MBA ADMISSIONS
I think it is sometimes hard to describe the whirlwind of emotions that is MBA admissions. Make no mistake, this will be one of the more memorable experiences of your life.
The MBA admission process is a lengthy ordeal that requires three things
Patience
Perseverance
Alcohol…lots of alcohol
All competitive, ranked, reputable and respectable MBA programs will have a lengthy admissions process that makes you wonder if the point of it is to test your ability to doubt yourself and wonder what you are doing with your life. In general, the requirements are as follows
The GMAT/GRE
Why is the GMAT/GRE First? Because it is the most important hurdle to cross for any serious MBA seeker. All reputable schools that are serious about getting people into high paying careers and elite job opportunities require the GMAT or GRE. This requirement is not waiverable for your military experience, and your score often supersedes whatever “elite” experience you think you have that makes it more likely to be admitted. I will post an entire section on the GMAT and GRE shortly. But know that you must deal with this unpleasant experience and do well on it
Two or more years of full time work experience
MBA programs look favorably on work experience that is selective and shows dedication and talent. THIS INCLUDES YOUR MILITARY EXPERIENCE!!! MBA programs basically take very well employed and talented people and makes them more really employable and talented. You can expect to see these kinds of people in a MBA program
Junior Management Consultants who want to change firms or get promoted
Investment Banking Analysts who finally lost it and needed a break
Former Military Officers and some remarkably smart Junior NCO’s
Talented people with unique backgrounds. Such as musicians or former professional sports players
Talented Corporate Workers from China, India, France, Russia, Taiwan, Japan
Escaped inmates from Corporate America
Auditors who realize that their entire job is a joke
Tech workers who think they can make it big
Teach for America or Peace Corp folks
A smattering of other professions that will sometimes really surprise you
Letters of Recommendation
Military people really freak out about letters of recommendation and I personally think it’s not that big of a deal. You don’t need a General or a Senator to write you a letter of recommendation. You just need someone who can say substantive good things about your work experience. This usually means a direct superior or some sort of lateral superior in another unit or shop. This can take many forms. I have seen LOR written for people from the following sources
Battalion Commanders
Battalion S3/XO
Company Commanders
Peers you worked with (Not just your boys, like people who actually had to rely on your work)
Staff Officers in other units
Someone who had to deal with you and has something nice to say that would sound good to an admissions board
A great way to “prep” your recommenders (especially useful for overloaded field grades) is to create a prep packet . This packet summarizes what you want, what it is you want from them, what your recommenders responsibility is in this process, and deadlines. Check out this great letter of recommendation packet.
People often think that letters of recommendation are three page long affairs that require flowery prose about the abilities of the applicant. That was kinda the case back in the day, but now admissions committees have recognized that they can increase the number of applicants (and thus lower acceptance rates) by basically making LOR very short and automated. They also recognized that pretty much every LOR was being written by the applicant and not the recommender. Today the feared LOR takes the following permutations (often combined)
A short 200 or words less statement on the abilities of the applicant
Some kind of very short statement about their ability to lead and influence
A very short comment on any weaknesses of the applicant
Rankings from like 1-5 on a variety of emotional intelligence qualities
Random questions about your abilities that you rate from like “always observe” to never “observe”
So in short the point of these LOR is to make it easy for a school to rack and stack you in their admissions process. Just find someone who likes your work and can kinda say they were in charge of you and you’ll be good to go
Elite schools will often hire a background verification service to confirm that in fact your recommender did write your letters of recommendation. Usually they just send an email and ask them to confirm that they wrote them
It is important to “coach” your military recommenders. Some are more familiar with the admissions process and purpose of an MBA than others. Make sure they understand how important their LOR is and why you want to attend an MBA program. A lot of them do not understand that this is a ticket to a rewarding professional career outside the military. Hit these key points
The LOR requires minimum effort on their part
This is an important part of the admissions process
Their recommendation directly affects your ability to get a good job and be a success outside of the military
Provide them with a list of your strengths and weaknesses that will help do the recommendation
The recommendations need to be done on time for you to be considered
Official Undergraduate and Graduate Transcripts
Almost all MBA programs require that you have completed a 4 year undergraduate degree. The schools definitely evaluate the “quality” of your undergrad institution. I.E. a school will look more favorably on West Point than University of Phoenix when comparing GPA’s. That being said, GPA’s are a funky variable that schools have to evaluate. Obviously higher GPA’s are better, but most applicants have been out of school for a while when they finally apply to an MBA program. Schools recognize that you probably matured a little bit since undergrad and will take Graduate level classes seriously. So they often look for “signs of aptitude” in skills that align with typical classes that you will take at school. Basically they want to see that you are strong in basic math and statistics. Don’t fret though if you have less than stellar grades, the GMAT/GRE is your chance to prove that you can do basic math
I would highly recommend that you not “self-select” yourself out of an MBA program because of a low GPA. Schools really do evaluate people on a variety of factors and your GPA is just one of them
You will need to get official certified transcripts sent to the admissions committee. Contact your undergraduate school for this process. They should be familiar with it. Most schools just have you upload unofficial transcripts (usually scanned transcripts) and then validate them later with official transcripts. SO DO NOT MAKE UP YOUR GRADES THEY WILL FIND OUT
Schools will want to see your undergraduate and graduate level education transcripts. They do not want to see your captains career course certificate or anything else PME related such as CGSC.
Resume
Schools are very interested in your work experience and will want to see your resume. In addition to your resume they will have you upload short descriptions of your work experience into an admissions portal
Translating your military experience into something civilians can understand is an endless topic of “what ifs”. Let me put it this way, most military officers are not “senior executives” or “vice presidents”. In fact most officers are really just middle management or government bureaucrats. You are not going to impress the admissions committee by making it sound like you were the CEO of an organization. Talk in realistic and non-flowery language about your role and work experience. For resume examples please see my resume section here and sample military resume bullets here
Your resume should be simple, easy to read and limited to one page. Do not put in an “objective” or any other sort of nonsense at the top. Start with your education experience and work down to your military experience. The sample resume at this link is one that I would have sent to MBA programs. Notice a couple things, its short, to the point and does not inflate my experience. I also list activities that interest me outside of work.
Essay Questions
Schools are going to ask you some questions about your career and goals in a short response format. How short are we talking? Usually about 250-500 words. Gone are the days of 2 page long essays. School’s don’t like reading those essays and also want to make it easier to apply. Because of this you will likely see permutations of the following
Talk about your career goals
Why an MBA and why now
What is your A and B job search plan while at school
Describe your leadership experience
When did you face a challenge
Why this school?
How will you contribute to the student body?
What interests do you have outside of work?
Describe a time you failed
And the incredibly pretentious “why you” question
These essay questions are actually mildly important. They provide an important window to the admissions committee about your understanding of MBA programs and why you are interested in that specific school. You need to do a couple things to make sure that you do not come off as incredibly clueless in your essays. The school’s don’t expect perfection, they expect someone who has done something that resembles cursory due diligence on a $200K investment in their future. Note these following points
Certain schools are known for certain career paths. Columbia and Wharton are practically Finance trade schools. Harvard Business School is known as a big leadership school that pumps out future CEOs. Stanford is an entrepreneurial tech school and one of the hardest schools in the nation to get into. Darden and Tuck are Consulting Schools. Carnegie Mellon is a data analytics school. Having a good understanding of the brand of a school allows you to make a more intelligent case to the admission committee on why you should be admitted
Talk to veterans at the school you are applying too. Almost all schools now have a veterans club. Get their opinion and ask how they framed their experience and goals
Make sure you have a decent understanding on what a “typical” MBA career path looks like. The sort of roles and positions that companies hire out of MBA programs are fairly standardized. Do not think that you are going to a MBA program to become a CPA or auditor, you are going to become a strategic business leader. This link gives a good understanding on what a typical post MBA career paths look like
Come off as humble, authentic and non-douche like. Don’t come off as a lunatic who thinks they are the greatest thing to ever walk this planet. MBA admissions committees can smell narcissism a mile away. They want servant leaders, not psychopaths
Remember your audience, these are civilian members of a business school. Don’t use acronyms and military only terminology that would confuse a normal human being
Translating your military experience into something civilians can understand is an endless topic of “what ifs”. Let me put it this way, most military officers are not “senior executives” or “vice presidents”. In fact most officers are really just middle management or government bureaucrats. You are not going to impress the admissions committee by making it sound like you were the CEO of an organization. Talk in realistic and non-flowery language about your role and work experience. For resume examples please see my resume section here and sample military resume bullets here
Your resume should be simple, easy to read and limited to one page. Do not put in an “objective” or any other sort of nonsense at the top. Start with your education experience and work down to your military experience. Below is a sample resume that I would have sent to MBA programs. Notice a couple things, its short, to the point and does not inflate my experience. I also list activities that interest me outside of work.
Non-Refundable Application Fee
Schools use application fees to cover the cost of reading your application. It seems insulting, but you want to get in or what? The application fee ranges from $150-$250 dollars
The good news is that most schools waive the application fee for military applicants!!! Check their website for details or call the admissions office
Whew…..that sure sounds like a lot doesn’t it? Well that’s because it is. Excluding the GMAT/GRE testing process, you are looking at least a couple of months of time for 3-4 MBA applications. Including the GMAT/GRE, anywhere from 6 months to a year. It’s a real blast!
Ok so we have hit the submit button and our MBA application is now off to the school. What happens next?
YOU WAIT UNTIL AN INTERVIEW IS HOPEFULLY REQUESTED
Let me be blunt, if you do not get an admissions interview requested, your chances of getting into a program are not good. Admission interviews are a VERY positive step in the right direction. Depending on when you submit your application, you can expect to start receiving interview invites 1 to 3 weeks after the admission deadline date.
In general, I encourage people to visit and interview on campus. It’s important to get a flavor of the school and look at the surrounding area. Talk to students at the school and see if you will fit in. I also understand that is not feasible for every person. School’s will conduct off-campus interview, skype interviews, or phone interviews.
Interviews are important. They give the admissions committee a chance to look you in the face and make sure that you are the type of person they want to let into a school. I will post an entire interview guide later. But suffice to say, you will want to be prepared for this interview. I have also included a short video from the life of Brendan MBA video blog series. This video goes over basic interview tips.
ADMISSIONS DECISIONS
Finally we are here. The day admission decisions are released. Schools usually post admissions decisions on a specific assigned date. They come usually during business hours.
Schools like to email you. It’s more efficient for large number of admits. Expect a short email saying that your admission decision is released. You click on the link and it shows you your decision. Three things can happen,
1, Admitted: Congrats! You have been admitted to an MBA program. Expect your offer to detail if you get any scholarship money and if their are any provisional conditions for your admission.
2. Declined Admission: Ouch that sucks. Most schools don’t offer feedback or any further consideration. A few do. It blows. In general you can expect to get more declines than acceptances. That’s just how the game goes.
3. Waitlisted: Not what you wanted for sure. But at least you were not declined. A couple options here. Retake the GMAT/GRE and contact the veterans club. See what strings they can pull for you. Sometimes you’ll be surprised. I helped two people get into Tepper, They would have not gotten off the wait list without my help. Your mileage will vary, its dependent on internal politics of the school and the ability of the veterans club to advocate for you.
So that’s about it! In the following pages I will detail the admissions timeline, the GMAT/GRE, school rankings, career options and more!
