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MBA Admissions Blog

Tips for Your Consortium Application Essays

Consortium Application Essay Tips, 2024-2025 The Consortium’s mission is to increase representation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans in top MBA programs and throughout the US workforce. For more than 50 years, The Consortium has provided a streamlined application process to leading business schools. The Consortium’s ranks continue to grow with the addition…

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Showcase Your “Spike Factor” in Rotman MBA Application Essays

Rotman Application Essay Tips, 2024-2025 Rotman is all about “spike factor,” asking you to use 500 words to explain your “spike” and offering you the option to upload up to three of your “spikiest” pictures to support your claims. On campus, you can feel the excitement and positive momentum of this program firsthand. From the…

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MBA Application Timing: Should You Apply in Round 1 or Round 2?

Over the next two weeks, we will hit the Round 1 MBA submission deadlines for Harvard Business School, Wharton, Michigan Ross, London Business School, Stanford GSB, Yale SOM, INSEAD, Northwestern Kellogg, Columbia Business School, and Berkeley Haas. In addition, UVA Darden and Duke Fuqua have Early Action deadlines within the week. And before the end of September,…

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Tips for your Oxford Saïd Application Essays

Oxford Saïd Application Essay Tips, 2024-2025 Oxford Saïd business school takes great pride in being part of a “world-class university, tackling world-class problems.” The school attracts a diverse student body made up of individuals from all areas of life who are motivated to drive change and turn ideas into action. The program’s main 250-word essay…

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Eight Myths Busted About Applying to Business School

Eight Myths Busted About Applying to Business School 

As you consider pursuing an MBA, you will hear different advice from friends, family, and current students/alumni about the programs you are targeting. Read on as we at Stratus dispel the myths that many applicants hear throughout the application process to set your mind at ease! 1. “R1 applications don’t come out until June/July, so…

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How to Build Your MBA Leadership Profile at Work

How to Build Your MBA Leadership Profile at Work

MBA programs are focused on developing future business leaders. However, they expect that MBA applicants already will have started flexing their leadership skills before matriculation. For many applicants in the early stages of their careers, managing people, projects, or budgets is not part of their role. And young professionals working long hours often cannot commit…

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How to Use an MBA to Change Careers (1)

How to Use an MBA to Change Careers

Most people pursue an MBA to make some sort of change in their career. Career changes generally encompass a combination of four different factors: level, location, industry, and function. The more factors that you want to change, the more important it is to find the right MBA program to help you make those changes. Here…

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Don’t Let a Disability Derail Your MBA Dream

Don’t Let a Disability Derail Your MBA Dream

If you are reading (or listening to) this post, you likely believe that earning an MBA will advance your career. But maybe you are wondering if the process of applying and successfully gaining acceptance to an MBA program would be hindered by a physical disability, such as paralysis or a hearing or visual impairment, or…

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Eight Steps to Help Engineers Build a Strong MBA Profile

Earning an MBA can be a great way for engineers to expand their technical skills and grow into a management role. Many tech companies prefer MBAs with engineering or computer science backgrounds for product manager roles. Engineers can bring their problem-solving ability to business by breaking down challenges, identifying root-cause issues, and developing innovative solutions….

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Resources for Hispanic/Latinx Candidates Applying to MBA Programs

As of 2022, Hispanic and Latinx citizens made up the largest ethnic or racial minority in the United States at approximately 19% of the US population, but they held fewer than 4% of senior executive leadership positions in corporate America. Increasing awareness and building the talent pipeline in the Latinx community may help reverse the…

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Tips for Nonprofit Professionals Applying to Business School

If you have a nonprofit background, applying to MBA programs can be intimidating. Applicants who come from “traditional” MBA roles such as banking and consulting often have access to MBA alumni who can provide guidance during the admissions process. But if you come from a “nontraditional” role, you might not have easy access to that…

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How Long Does It Really Take to Build an MBA Application? 

How Long Does It Really Take to Build an MBA Application? 

Most of our clients ask us, “How long does it take to put an MBA application together?” This is a great question—and one that you should consider seriously. However, there’s a different answer for every client. Therefore, in this blog post, I intend to help you build your personal business school application timeline. To start,…

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