Let’s examine a hypothetical situation. Two students – Terry and Sharon – are applying to MBA programs in the United States. Terry and Sharon both went to National Taiwan University and got top grades throughout their undergraduate careers. They have both volunteered for good causes and come from upper middle class families. Terry’s father is a professor, and Sharon’s father is an executive at a chip manufacturing company.
Here’s a breakdown of Terry and Sharon’s grades and test scores.
| Terry | Sharon |
| GPA: 3.7 | GPA: 3.54 |
| GMAT: 720 | GMAT: 730 |
| TOEFL: 100 | TOEFL: 101 |
If Terry and Sharon, who are so similar on paper, are applying to the same program at the same school, how will the admissions officers decide between them?
Going Beyond the Numbers
To better understand applicants who are evenly matched by GPA and test scores, the admissions committee will evaluate their professional progress, personal values, career potential, and program fit by scouring resumes, essays, letters of recommendation and interview responses. This is precisely why crafting a fine-tuned resume and writing well-organized, insightful essays are essential for differentiating oneself from the crowd of qualified candidates.
Professional Progress
Professional progress and achievements help the admissions committee forecast your potential for future growth as a business leader. In short, past successes are indicative of future successes. Applicants should tell mutually-reinforcing stories about career advancement on the resume and essays, ideally with tangential stories in the letters of recommendation that also support these points. The resume offers a chance to highlight promotions, job changes, awards, skills growth, and increased responsibility, such as significant people or project management. Essays should be used to explain the reasons for job change decisions, describe the personal impact of important projects, and point out exceptional performance and accelerated promotions. Describing extraordinary career progress is especially important for younger MBA applicants (those with less than four years of work experience).
Personal Values
Admissions officers want to understand what you care about and what motivates you. Explaining what drives you to get out of bed in the morning and what you would spend your time doing for free on the weekends helps them envision your potential contribution to the MBA program and alumni community. It’s no secret that people want to use the MBA experience to advance their career and increase earning power. But showcasing your core values can be a distinguishing characteristic that informs and guides storytelling and essay creation.
Career Potential
As much as admissions officers might like to simply admit the most interesting or charming applicants they encounter, business schools have a lot riding on MBA career outcomes. Industry placement, post-MBA starting salaries, and job location can impact a business school’s ranking, and rankings are massively important marketing tools for these programs. As a result, the admissions committee are seeking candidates who show a strong likelihood to land a great job soon after graduation, preferably one at a reputable company with a high salary. Your past achievements help the committee get an understanding of your potential, and the career goals you write about in your essays and explain in interviews project the roadmap by which you hope to find success. Your recommenders can also throw their weight behind your potential for success, so be sure that your recommenders have a clear and complete idea of your post-MBA career goals.
Program Fit
One other aspect that the admissions team will have in mind is the way each applicant might fit into their program. This may be more of a factor at schools that have a specialized approach to teaching – such as IESE’s case method approach – or at schools that focus heavily on their collaborative culture – like Duke’s “Team Fuqua” brand. Applicants can demonstrate their fit in essays by showing alignment between their skills or personality and the classroom approach, relating to the program’s values or mission, or identifying clubs or events to contribute to.
Conclusion
Admissions officers need to get to know you so that when the time comes for them to make a tough decision among many qualified applicants, they have a compelling reason to choose you. In order to help the adcom get to know you, thoughtfully communicate your professional progress, personal values, career potential, and program fit across in your resume, essays, and interview responses, and have a discussion with each of your recommenders to ensure strategic alignment. If you are interested in more information about how to make yourself stand out from the crowd, have a look at our Start-to-Finish Consulting packages and consider scheduling a free consultation to discuss your plans and understand how Transcend Admissions Consultants can support your MBA application journey.