Six months may seem like a long lead time for preparing business school applications, but a LOT more needs to be done between now and the September submission deadlines than just writing essays.
If you weren’t following along last month, check out our February tips for preparing for your MBA applications.
Think back to when you applied to college or university. Six months before your applications were due, your parents and guidance counselor were probably hounding you to make sure you were doing all the right things—preparing for and taking standardized tests, lining up summer experiences or job opportunities, engaging with teachers whom you would ask to write recommendations, arranging school visits, and getting good grades in challenging classes.
Business school is much the same! But chances are, your parents are no longer on your back, and you don’t have a guidance counselor ensuring that you stay on track.
My clients often ask what they need to be doing NOW. Since MBA programs often change the essay prompts, forget about those for the moment.
Join Melisa Prevost and Shari DeLuryea for “What You Can Be Doing NOW to Prepare for Fall 2024 MBA Deadlines” on Tuesday, March 12, at noon ET. Spots are limited. Register today!
Here are six things you should do in March!
1. Clarify your short-term goals.
If you don’t know where you are headed, how do you know you need an MBA to get there? Take time to investigate post-MBA opportunities. Find a job description for your dream role. If possible, arrange informational interviews with individuals who are in that role and learn about their background and responsibilities. Based on your experience to date, will an MBA prepare you to take on this job?
2. Meet with your manager.
You have just six months to enhance your work experience. Now is the time to ask for assignments that will enable you to get exposure and develop new skills. Ask for constructive feedback, and then find an opportunity to address it in the short term. Do you need some leadership experience? Ask if you can lead a small project or team. If possible, let your manager know that you are thinking about applying for an MBA, share your goals, and ask for their support. You don’t need to make the formal “ask” for them to be a recommender yet.
3. Prepare for the GMAT/GRE/EA.
If you haven’t already done so, decide which test you will take. Most schools are agnostic between the GMAT and GRE, so prepare for and take the test on which you can get the strongest score. Some top MBA programs now accept the Executive Assessment (EA) instead of the GMAT or GRE.
Stay on top of testing requirements because they continue to change. Several programs offered test waivers for the 2023−2024 application season. In some instances, you can get a waiver based on your transcripts and profile, while other programs may ask why you are unable to take a standardized test. Book a test date either in person or online, and then create a plan to prepare. Having a test date on the calendar will keep you accountable to your studying. If you need assistance with preparing, don’t delay. Get help NOW. Some of the best tutors have waitlists, and if you are set on submitting applications in Round 1, you don’t want test preparation to push you to Round 2. You want to have completed at least one test before the essay prompts are released in May and June.
4. Build a list of target programs.
Once you clarify your goals, you can identify the MBA programs whose resources will help you develop the knowledge, skills, and relationships necessary to move forward in your career. Start with a list of about 12 to 15 schools. As you research (check out Stratus’s free guides for getting into MBA programs) and learn more about the culture and offerings at schools of interest as well as your competitiveness based on the class profiles, whittle the list down to six to nine schools. Ideally, your list will include three or four stretch schools (Hint: All M7 schools are a stretch for most applicants!), three or four target schools, and one or two likely schools. Sign up to receive emails from all of the schools on your list. See “How to Find the Best MBA Programs for You” for more guidance.
5. Engage in leadership and community activities.
Now is not the time to take a sabbatical from your community engagement. If you are in a leadership role, consider using this time to hone your leadership style, apply innovative thinking to push new ideas in your areas of influence, and build a team to carry the organization forward when you step away. Don’t use long work hours or working from home as excuses for avoiding community involvement. There are numerous organizations (perhaps even within your place of work) that need talented volunteers.
If you haven’t been actively involved to date, look for opportunities to engage NOW. Admissions committees can see right through applicants who step up to do a flurry of one-day activities during the summer before they apply. Don’t be one of “those people.”
6. Connect informally with potential recommenders.
Beyond your current immediate supervisor, who will go to bat for you? You should have several people in mind to serve as an additional recommender. Schedule some calls to reconnect or invite folks to go for a coffee or a walk. Share your goals, and then get a sense of whether they would support you in your quest to get an MBA. If any of the individuals on your list have an MBA, be sure to ask why they chose the program they attended, what they loved about it, what they wish they had done differently, and what advice they would share with someone considering an MBA.
Preparing business school applications can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to! Reach out to Stratus for a free consultation to discuss your profile and goals as well as what you can be doing now to ensure that you have an acceptance in hand before the end of 2024.