How to get in to one of the best MBA programs
If you want a worthwhile MBA, you need to get it from a school with prestige and a reputation for quality—whether it’s known worldwide, throughout the United States, or regionally, depending upon your career goals.
If you want to gain admittance to a top program, you must first find a way to differentiate yourself from the thousands of other consultants who are applying. This is good advice for any applicant, regardless of the profile. Therefore, it is helpful to get into the minds of admissions officers and of other business school candidates with the knowledge that these candidates will have applications that cross the officers’ desks before and after your own application.
Most business schools look for similar qualities in their applicants. They look for students who demonstrate academic aptitude, leadership, an ability to work well with peers and subordinates, integrity, and ambition, just to name a few.
Applicants should realize that the applicant pool can get stronger each year, and what was competitive last year may not be competitive in the current season.
Pointing to your university achievements as your finest work.
Try to get good GMAT score(Less than a 600 will put you at a big disadvantage for the best schools). Enroll in six-week GMAT preparation course or set aside two months to practice the test at home. Enroll a course at Princeton Review or Kaplan Educational Centers.
Although you want to score as well as you can, admissions directors do say there’s a lot more to getting into a top school than the GMAT alone. If your test score doesn’t quite measure up, don’t surrender just yet. It’s possible that you could be rejected from one school based on your GMAT score and be accepted by a Top 30 school with the same score.Why? Some schools, feverishly working to boost their reputations by appearing selective, will simply toss you out of their admit pool for a subpar score. They are using GMAT averages as a marketing tool to attract better candidates.
One other extremely important question that an admissions officer asks about every applicant is, “Would he actually attend this school if he were accepted?” Admissions officers know that you’re applying to multiple schools, and they know that their school may not be your first choice. But you need to convey enough knowledge and enthusiasm about the school to convince admissions officers that you would strongly consider attending their school if you were accepted.
Everyone finds someone to write a positive recommendation for them, but a truly great recommendation will support your positioning by providing specific examples of how you demonstrated leadership, succeeded as part of a team, etc.
The B-school essay questions are your single best opportunity to make yourself really shine for an admissions staff. Don't fill your application essays with fluff.
Make a visit to campuses, attend classes, and chat with current students and faculty.