6

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months
Before You Apply

An Accepted.com Special Report

Copyright 2011 Linda Abraham - www.accepted.com

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................. 3
Assess Your Qualifications..................................................................................... 4
Evaluate Your Work Experience............................................................................. 6
Examine Your Leadership Skills and Personal Traits............................................. 7
Determine Your MBA Goals................................................................................... 8
School Research.................................................................................................... 10
Visit Schools......................................................................................................... 11
Epilogue................................................................................................................ 13

-2Copyright 2011 Accepted.com - www.accepted.com

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Introduction
If youre in the middle of application season right now, than this post (and the next five in this series)
may not be relevant to you, but if you are planning on applying to business school next year (either as a
first timer or as a reapplicant), then its important that you start out on the right foot. Staying organized
and on schedule is key for admissions success.
So, the big questionwhat should you be doing now to prepare for the upcoming application season?
First and foremost, youre going to need to assess your qualifications. This means youre going to need
to do some thinking about who you are, what you have done in the past, and how those things have
influenced who youd like to be and what youd like to do in the future. In short, youre going to need
to Know Thyself.
Those who reflect on who they are and what their priorities are will have an easier and more successful
time determining their goals and generating a realistic list of schools to apply to, not to mention be
better positioned for writing their application essays later on in the process.
In this special report well discuss the different steps you should take to assess your qualifications,
determine your goals, and generate a school list.

-3Copyright 2011 Accepted.com - www.accepted.com

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Assess Your Qualifications

Lets begin right now by talking about assessing the academic component of your qualifications:
You need to examine your grades and your GMAT score to establish where you stand amongst
your competition academically. Yes, I know. Those numbers do not fully represent your intellectual
horsepower, but they are important in the competitive admissions process.
A low GMAT score or a low GPA1 is not necessarily an MBA deal breaker. No adcom is going to admit
or dismiss a candidate solely on one semesters poor GPA or a low verbal GMAT score without also
reflecting on other numbers as well as the rest of the non-quantitative parts of the applicants profile.
Average numbers vary according to school, as well as numbers within your demographic group. You
should examine each of these aspects and weigh the strengths and weaknesses in your application as
you assess your competitiveness.
That being said, there are certain numbers that will be significant hurdles. Say, for instance, you have
a GPA of 2.9 and your top choice MBA programs GPA average is 3.5. In such a case, your chances of
acceptance have just taken a major hit. If, on the other hand, that same applicant applies to a b-school
with a GPA average of 3.2, then he or she may have a chance of acceptance, provided, the rest of the
application is solid, or better yet, above average.
Heres another it depends situation: Overrepresented demographicsengineers or investment
bankers2 from over-represented groupswill have a harder time getting into a top MBA program than a
corporate finance executive from an under-represented background with the same stats. In such a case,
a GMAT score3 in the lower part of the schools 80% range and a GPA of 3.3 may be just too low for
one person and just high enough for another.
The point is, you need to examine the details of your scores and reflect on them in the context of a
bigger picture. Ask yourself these questions:
Is one score low, but balanced out by other higher numbers? Can you provide other
evidence of academic ability?
Did your overall GPA improve as you matured through the college experience?
Do you have recommenders4 who will vouch for your abilitiesespecially ones that the
numbers dont reveal?
1 http://www.accepted.com/mba/lowstats.aspx
2 http://www.accepted.com/mba/investmentbankers.aspx
3 http://www.accepted.com/mba/gmatadmissions.aspx
4 http://www.accepted.com/mba/LettersRec.aspx

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MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Have you chosen schools that will view your scores as competitive?
Have you taken additional college courses in an attempt to demonstrate your quant or verbal
capabilities or to compensate for a less than stellar GPA?
You need to assess and interpret how youll be perceived with such scores and numbers, and then
develop an application strategy5 to address those issues.
Last but not least, its not too late to retake the GMAT or to enroll in a college statistics course if you
feel like these could help boost your profile.

More Information:
MBA Reality Check:6 Insider admissions tips to realistically evaluate your profile with former MBA
Admissions Dean, Natalie Grinblatt Epstein, in this free one-hour webinar.

5 http://www.accepted.com/services/servicesdetails.aspx?serviceid=120
6 http://www.accepted.com/mba/realitycheckwebinar.aspx

-5Copyright 2011 Accepted.com - www.accepted.com

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Evaluate Your Work Experience

Heres another important criterion to think about when assessing your qualifications: work experience.
Adcoms look at applicants work experience from two perspectivesquantitatively and qualitatively.
Your work experience shouldnt just amount to X number of years, but should have a significant impact
on your development as a person and as a burgeoning business mind.
Most schools wanta minimum of two years of significant work experience. The work experience
sweet spot for most business schools is between three and six years, with eight years of fulltime work experience serving as an effective maximumwith exceptions. If you have less than the
minimum or more than the maximum, then you may want to consider other optionslike pushing off
applying to b-school for a few years or applying to a masters program (for people with little work
experience), or applying to an executive MBA7 program (for people with work experience beyond eight
years8) or a residential masters like the Sloan Fellows programs. If none of these options appeal to you,
be prepared to persuade skeptical readers that you need an MBA now.
When constructing your resume, and certainly when composing your application essays, be sure to
emphasize quality. Be sure to show off GIM: Growth,9 Impact,10 and Management Potential. If you feel
like your work experiences do not provide these three elements, then you may want to consider pushing
off applying until youve acquired more qualitative work experience, or getting to work right away to
make your job more significant.

More Information:
MBA: Catalyst for Career Change:11 Learn how to market yourself successfully as a career changer to
top MBA programs by viewing this free 45-minute webinar.

7 http://www.accepted.com/mba/emba.aspx
8 http://www.accepted.com/mba/older.aspx
9 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2008/8/8/demonstrating-a-growth-mindset.html
10 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2007/1/24/personal-statement-tip-initiative-and-impact.html
11 http://www.accepted.com/mba/careerchange/

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MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Examine Your Leadership Skills and Personal Traits

The third element youll need to examine in assessing your qualifications (in addition to your
quantitative scores and your work experience) is your personal traits, with leadership skills12 at the top
of the list.
This part of your personal assessment is important when it comes to determining school fit. By
evaluating your own strengths and weaknesses, youll get a better idea of which MBA programs are
right or wrong for you.
Perhaps more than any other personal trait, the adcoms will be mining your application for leadership.13
If you want your leadership skills to stand out, youll need to show through clear examples and
anecdotes14 that youre a leadernot just claim that you are. If you cant think of specific ways in
which youve exhibited strong leadership skills, then now would be an excellent time to start putting
yourself in situations where you can show them, either through increased professional responsibility,
greater community service15 commitments, or by expanding your role in a hobby, sports teams, music
or arts group, etc. (In general, now would be a good time to bulk up your community service profile
and/or your job responsibilities if you feel like they are lacking.)
Remember, a leadership skill is worthless if you cant show a quantifiable impact that stems from your
role as leader.
Other important character traits youll want to highlight in your application (and therefore think
about and develop now) include passion,16 communication/teamwork skills, and initiative. Again, the
best way to prove that you possess these traits is to show them in your application through specific
examples17 and anecdotes. If, in these early months, you encounter an example of a trait youd like
to highlight, jot it downit may be of good use when it comes to sitting down and filling out your
application.

More Information:
Leadership in Admissions:18 Learn how to simplify the task of writing about leadership in this free
special report.
12 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2006/8/3/leadership-in-admissions.html
13 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2010/9/14/responsibility-followers-leadership.html
14 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2009/9/18/personal-statement-tip-story-time-part-1.html
15 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2007/6/1/admissions-tip-why-is-community-service-important.html
16 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2007/2/19/what-is-passion-in-admissions.html
17 http://www.accepted.com/SampleEssays.aspx
18 http://info.accepted.com/leadership-in-admissions

-7Copyright 2011 Accepted.com - www.accepted.com

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Determine Your MBA Goals

Once youve assessed who you are and what your skills are, youll need to determine why it is that you
want an MBA.
Before you apply to a top MBA program, youll need to have a rather clear (albeit flexible) idea of
where you are and where youd like to be going. Certain programs cater to students with different
goals, and in order for you to best establish school fit (which is key in the school search and
application process), youll have to clarify what your goals are.19
Define your goal in terms of industry and job function. Include location if that is important to you.
Deciding that post-MBA youd like to be an entrepreneur is really only the first step. Why are you
interested in starting your own business? What sort of business are you considering? What skills
and tools do you need to achieve those goals? Do you want to work for a firm that does what youre
considering before starting up on your own? If so, which firms would you ideally work for? B-schools,
and then later on recruiters, love motivated, goal-oriented students, and then potential employees.
Again, nothing here is set in stone; but you should have goals20 that excite you and that motivate
you to push forward in a given direction.
Before defining what a goal is, Im going to give a few examples of what a goal is not.
First, a goal is not a statement of general interest or a field youd like to study. Im interested in
consulting or investment banking or marketing, is not a goal. (Not only is it not a goal, but it is very
likely a red flag to the adcom, and eventually, a ding.)
Second, a goal is not a general field youd like to work in. Id like to work in marketing, does
not constitute an MBA goal. As a person who has probably had some pre-MBA work experience, you
should know better than to suggest that marketing is a proper job description.

Now, what is an MBA goal?

An MBA goal21 is something specific that you want to do (not just study) in a particular field.
While answering Marketing to the goals question wont cut it, explaining that you want to go
into channel management in the software industry will certainly pin you as a goal-oriented, focused
MBA candidate. Include as many details as possible to show that youve thoroughly thought what
you what you are looking to learn and how you plan on utilizing those skills post-MBA..

19 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2010/4/22/getting-your-mba-goals-in-shape.html
20 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2007/6/8/mba-admissions-what-is-a-goal.html
21 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2010/9/8/your-mba-goals-essay-get-ready-get-set-think.html

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MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

An MBA goal should be strong and focused enough to help you narrow down your school choices. An
applicant with an undefined MBA goal will face a serious challenge when it comes to whittling down
that list of 20 MBA programs to a reasonable 5 or 6 (or even 7 or 8). Youll know your goals are solid
when you look at School X and say, Theres just not enough of an emphasis on product development
and technology for this school to be included on my list. Different schools offer different strengths
and cater to different goalsyou want a school that fits your strengths and goals. Therefore, as
Socrates (or according to some, Pythagoras or Heraclitus) would say, Know thy goals.
An MBA goal is flexible. Yes, you want to present yourself as a highly focused, motivated, and
goal-driven individual, but schools also know that many students modify their goal as they become
aware of opportunities in business school. Thats okay. If you develop a cogent plan for your career
given your past experience and your goal for your MBA application, you will be able to do so again
and again, as your goals and interests change both in business school and beyond.

More Information:
The Art of a Gripping MBA Goals Essay:22 Discover the steps you need to take to create a compelling,
thoughtful MBA goals essay by viewing this free 45-minute webinar.

22 http://www.accepted.com/mba/GoalsEssaywebinar.aspx

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MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

School Research
Based on your goals and qualifications, you can now intelligently choose schools. Look at specialty
rankings23 (U.S. News, BusinessWeek) for a quick start but dont rely on them blindly. Go thoroughly
through school websites. Read student blogs. Talk to current students and recent alumni.
Generate a list of schools24 that fall into one of the following three categoriesreasonable reaches, onpars, or safeties. Its best to choose at least one school from each category, though some may want to
apply to more (applying to six or seven total is about average).
Heres a breakdown of these three categories:
Reasonable reach Acceptance to your reasonable reach is a bit of a stretch, but not
impossible. A strong application could make your reasonable reach a reality.
On-par You have a solid chance of getting into your on-pars with a good application.
Your scores and experiences make you a competitive candidate for these schools.
Safety You should have no trouble getting into the safety schools on your list. (Dont
be too cocky though; slacking off and turning in a half-filled-out application will get you
dinged even at the schools in this category!)
When determining which schools fall into which categories youll need to keep in mind the following:
How does your GPA and GMAT score measure up with the averages of your target school? Are your
skills and experiences particularly well matched with your target school? Are your goals in line with
one school more than another? Look at the class profile for accepted students to your target programs to
see how you measure up. Would you fit in?
Once you can answer these questions, you will have generated a realistic list of schools to apply to
and the more realistic your list, the better your chances are of gaining acceptance to at least some of
them, if not all.

More Information:
Best MBA Programs:25 Learn how to evaluate your profile and find the best business schools for you
in this free special report.

23 http://info.accepted.com/mba-rankings-report/
24 http://www.accepted.com/mba/Choosingprograms.aspx
25 http://www.accepted.com/mba/Choosingprograms.aspx

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MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Visit Schools
For the last post in this series of what you can do now to optimize your chances of getting into a top
b-school later, Id like to focus on the importance of visiting schools.
Not sure whether you should take the time and money to visit the b-schools26 you plan on applying to?
While some adcoms admit to awarding brownie points and some swear that whether or not you visit
has no impact on your acceptance or rejection, I believe that if you have the opportunity to visit the
b-schools on your list, then you should absolutely do so.
And its not because of imaginary brownie points, but because you will be a much better informed
applicant after you visit27 a school than before. Youll know more about each school, its culture, and
why that particular school appeals to you. Youll learn more about its teaching style, whether it supports
your goals, and how well you and your goals match the program, students, and faculty.

Here are some tips to make the most of your visit:

Visit the school when class is in session. That way youll get to see the learning in action
and speak with the students when theyre not stressed out about finals.
Take advantage of all visitor options, including a tour, a one-on-one meeting with a student,
info sessions, etc.
Come prepared with good questions to ask the adcom and to ask students and/or faculty that
you may encounter.
Learn as much about the school before you land on campus. You dont want to ask a question
that was answered 10 times already on the schools website.
If you are unable to visit the campus, be sure to attend info sessions held in your city.
While good questions differ b-school to b-school and student to student, the following is a sample of
general questions that you can use as a jumping off point for your specific situation:
1. What is a typical day like for a first or second year student?
2. How do professors balance research and teaching?
26 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2005/9/23/visiting-schools-myths-and-realities.html
27 http://blog.accepted.com/acceptedcom_blog/2008/8/15/mba-admissions-brownie-points-for-visits.html

- 11 Copyright 2011 Accepted.com - www.accepted.com

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

3. Do professors teach their classes in the larger framework of the interconnectedness of

business functions? Do they use an integrated approach? Do they coordinate with other
professors?
4. How are interview slots for internships and full-time positions assigned? If theres a bidding
process, how does it work?
5. What do you like best here, other than the people?
6. What would you like to see improved?
7. How helpful is career services? How have they helped you?
8. Have you had any problems getting the classes you want?
9. Who is your favorite professor? Whats your favorite extra-curricular activity?
In summary, do your research, take advantage of visitor options, ask good questions, and evaluate your
fit with each school.

More Information:
Navigating the MBA Maze:28 Discover how you can navigate the critical decision points in the MBA
admissions process by subscribing to this free special report.

28 http://www.accepted.com/mba/NavigatingMaze.aspx

- 12 Copyright 2011 Accepted.com - www.accepted.com

MBA Action Plan:

6 Steps for the 6 Months Before You Apply

Epilogue
Thank you for downloading this exclusive Accepted.com special report. We hope youve learned
valuable tips on how to prepare for a smooth-sailing and successful MBA application season.
If you are still not confident about staying on top of the application process, or later on, about writing
effective application essays, please contact Accepted.com.29 While our experienced professional editing
staff wont write your essays for you, we can help you30 from the beginning, as youre defining your
topics and themes, or we can edit your essays31 to ensure that your application is as strong as it can be.
We can also help you create a timeline for your application, assess your qualifications, and help you set
realistic and achievable goals with regards to the application process.
If you have any questions about this report, or have questions about MBA admissions in general, please
feel free to post them to our Facebook wall,32 MBA Forum,33 or LinkedIn group.34 We look forward to
hearing from you!

29 http://info.accepted.com/service-request?Requested_Editor__c=
30 http://www.accepted.com/services/approach.aspx
31 http://www.accepted.com/services/mbaservices.aspx
32 http://www.facebook.com/Accepted#!/Accepted?v=wall
33 http://www.forums.accepted.com/phpbb3/viewforum.php?f=11&sid=8b12e93eb40cc84d79f1fcf744f9a3f5
34 http://www.linkedin.com/company/accepted.com

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