MBA Admissions Factors - Explained
Items 1 and 2: GMATs and GPAs
You may have heard the saying, “GMATs and GPAs don’t get you in but can keep you out.” What this means is that just having a great GMAT and GPAs will not get you into the top schools but not having scores that are in the average range for those schools can keep you from getting in. If you look at the average GMATs and GPAs for the top schools, you will notice that they are around 700 for the GMAT and 3.4 for GPA. If the top schools accepted students solely based on GMATs and GPAs, you would see average GMATs
in the 760s and GPAs in the 3.7s and above. Business schools want to see that you are smart enough to keep up with the rest of the class but are looking for more than just test scores in deciding who to admit. With that said, it is very important that your test scores are within the range of the school you are applying to. Since your GPAs have already been determined (unless you are still in college), your first focus should be to get the highest GMAT score you can. The good news is that there are already
many great courses and books on GMAT preparation that you should use to make sure you get the best score possible. Allow yourself at least 3 months to prepare for the GMAT.
Item 3: Undergraduate and Graduate schools
For most of you reading this guide, the Universities you’ve attended and your GPAs have already been determined.
Item 4: Resume
You resume reflects your professional achievements. You can find tips on how to write better resumes online.
Item 5: Letters of Recommendations
Letters of recommendations are important. However, for most people, they are not in your full control.
Items 6 and 7: Essays and Interviews
The most important aspects of your application are your essays and interviews. They are the parts of the application that differentiates you from the other applicants. This guide will give you a strategy to prepare for this section. I focus on the essays in this guide as your interviews should involve the same content, just a different presentation medium.
Item 8: Miscellaneous Items
There are miscellaneous items such as taking additional classes prior to your application to demonstrate that you can handle the academic workload or showing that you’ve overcome a special disability. These, however, are not going to be the major factors that get you in.
The point of this section is to tell you that you need to focus on how to differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicants via essays and interviews. Test scores and grades are important, but they do not get you in.
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