applicants
tor in student selection. Community ser vice (6%), which
traditionally ranks high, is reportedly the least important that the school’s needs
selection criterion.
matter as much in the
Least Important and Most Important admissions process as do the
Student Selection Criteria applicants’ needs.”
Professional Experience
Standardized
Test Scores
Extracurricular
Activities
Community
Service
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• Seventy percent of admissions officers feel that admis-
sions consultants help students identify the programs with
which they fit best and clarify their career goals.
• Ninety-two percent of admissions officers are aware that
applicants use admissions consultants more often than
they did five years ago.
• Eighty percent of respondents said that institutional pri-
orities and enrollment goals are more important than or
as important as an individual applicant’s merit.
1
tion process.
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2
Innovation
“Innovation” refers to both traditional intellectual
ability and creativity. Naturally, the former is re-
flected in the hard statistics submitted in the appli-
cation, including GMAT scores and undergraduate
GPA. Applicants who wish to increase their academic
attractiveness should enroll in a reputable GMAT
prep course to attain a competitive score, and should
enroll in a quantitative course at their local college to demonstrate
the appropriate discipline and intellect to do well in such a course at
the graduate level.
3
other words, the ability to look at old problems in new ways.
Teamwork
4
lack managerial experience.
admissions essays.”
Maturity
While the word “maturity” is often used interchange-
ably with “age” and “experience,” admissions of-
ficers value quality over quantity when it comes to
experience. One of the most rewarding aspects of
the business school experience is that students teach
one another based on their respective backgrounds.
Therefore, admissions committees look for mature
candidates who have something to teach their peers, but are also
willing to learn from them as well.
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What Admissions Officers Want
Among the various challenges that plague admissions committees
at leading schools, creating classes consisting of diverse, qualified
students is an issue of primary concern. In fact, almost half of ad-
missions officers predict the application process will evolve over the
coming cycles to identify ideal candidates and yield improved admis-
sions outcomes.
26%
Other
8% Increasing
student preparedness
33%
Attracting more
highly-qualified
students
“Admissions officers 33%
Supporting cultural
diversity
would like to see the
student application process
include more face-to-face or • Among desired changes that admissions officers would like to
see in their applicant pool, diversity ranks number one (87%).
telephone interviews in
the next five years.” • Admissions officers would like to see the student applica-
tion process include more face-to-face or telephone inter-
views in the next five years (60%). While a slight majority
of admissions officers see the application process becom-
ing less complex, almost half (47%) believe the application
process will actually become more complex in the coming
years.
How to Use It to Your Advantage
Fostering a greater diversity of viewpoints in the executive suite is a
strategic priority in business, and accordingly, cultivating diversity in
each entering class is a key priority for business schools. Students
hailing from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances create a
vibrant learning environment and reflect the makeup of today’s busi-
ness world.
The term “diversity” is a bit cliché in the 21st century, the traditional
concept of which typically alludes solely to differences in gender or
race. Today’s notion of diversity, however, transcends sex and eth-
nic origin to encompass a variety of other characteristics that yield a
variety of viewpoints and experiences and can differentiate students
in the crowded field of similar-looking MBA applicants.
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Applicants should identify themselves as unique and stress how
their contribution to the business school setting will be distinctive,
embracing points of difference as opposed to burying them in ad-
missions essays. After all, the very things that make them different
could be what scores them a seat in a desirable MBA program.
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The Emerging Role of Parents in
the Student Application Process
“Helicopter parent” behavior—the activities of mothers and fathers
who are overly involved in their children’s admissions applications—
has recently come to the attention of business school admissions of-
ficers. As the millennial generation (those students born in or after
1982) begins to apply to MBA programs, this trend is expected to
accelerate.
• Demonstrate maturity.
Any successful applicant can show that they will be a posi-
tive addition to the classroom. For younger applicants, this is
especially important in demonstrating the emotional and profes-
sional maturity needed to be a good classmate and
project teammate.
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Conclusion
Despite the increased demand for graduate business education
stemming from the current economic slowdown and other contrib-
uting factors, the savvy business school applicant is in a unique po-
sition to secure a coveted seat in a leading MBA program through
some additional due diligence. Understanding what wows and irri-
tates admissions officers at leading business schools, and tailoring
the MBA application accordingly, can propel one’s candidacy from
unlikely to competitive.
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For more information, contact:
Veritas Prep
(800) 925-7737
scott@veritasprep.com
To contribute your thoughts about business school admissions or learn more ways
to improve your chances of admissions success, visit the Veritas Prep blog at
http://blog.veritasprep.com/.