You, then, would probably want to find out what matters most in MBA admissions: the GMAT score, the essay, admissions interview, letters of recommendation, or undergraduate transcript?
According to US News, business schools do not admit solely on your statistics.
While a GMAT score of 550 and a 2.5 GPA can raise a red flag, a 700 GMAT and a 3.6 GPA make you a desired candidate. However, you have probably heard of instances, where people with GMAT score of 790 are rejected at top MBA programmes. Why?
Members of the admissions committee say that one’s admission to an MBA programme is a sum of many pieces. However, most of all the schools want to know who you are, and statistics and a resume do not tell them that. The essays, interviews and recommendations ultimately reveal the person behind the application.
While I doubt that any business school admissions committee would formally support this statement, I would have to cast my vote for essays as the most important part of your application. The essays allow the admissions committee to truly discover who you are. It's where you write why an MBA makes sense as the next step of your career path, and how you differentiate yourself from all of the other individuals who also scored in the 700s on their GMAT. The essays are your opportunity to present your strengths, explain your weaknesses, and generally convince the admissions committee members that you have a lot to offer the program and that you belong in their class,
Stacy Blackman writes.
Furthermore, essays are consistent among all applicants- they are given the same topics, and are reviewed by the same group of admissions members.
In contrast, interviews can be different: some are conducted over the phone, some are on site. Also, they are handled by different types of individuals, with different types of approaches.
The recommendations can also be subjective to an extent: while some applicants find recommenders such as MBAs, who understand the process, others work with people who have no idea what they are doing.
While essays show if you are qualified enough so that you will be able to handle the curriculum and benefit from the programme, the other parts of the application should not be underestimated. It is simple: the higher your GPA and GMAT score are, the better chances you have for admission.
Comments