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v SEVEN ADMISSIONS CRITERIA: For a number of years I conducted admissions seminars designed to help applicants get into top
MBA programs. This Web site is a condensed version of those seminars. In it I address the qualities admissions officers are looking for in
Admissions Consulting candidates and include anecdotes from my former GMAT students, many of whom are now in or have already graduated from the country's top
7 Admissions Criteria business schools.
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Those top schools will evaluate seven main elements of your candidacy. There is significant variation in the emphasis placed on those elements,
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but as a GMAT instructor who has worked with hundreds of applicants, I have also noticed distinct similarities among the top programs.
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MBA Recommendations I've arranged the seven elements in what I feel is their order of importance. Like the magazines that rank business schools, I can't resist ranking the
International Applicants application elements. My rankings are based on my own experience, and I will be the first to admit that they are regularly contradicted. I have
MBA News! plenty of former students at Harvard, Wharton, Stanford and every other top school who were admitted because an admissions officer liked
Link to Top MBA Schools something in their applications and threw out the rule book to accept them.
GMAT RESOURCES So don't be discouraged if you feel a little weak in some of the categories I place high in my ranking. As I write this, I can think of former students at
all three of the schools I just mentioned who had glaring weaknesses in important categories but managed to convince the admissions officers that
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they had something valuable to offer.
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GMAT Registration Keep in mind as you read through the seven items that their ranking applies only to top MBA programs. Less competitive programs have entirely
different motivations behind their admissions decisions.
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After running through the seven items, be sure to look at the GMAT tutorial and the tutorial on writing the essays. And if you're interested in
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working with an editor on your application essays, feel free to contact us.
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Download Applications Good luck.
John Evans
Next > (1) GMAT Score
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Seven Criteria Home (4) GPA
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v Number 1 - YOUR GMAT SCORE:
Admissions It's sad, but it's true: your GMAT score is probably the most important factor in determining whether you will be admitted to a
Consulting top business school. I want to clarify that statement, though, so you won't misunderstand me.
7 Admissions Criteria
MBA Rankings Most applicants believe there is a significant difference between a 680 and a 720 on the GMAT. There isn't. The extra 40
points won't help your chances of being admitted. That's why I'm frustrated when I hear from people who score 680 and
Improve Your insist on retaking the exam. They would be better served by burning their GMAT-prep books and turning their attention to the
Chances application essays (the next step in the process).
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MBA If you hope to have a reasonable chance of being admitted to a top program, though, your GMAT score will need to be "in the
Recommendations ballpark." If it isn't you'll have a hard time winning a spot at A-list schools no matter how good your work experience and
undergraduate GPA might be. That's why I believe GMAT score is the most important factor in being admitted to a top
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program. If your score isn't in the ballpark, you won't be in the game.
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MBA News! So What's Considered "In the Ballpark?"
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Schools At virtually all of the top programs, the ballpark starts in the mid 600s. That doesn't mean there is a strict cut-off -- there isn't.
But if you look closely at a school's numbers you'll see that below about 620, your chances of being admitted fall pretty
GMAT RESOURCES dramatically.
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Take a look at the graph below. It shows the "middle 80 percent range" of GMAT scores for students admitted to a typical top
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Beverly Hills, CA 90212 You can see that the median score is about 680; but the median can be deceiving. You don't need to beat it to be accepted.
It should be obvious that half of all accepted applicants score below the median, but for some reason many of my GMAT
OTHER RESOURCES students feel they need to beat a school's median to have a reasonable shot at getting in. I've had to talk quite a few of them
Financial Aid into applying to MBA programs they are now attending (or have already finished) because they were initially discouraged
Indian Applicants when their GMAT scores fell slightly below their target schools' medians.
What Score Will I Need If I Hope to Attend a Top Program?
If your GMAT score is within a school's median 80 percent range, even if it's 60 points below the school's median, you have a
reasonable chance of being admitted. If it's below that 80 percent range you still have a shot, but it's a long shot. (I'll discuss
how applicants with GMAT scores below the median 80 percent range get admitted to top programs in the next section on
application essays.)
Most MBA programs now print their median 80 percent ranges in their brochures. For those that don't, you can make a rough
estimate by assuming the range starts about 60 points below the median and ends about 60 points above it. As long as you
are within that range, you have a reasonable chance of being admitted.
Are the Separate Scores for Math and Verbal Important?
Yes, especially the math score. The admissions people put a lot of emphasis on math skills when making their decisions.
(See the discussion on GPA for more on this.) So it's important that you do well on the math portion of the GMAT.
The math and verbal scores range from 0 to about 52. (I know that ETS claims the scale can go as high as 60, but it has
never actually gone over 52). My strongest students are those in the "40-40 Club." That means they score in the 40's in both
math and verbal.
It's great to have that kind of balance, but if you are going to be stronger on one portion of the test than on the other, it's
clearly better to be stronger in math.
What if I Hope to Apply to Top Schools But My GMAT Score is Below 600?
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You need to take the test again. I'm not saying that you can't get into a top program -- you can. But your chances are slim.
So if you have time to take the test again, you'd be foolish not to.
And that brings up a good point about multiple test scores. I'm not aware of a single top school (or even an average school
for that matter) that still averages GMAT scores. I'm sure that someone out there will find a program that does so, but until I
hear from that person, let's stick to the general rule: Schools consider only your highest GMAT score.
Can I Take the Test 15 Times and Just Report My Highest Score?
Sort of. Before the GMAT exam begins, the computer will ask you which schools you would like your scores forwarded to.
You get five schools included in the cost of the test, and any others will cost you $25 each.
You can elect not to have your scores forwarded to any schools. After you have seen your scores (you get them immediately
after finishing the test), you can then pay $25 each to have them sent to the schools you choose.
Your "GMAT transcript" will report only your three most recent scores. So if you took the test four times and scored 450 each
time, but didn't have your scores forwarded, you could still pull off that miraculous 700 the fifth time and then send your
scores. The admissions office would see only two 450's and a 700.
It doesn't really matter, though, whether you send your transcript after each test or wait until you score the number you want.
In the end, the school's application will ask you to specify the score you want the admissions committee to consider. (And,
no, you can't mix and match your best verbal score and your best math score from different tests.)
(By the way, two years ago the GMAT was $84 and additional score reports were $10 each. Now it's $165 and additional
score reports are $25 each. That's a great example of what happens when a monopoly is allowed to operate. Maybe
someone in business school can come up with a way to introduce free market forces into the GMAT administration process.)
What About the Essay Score on the GMAT?
You will have to write two essays on the GMAT (the "Analytical Writing Section"). They will be scored on a scale of 1 to 6,
and those points will not be added to your other GMAT score.
The essays are extremely simple. I teach my students a basic template to follow and they seem to do very well with it. They
regularly score perfect 6's (the 99th percentile) just by following the template.
It's been my experience, though, that your essay score is pretty much worthless, so I spend very little time on it in class. A
few years ago I asked the admissions director of a Top-5 school what she was doing with the essay scores. She laughed at
me and said she wasn't really using them (though that isn't what her brochures say).
I have to agree with her. The GMAT essays are ridiculous. Given how well some students have done by just following a
formula, the scores seem pretty meaningless. And now the essays are being graded by computer, making them even more
worthless. So don't spend a lot of time studying for the AWA essays, and don't put too much emphasis on your essay score.
I can assure you the admissions committee won't.
A Special Note: The actual essay topics you will see on test day are disclosed in advance! You can find a complete
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list of them in the current edition of The Official Guide for GMAT Review.
Having the list tempts some people to try to write their essays ahead of time. The pool of essay topics is so large, though,
that it would be impossible to write an essay for each (and remember them all) before test day. Your time would be better
spent studying the other sections of the GMAT.
What About Taking the Exam Under "Non-Standard Accommodations?"
Most people don't know that they can take the GMAT under what ETS, the test administrator, calls "non-standard
accommodations." That means you can get twice as much time as everyone else, if that's what you need to compensate for
a medical condition. ETS doesn't promote this accommodation very aggressively, but I've had many of my students take the
test "non-standard" and all of them who have gotten a truly significant accommodation (such as double time) have gone up at
least 100 points from what they were scoring with me on practice tests given under standard conditions.
I had one student who consistently scored in the mid 500s with me. He took the test under non-standard conditions (he got
double time), went up more than 100 points, and was accepted at Harvard. I don't think Harvard would have taken him in the
mid-500s, so the special accommodations worked out particularly well for him.
Should I Take a GMAT-Prep Course?
If you hope to go to a top school, you'd be crazy not to prepare for the GMAT. Being admitted to Kellogg or Columbia or a
similar school is well worth the time and money invested in a good prep course.
I don't want to steer you toward one company over another, but I would suggest that you take the longest, most
comprehensive course available in your area. And look for a good instructor. A good teacher can reveal subtleties about the
test that aren't written into any book, and just having the structure of a class will force you to work harder than you would if
you chose to study on your own.
For more on GMAT prep courses, be sure to see our GMAT Forum section.
The Bottom Line On GMAT Scores
Take the GMAT very seriously. If you score 560 you won't be going to Wharton, and all of your excuses for not finding time to
study will be little consolation. Work hard in your course! And if you don't like your first score, take the test again. Keep
taking it until you get the score you want.
Next > (2) Your Application Essays

(1) GMAT Score (5) Work Experience
(2) Application Essays (6) Recommendations
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v Number 2 - YOUR APPLICATION ESSAYS:
Admissions Consulting Once you've gotten your GMAT score into the proper range, the most important thing you can do is write good essays, not try to push your score
7 Admissions Criteria up a few more points by retaking the exam. An extra 30 points will not be worth nearly as much as a well thought out set of essays that convince
MBA Rankings an admissions officer that you have something valuable to contribute to his school.
Your work background will determine who you compete against for admission spots. But what you say about your background and how well you
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say it will determine whether you beat those competitors. That's why the essays are so important.
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International Applicants The Admissions Process
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Link to Top MBA Schools To understand the admissions process, you have to look at it from an admissions officer's point of view. Each year the staff tries to assemble a
well-rounded class consisting of people from a broad range of work backgrounds. It's important that they assemble a diverse group because many
GMAT RESOURCES assignments in B-school are collaborative and interdisciplinary. Consequently, projects will be more successful and students will learn more if their
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The admissions staff faces a tough challenge, though, in assembling a diverse class because the vast majority of applicants to top programs come
GMAT Registration from only two broad work categories: finance and consulting. Many of these people have worked at the most prestigious firms. They got good
grades as undergraduates (or they wouldn't have been hired by top firms), and almost all of them take GMAT prep courses because that's part of
APPLICATIONS the culture at their firms. In other words, they have a lot going for themselves.
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I've coached a lot of applicants with this type of background. They've come from large asset management companies, top investment banks, and
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well known consulting firms. They are very competitive and tend to do well on the GMAT. (I've had whole classes of them that averaged over
Download Applications 700.) And they make the competition in their categories pretty tough.
If admissions officers were to select candidates strictly on the basis of GMAT scores and undergraduate GPAs, their student bodies would be
comprised almost entirely of people from finance and consulting backgrounds, which would make for pretty bad class dynamics.
The admissions people know about this disparity, of course, and they compensate for it by starting with a general idea of the class profile they
hope to end up with.
A Typical Class Profile
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Official Guide for GMAT Review Given all the differences among the top schools, I'm always surprised at the consistency they show when selecting their classes. At most of them,
(10th Edition) - In Stock! approximately 60 to 65 percent of admitted students will come from finance and consulting backgrounds. Below is a typical admit profile.
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The chart seems to show that finance and consulting are the best backgrounds from which to apply (they offer the most spots), but as I've already
mentioned, a disproportionate number of people apply from those backgrounds, making them very competitive categories.
The consistency in class composition should tell you something about how admissions officers choose their classes. Namely, if you come from a
finance background, you will, for the most part, compete only with other finance people for the limited number of finance spots available. If you are
a consultant, you will compete with other consultants. It's more a practice dictated by circumstances than an explicit policy acknowledged by
admissions officers (though some acknowledge it).
Although there are no strict quotas for each category, the final numbers are amazingly consistent from year to year regardless of the number of
finance or consulting people who actually apply. So the overwhelming number of applicants from a few categories, coupled with the need to
assemble a diverse group, in effect, forces admissions people to pit consultant against consultant and investment banker against investment
banker, even without a policy to do so.
And it makes sense to me to compare apples to apples. After all, what criteria would you use if you had to choose between an asset manager and
a software engineer?
What Categories are the Most Competitive?
Investment banking and management consulting are probably the most competitive categories. Virtually everyone who works in those fields needs
to go to B-school in order to move up in the industry. (That's why my GMAT classes are full of people from those two backgrounds.)
To my knowledge, no school has ever released the median GMAT scores of its students grouped by occupation, so I have to rely on my personal
experience. But it's clear to me that, ON AVERAGE, accepted candidates from the very competitive finance and consulting backgrounds have
higher GMAT scores than do accepted candidates from less competitive categories. I've coached too many students not to see the pattern.
Don't be discouraged if you fall into one of these categories. Later we'll talk about how to differentiate yourself in the application essays so you
won't look like all the other consultants or investment bankers in the pile.
What are the Less Competitive Categories?
I'm sure you're wondering about this one. After, "What do you score on the GMAT?" it's the question I hear most frequently: "What's the easiest
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work background from which to apply?"
Think about it from the admissions officer's point of view. Say you have 300 seats to fill. About 100 will go to applicants from finance
backgrounds, and about another 100 will go to people from consulting backgrounds. You will use the final 100 spots to broaden your class and
add some depth of experience to the group.
You will need some marketing people and some people from technical backgrounds. And every class has a few disenchanted lawyers and
doctors along with some real odd balls -- people with tremendously unique experience that will be valuable to their classmates. But none of these
is the easiest category.
In my experience, the easiest background from which to apply is nonprofit, in part because very few people from nonprofit firms apply to top
business schools. B-school has the reputation of being a very competitive place, and competition isn't part of the culture of your average nonprofit
corporation. So I regularly see people with very modest GMAT scores get accepted at top B-schools because those schools are trying to broaden
the perspective of their classes and, at the same time, promote what is becoming an increasingly important business sector. A number of schools
have even developed substantial nonprofit curricula to address the needs of managers in that sector.
So, for what it's worth, that's what I've seen with nonprofit applicants. But I've also seen a fair number of people from government and military
backgrounds who get into top programs even though their GMAT scores are pretty modest (below their schools' median 80 percent range). Again,
I think these people add depth to a class, and admitting them allows business schools to reach into important public sector organizations to influence
the ways in which they are run.
Your Essay Strategy
All of this plays into your strategy. In writing the application essays, your strategy should be to highlight the unique experiences you've had -- both
on the job and in your personal life -- that you believe will be valuable to your classmates. If you were assigned to an economic development
project in Vietnam, for instance, that's unique. So is working in a refugee camp in Afghanistan. Very few people can bring that kind of experience
to the table, and schools are looking for applicants who can share that background in the classroom. They will gladly discount GPA and GMAT
scores to get those people into their programs.
But you don't need experience in a Third World country to have something unique and valuable to offer. A lot of my GMAT students are consultants
with big firms such as Andersen Consulting, BCG, and Deloitte. In large part, they all have the same generic work experience, and most of them
make the mistake of discussing that experience in their essays.
Think about how that looks to an admissions officer. She's got a pile of applications on her desk from consultants in every Andersen, D&T, Bain,
and McKinsey office around the world. And every applicant is talking about the same thing. How does she decide who to choose?
Be Unique
When I work with applicants who are consultants, I ask them not to write about the mundane tasks that everyone does at the analyst level but
instead to focus on one or two of their assignments that were unique and interesting. I ask them to go into detail about that work. Tell me exactly
what you did and why you think it was important work. Convince me, as an admissions officer, that your experience will be valuable to my
students and I'll let you in.
That's the key to getting into top business schools. Convince me in your essays that you have something unique to share with your potential
classmates, and I'll ignore your not-so-hot GMAT score and undergraduate GPA. I see it all the time. People with modest GMAT scores but valuable
experiences are regularly admitted to top programs.
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The problem, of course, is writing about yourself. That's tremendously hard to do. You may think that a certain experience is pretty mundane, but
others may find it interesting. I'm amazed by the experience that some people will leave out of their essays. I remember one applicant who, after
we had already worked through a couple schools, told me she had been a world class figure skater as a teenager and was still active in skating.
When I asked her why she hadn't told me that at the beginning she said she didn't think it was important.
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Most people I meet have experience that is good enough to get them into top programs, but they don't know what admissions people are looking for
so they stumble through some mind-numbing babble in their essays and end up being rejected.
Most of our consulting work with applicants involves talking through their work experiences, determining what in their background is unique and
valuable, and then making sure that they get that valuable experience down on paper in a clear and concise manner. We want a reader who
knows nothing about the applicant to be able to understand his story in one read through and to find something in that applicant's background that is
unique and valuable to his potential classmates. Remember, the evaluation process is mostly about what you can do for the school, not what the
school can do for you.
I have included a brief tutorial at this site that addresses some do's and don'ts that apply to all application essays. We give the applicants we work
with specific pointers on specific essays, but the general comments found in the tutorial should be enough to get you on the right track.
Start with the tutorial (after finishing the seven application items), and if you feel you need more help than it provides, feel free to contact us.
Next > (3) Timing Your Application

(3) Timing (7) Interviews
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v Number 3 - TIMING YOUR APPLICATION :
Admissions Consulting If you don't apply early, you probably won't be going to a top school. There is so much competition among schools for the best candidates that
7 Admissions Criteria admissions officers can't afford to pass on good applicants in the early rounds. Consequently, there are very few open spots remaining after the
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Although there are opinions to the contrary, I still believe it's best to apply in the first round, especially if you feel you're a strong candidate. Most
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schools have three application periods, but some have as many as five. (And some schools work on a pure "rolling" basis.)
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International Applicants The problem with the first round is the quality of its applicants. There are a lot of "sharks" in that round. They aced the GMAT, got good grades in
MBA News! college and have great work experience. (Those Bastards!) To top it all off, they managed to get their acts together and finish their applications in
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GMAT RESOURCES You don't necessarily want to be compared with those freaks, so it's tempting to skip the first round in hopes of finding more slobs like you (and
GMAT Books me) in round two. It sounds good, but there's a problem with that strategy. There will be more than twice as many applicants in round two as there
were in round one; and they will be competing for fewer open spots.
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GMAT Registration How Many People Apply in the First Round?
APPLICATIONS A typical top program might have 600 to 800 applicants in the first round. Stanford has only about 230 spots to fill while Anderson has about 320,
Essay Questions Kellogg has about 500 (fall admission only), and Harvard has a massive 850 (also fall admission).
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Although Stanford has 230 spots, it will typically make about 290 offers. That's because not everyone offered a spot accepts it (even at Stanford!).
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You may already know about "yield," the percentage of applicants who actually accept offers made by their schools. Harvard has the highest yield
at about 87 percent. After that comes Stanford at about 80 percent. Then the numbers drop pretty significantly. Kellogg, for instance, has a yield
of only about 60 percent, which means it must make 830 offers to fill a class of 500 students.
So if I know that Kellogg will make 830 offers for the fall term and that only about 600 people will apply in the first round, I might be willing to swim
with the sharks and try my chances early. The second round at top schools may have more than 2,000 applicants, all competing for the leftovers. I
don't like those odds. It's too easy to get lost in the shuffle. If I apply early, I know I'm going to face some stiff competition, but at least I know there
are a reasonable number of spots still available.
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Official Guide for GMAT Review So apply whenever you like, but try to get your application in before the January deadlines. And remember that it will take two months to collect
(10th Edition) - In Stock! your undergraduate transcripts, complete all the application forms, write your application essays, and get your boss to finish your letters of
recommendation. I know that sounds surprising, but I encourage all the people I work with to apply to at least six schools; and even with my
hounding, it usually takes them two months to get through that many applications.
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There are a number of exceptions to the first deadline rule. I'll list just a few of them here:
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Columbia: CBS has an early application period (usually mid-August to mid-October) that you should take advantage of if possible. If you apply
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during this period, you will be notified of the school's decision in about eight weeks, which means you could know that you've been accepted at
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Columbia before having to apply to any other school. (Just over half of the applicants I encouraged to apply during the early round last year were
admitted.) The Bad News: Accepted applicants have to put down a non-refundable deposit of $2,500 to hold their spots.
Wharton and any Other School that Operates on a Pure Rolling Schedule: If your school processes applications on a pure "rolling" basis (no
cut-off dates), it's probably best not to apply immediately after the school begins accepting applications. I guarantee you the sharks will have their
applications in on the first day. If you wait about four weeks, the admissions people should have read through the sharks' applications. You'll be
able to avoid the toughest competitors but still be early.
Anderson: Because the Anderson School has four application rounds -- not three as most schools have -- I think it's best to apply in the second
round, which is typically in December. You will still be early, but you will manage to avoid the first-round sharks. (Also, over the last few years
Anderson has accepted a higher percentage of applicants from the second round than from the first!)
What if I Want to Retake the GMAT But My Deadline is Coming Up?
I run into this problem all the time. "If I apply now I won't be able to retake the GMAT, but if I wait until I can take the test again I'll miss the
upcoming application deadline."
It's a judgment call that depends on both your GMAT score and the deadline you're considering skipping. If your GMAT score is already in the mid
600s, apply at the upcoming deadline. A few more points won't help as much as making an early deadline.
If, on the other hand, you scored 600 or below and you are fairly certain that you will go up on the next test (and you will accept only a top school),
you might want to skip the deadline. But waiting until February or later to apply is usually a bad idea. There are few spots available after the
January deadlines, so think hard before blowing them off.
A Possible Strategy for Handling This Situation
A few of my students have come up with a good way to handle this situation. (I learn all my tricks from my students.) They wanted to retake the
test, but didn't want to skip a deadline to do so. They solved the problem by submitting their application on time and then retaking the test before the
application could be processed (which typically takes eight weeks).
If their scores went up on the new test, they would call the school and ask that the application be held until the new scores arrived (which takes
only two weeks). If, on the other hand, their scores went down, they simply didn't send the new scores and tried their luck with their original
scores (which had been sent with the application).
This worked incredibly well two years ago, when the computerized GMAT was first introduced. The schools made accommodations for everything
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having to do with the new version of the test because they anticipated problems. Last year, however, a couple schools weren't quite as
accommodating and wanted people to stick with the score they reported when they submitted their application or slip to the next deadline if they
wanted to use their new score.
So call your schools first if you are thinking about employing this "straddle strategy." Make sure they will accept a later score while honoring an
earlier deadline. (Harvard won't.)
Next > (4) Your Undergraduate GPA

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v Number 4 - YOUR GPA :
Admissions Consulting Surprising, isn't it? You would think that your undergraduate GPA would be weighted more heavily, but at most schools it isn't (and for good
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Improve Your Chances First, most B-school applicants were not planning to apply to graduate programs, so they might not have focused on playing the grade game the
way most premed or pre-law students did. Why hold mediocre grades against an applicant who had no intention of applying to grad school five
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years down the line?
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International Applicants Second, that was then and this is now. I've heard from a number of admissions people that they discount undergraduate GPAs because they are
MBA News! old measures of performance. Admissions people are more interested in how you perform now (thus the emphasis on GMAT scores).
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I remember one director, however, pointing out how the emphasis on GPA can vary from candidate to candidate. He said that he has to rely more
GMAT RESOURCES heavily on GPA when evaluating the candidacy of a relatively young applicant who has been in the workforce only a short time.
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For another applicant with five years of work experience, however, he puts more emphasis on that experience and on the applicant's GMAT score
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and less emphasis on his (more distant) undergraduate GPA.
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While I list GPA as number 4 in order of importance, you shouldn't think that its value is set in stone. The evaluation process is fairly holistic, so if
APPLICATIONS you performed well in college, emphasize that performance and the admissions staff may buy into it. If you didn't perform well, talk about your
Essay Questions terrific GMAT score and ignore your undergrad years.
Essay Tutorial
Whatever you do, don't whine about your mediocre grades; take responsibility for them. There is one excuse, however, that you can get away
Download Applications with. If you worked and paid your own way through undergrad, be sure to mention that in your essays. Working is the one universal justification
for bad grades. (A comment I've heard from many admissions officers.)
A Caveat to Your Undergraduate GPA
While you might be able to explain away your less-than-stellar GPA by informing the admissions people of the Twinkies-and-beer lifestyle of your
college years, you won't be able to slide bad math grades by them quite so easily. Admissions people will look very closely at your undergraduate
math performance.
As I mentioned in the GMAT section of this Web site, admissions officers are very concerned about math skills. If you believe that your math grades
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GPA - MBA Admissions Criterion #4 http://www.mbaapplicant.com/4_gpa.htm
are not up to par and that your performance on the math portion of the GMAT isn't good enough to make up for those grades, do everything possible
Official Guide for GMAT Review to take a math course through a local university before applying to B-school. You have to allay the admissions committee's fears about your ability
(10th Edition) - In Stock! to cut it in math-intensive classes. While you can be accepted into a great MBA program with only better-than-average verbal skills, you won't be
accepted if you are suspected of having anything but strong math skills. So fix your math profile. (See how in the section on improving your
chances.)
MBA Applicant
Suite 230
The Bottom Line On GPA
You can't really change your GPA, so there isn't much sense in worrying about it. People with bad GPAs get into great schools all the time, though,
OTHER RESOURCES because they have strong GMAT scores and good work experience.
Financial Aid
Don't let your GPA keep you from applying to top business schools. The median GPAs reported by some top programs can be intimidating, but the
Indian Applicants
GPAs of accepted students vary a great deal—even more than do their GMAT scores. (The middle 80 percent range at Columbia, for instance, is
3.0 to 3.8.)
One thing you can do, however, to address your GPA is take some classes through a local university extension program. School is a lot easier the
second time around, and you might be surprised to find that you can now get good grades in classes you used to hate. Performing well in school
now should convince admissions officers that you can do well in their program regardless of your undergraduate GPA.
For more on this topic, see the section on improving your chances of being admitted.
Next > (5) Your Work Experience

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Work Experience - MBA Admissions Criterion #5 http://www.mbaapplicant.com/5_experience.htm
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v HOME v
v Number 5 - YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE:
Admissions Consulting I've already talked about the type of experience applicants have (see application element number 2 -- the Application Essays). Here I want to talk
7 Admissions Criteria about the amount of work experience you bring to the table.
MBA Rankings
Improve Your Chances Most of you know that the average number of years of full-time work experience has risen dramatically at the top B-schools. Schools that only
recently averaged two or three years now average five. And that number keeps rising.
MBA Resumes
MBA Recommendations You don't want to apply too early. I have many ambitious students in my GMAT classes who insist on taking their shot at the brass ring with only
International Applicants two years of full-time work experience. (And that's by the time they would enter school, not when they plan to apply.) Although some of them are
MBA News! exceptionally bright and do well on the GMAT, very few of them make it into top-tier programs. Most end up "trading down" to a backup school or
Link to Top MBA Schools getting rejected altogether.
GMAT RESOURCES I have to admit that I agree with admissions officers who reject inexperienced applicants. The whole objective in assembling a business school
GMAT Books class is to put together people who can share unique experiences from their industries. If you have two years in your industry and another
applicant has five years in the same business, I'm going to take the more experienced candidate over you, even if his GMAT score is a little lower
GMAT Prep Forum
than yours.
GMAT Registration
But That Won't Happen to Me!
APPLICATIONS
Essay Questions I know, you're different. You think your 720 GMAT and 3.6 GPA will get you into Wharton. After all, you have almost two years at Salomon. But
look at the numbers. Only two percent of last year's class at Wharton had less than two years of full-time work experience. That means 15 people
Essay Tutorial
out of 8,300 applicants (one of the highest acceptance rates out there). That gives you a 1-in-553 chance.
Be serious. Wait until you have at least three years (by the time you would enter). I have had a few students who have gotten into top programs
(including Wharton) with only two years of experience, but they were the exceptions to the rule. The vast majority of inexperienced applicants get
the ax and have to reapply the following year with a lame story about why they were rejected previously.
And, by the way, you don't get to apply from ground zero the year after you have been rejected. At many schools all you are allowed to submit is
an updated information form and a single essay explaining what has changed in your life since you last applied.
What if I Changed Jobs?
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Work Experience - MBA Admissions Criterion #5 http://www.mbaapplicant.com/5_experience.htm
Official Guide for GMAT Review I hear this question a lot and I've heard a number of admissions officers address it—enough that I'm finally starting to discern a pattern among their
(10th Edition) - In Stock! answers. The general opinion seems to be that changing jobs isn't a problem, especially if the change involves some kind of promotion. But "job
churning" is frowned upon because the admissions people want you to have more than just a surface understanding of your industry. You need to
bring a certain amount of expertise to the classroom, and changing jobs every six months will make it difficult to develop an in-depth understanding
MBA Applicant
269 S. Beverly Drive of a specific industry.
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So try to stick with one job (or, at least, one industry) for a year or two. Otherwise you won't have much to offer a school.
OTHER RESOURCES
Financial Aid
Next > (5) Your Recommendations
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MBA Recommendations - MBA Admissions Criterion #6 http://www.mbaapplicant.com/6_recommendations.htm
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v Number 6 - YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS:
Admissions Consulting I'll let you in on a little secret that even most admissions officers don't know (or won't admit to knowing): A significant percentage of applicants to
7 Admissions Criteria top B-schools write their own letters of recommendation. I know this because I'm on the "sell side" of the admissions transaction. (I sound like an
MBA Rankings investment banker, don't I?) My students regularly ask me what they should write in their recommendations.
It isn't that applicants are trying to cheat the game; the problem is that most recommenders don't want to take the time to write a long letter or fill in
MBA Resumes
the "grid boxes" found in some recommendation forms. So they ask the applicant to do the dirty work and agree to sign the finished product.
MBA Recommendations
International Applicants What if I Don't Want My Employer to Know That I'm Leaving?
MBA News!
Link to Top MBA Schools This is a tough situation, and schools hear this same question from hundreds of applicants every year. They always answer something like, "Well,
just do the best you can."
GMAT RESOURCES
GMAT Books I've never heard a good answer to this question. My suggestion is that you get a recommendation from one of your customers, but that isn't always
possible. The top schools want two recommendations (except Harvard, which asks for three). If you can't get the full quota, then send what you
GMAT Prep Forum
can get. That causes a lot of worry, but in the end I don't think it makes much difference. Just include a note stating why you can't get more
GMAT Registration recommendations. The schools will understand.
APPLICATIONS A Few Pointers on the Letters of Recommendation

Essay Questions
There's an entire section on writing the recommendations at this Web site, so I won't address it here. Be sure to check that section out, though,
Essay Tutorial
after finishing the Seven Application Elements.
A Final Comment on the Letter of Recommendation
You may hear from some admissions people that they put a great deal of emphasis on letters of recommendation. I hope, for the sake of applicants,
that they are bluffing to justify putting your recommender through an arduous process. The quality of your recommendation is so closely tied to
your recommender's ability to write that it wouldn't be fair to place much emphasis on it. Some recommenders are very good writers, and some
have even gone to top MBA schools and know what to write about. Others are terrible writers and don't know what the admissions people are
looking for.
If you don't believe that the recommendation is more reflective of the writer than of the applicant, then have your boss write a letter for you. I'll
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MBA Recommendations - MBA Admissions Criterion #6 http://www.mbaapplicant.com/6_recommendations.htm
make up a recommendation for your officemate (against whom you are competing for a spot at Wharton). You can judge for yourself which
Official Guide for GMAT Review candidate looks better on paper.
Next > (7) Your Interviews
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269 S. Beverly Drive Seven Admissions Criteria Navigation
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OTHER RESOURCES (2) Application Essays (6) Recommendations
Financial Aid (3) Timing (7) Interviews
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v Number 7 - MBA INTERVIEWS:
Admissions Consulting Before you get all bent out of shape, let me explain. I agree that the interview can be a critical part of the admissions decision and should not
7 Admissions Criteria always rank dead last in order of importance. But its importance varies dramatically from school to school. At some schools, your interview can
MBA Rankings make the difference between being accepted and spending another year riding your desk 60 hours a week. At others, though, it's meaningless and
deserves to be listed last.
MBA Resumes
You may know that some schools are very aggressive about interviewing candidates. Kellogg, for instance, is terrific about it. The school has long
MBA Recommendations set the standard for interviewing. And not only does UNC - Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) require an interview of U.S. applicants, but it requires that
International Applicants the interview be conducted on campus. (Crazy, huh?) So the interview can be important at some schools and, at those schools, I certainly would
MBA News! not list it last.
Link to Top MBA Schools
Stanford, on the other hand, would just as soon give you the finger as interview you. (Okay, I know that Stanford started interviewing some
GMAT RESOURCES applicants this year, but it was a funny line and I had to use it.) So interviewing can be meaningless at some school or it can be significant. It all
depends on the school and your personal situation.
GMAT Books
GMAT Prep Forum
Who Should and Who Shouldn't Interview?
GMAT Registration
If you think you're a bad interviewer, stay home. Let your application do the talking for you. I've had a lot of people who I thought were bad
APPLICATIONS interviewers in my GMAT classes. They come in with good work experience and great undergraduate GPAs. I can see from their practice tests
that they will end up with a strong GMAT score, but I'm afraid they will do more harm than good if they meet with their schools. I've never found a
Essay Questions
subtle way to break that news to them: "Al, you're a bright guy, but you're also a dork. Don't interview."
Essay Tutorial
Download Applications So it's up to you. If you feel you're not a good interviewer, stay home. But if you feel comfortable meeting new people, then go for it. A lot of
applicants have to meet new people daily as part of their jobs, so they get very good at interacting with strangers. Those people should always
interview.
Should I Interview with an Admissions Officer or an Alumnus?
It's best to interview with someone on the admissions committee, but that isn't always possible. You shouldn't worry too much, though, if you end
up having to interview with an alumnus or even a current student. That person will write up a report that will go into your file. Just try to get along
with your interviewer.
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Official Guide for GMAT Review A Few Pointers on the Interview

1. Whenever possible, interview with someone of the opposite sex. (Don't make me explain why.)
MBA Applicant
269 S. Beverly Drive 2. Dress formally unless your interview is with an alumnus and the situation calls for casual clothes. I live in L.A., and a lot of my students have
Suite 230 met their interviewers at beachfront cafes on Saturday mornings. Situations like that call for casual clothes.
3. Relax! Don't come off as stiff and overly formal. You want your interviewer to like you, so treat him or her like a friend.
OTHER RESOURCES
4. Prepare your answers ahead of time. (See section below for common questions.)
Financial Aid
Indian Applicants
Typical Interview Questions
The questions asked by admissions people at different schools are often surprisingly similar. My students interview all over the country, but they all
come back with the same basic list of questions. Virtually all of the interviewers cover the same topics. (Which makes sense, if you think about it.)
There is a little variation, but the basic interview process goes as follows.
Phase 1 - Your Upbringing and Undergraduate Experience
Be sure to prepare a brief outline of your upbringing before going to your interview. (Don't bring it with you.) It's easy to get lost and ramble into a
long pointless diatribe when talking about your upbringing, so make your replies short and to the point.
They will generally ask a number of questions about your undergraduate experience.
What was your major?
Did you like it?
Do you think your grades are an accurate reflection of your ability?
Did you work as an undergrad? (This is important because it may help to explain why your GPA isn't 4.0)
Phase 2 - Work Experience Since Leaving College
You need to know your whole work history before walking into the interview. Look up the approximate dates of promotions or job transfers. The
questions go something like the following:
What was your first job out of undergrad?
Have you been promoted?
Have you ever supervised employees?
Have you switched firms? If so, why?
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Phase 3 - Career Goals & MBA Plans
This is the part of your story that has to hold together. If they ask about career goals and you tell them something that is completely inconsistent
with your experience, you're going to be in trouble.
Be sure to mention a career goal that actually requires (or benefits from) an MBA.
Be able to answer the question, "Why do you need an MBA?"
Be able to answer the question, "Why do you need an MBA from this school?"
Phase 4 - Your Turn to Ask Questions
Be sure to study the school before interviewing so you can ask informed questions about it. Knowing specific details about the program should
convince the interviewer that you are serious about attending his school.
A Final Note of Encouragement on The Interviews
I know it's tough going through all the interviews. After two or three you begin to feel like a piece of meat. Just remember that everyone has to go
through the same process. Below I'll post one of my favorite e-mail messages. I got it from one of my students just hours after he had a particularly
bad interview at a top-10 school. Pardon the language, but I think it will help to put things into perspective.
John,
"F---ed up the interview. Felt like I was being lectured by my mother.
"I can't tell if she was assisting me on the application by giving me pointers or subtly rejecting me and preparing me for it. One thing was clear,
my 2.5 GPA did nothing positive for me.
"Apparently, applications are up 25% on top of 30% last year, and she seems to have an attitude about it. Talked about how they want the 'worldly
class' of some f---ing pyramid she kept demonstrating in the air.
"Felt like Tom Cruise in Risky Business when he blew it with the Princeton guy. Walked out thinking, 'Indiana's not so bad....'"
- Thomas
(He was rejected.)

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Next > (1) GMAT Score

Seven Admissions Criteria Navigation

What Score Will I Need If I Hope to Attend a Top Program?

Are the Separate Scores for Math and Verbal Important?

What About the Essay Score on the GMAT?

What About Taking the Exam Under "Non-Standard Accommodations?"

Should I Take a GMAT-Prep Course?

Next > (2) Your Application Essays

Seven Admissions Criteria Navigation

GMAT Prep Forum

A Typical Class Profile

What Categories are the Most Competitive?

What are the Less Competitive Categories?

work background from which to apply?"

Your Essay Strategy

Next > (3) Timing Your Application

Seven Admissions Criteria Navigation

Copyright © 2000 - 2002 MBA Applicant™ All Rights Reserved

What if I Want to Retake the GMAT But My Deadline is Coming Up?

A Possible Strategy for Handling This Situation

Next > (4) Your Undergraduate GPA

Seven Admissions Criteria Navigation

Copyright © 2000 - 2002 MBA Applicant™ All Rights Reserved

A Caveat to Your Undergraduate GPA

Next > (5) Your Work Experience

Seven Admissions Criteria Navigation

Copyright © 1999 - 2002 MBA Applicant™ All Rights Reserved

What if I Changed Jobs?

Copyright © 1999 - 2002 MBA Applicant™ All Rights Reserved

APPLICATIONS A Few Pointers on the Letters of Recommendation

Should I Interview with an Admissions Officer or an Alumnus?

Official Guide for GMAT Review A Few Pointers on the Interview

Phase 1 - Your Upbringing and Undergraduate Experience

What was your major?

Did you like it?

Do you think your grades are an accurate reflection of your ability?

Phase 2 - Work Experience Since Leaving College

What was your first job out of undergrad?

Have you been promoted?

Have you ever supervised employees?

Have you switched firms? If so, why?

Phase 3 - Career Goals & MBA Plans

Be able to answer the question, "Why do you need an MBA?"

Phase 4 - Your Turn to Ask Questions

A Final Note of Encouragement on The Interviews

"F---ed up the interview. Felt like I was being lectured by my mother.

(He was rejected.)

Seven Admissions Criteria Navigation

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