Admissions at Top 5 Business Schools
Yesterday, a student sent this report prepared by a group of MBA Graduates from Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton and Kellogg. I thought I would post it on TotalGadha GMAT as it will help Business School aspirants not only in writing their application essays but also in preparing for Business School Interviews. Take a look at what qualities do Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Wharton and Kellogg look for while selecting a candidate.
Harvard Business School
Harvard is obsessed with leadership, and they are looking for indications of leadership ability in each of their candidates. This can be in the form of managerial work experience, extracurricular activities, or initiative taken in other forms. What is more important than demonstrated leadership is to convince them that you have the capability for taking on great responsibility and taking charge of a situation in the future. Harvard is considered the #1 general management school by US News (and most of the world), so personal well-roundedness is key.
FAMOUS ALUMNI SAMPLE
- George W. Bush, President, United States of America
- Louis Gerstner, Chairman, IBM Corporation
- Rajat Gupta, Worldwide Managing Director, McKinsey & Company
- Jeffrey Immelt, CEO, General Electric Company
- Jeff Skilling, Former CEO, Enron Corporation
Kellogg School of Management
Kellogg believes that teamwork is what builds great organizations, and the ability to work with, and co-exist with others in the business school environment is their primary screening criterion. Kellogg is ranked as the #1 school for marketing, so communications ability and softer skills are more valued here – and expected – than at other top programs. As was mentioned earlier, the interview has a different nature at Kellogg than at other schools, and they want to see if you are the Kellogg “type”, and excited about their program specifically.
FAMOUS ALUMNI SAMPLE
- Michael Borman, President, Blue Martini Software
- Leland Brendsel, CEO, Freddie Mac
- John Hoeven, Governor, State of North Dakota
- James Keyes, CEO, Johnson Controls
- Locke Burt, Senator, State of Florida
MIT Sloan School of Management
Sloan wants to admit a class of innovators. What is most important is to convince the admissions committee that your career will involve having a great impact on your organization or industry, and that you have the creativity and courage to take it on great challenges. Sloan is ranked the #1 school for technology, operations management and quantitative analysis, so strong business analytical skills are expected, but communications ability is what distinguishes successful applicants.
FAMOUS ALUMNI SAMPLE
- Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations
- Carly Fiorina, CEO, Hewlett-Packard Corporation
- William Ford, CEO, Ford Motor Company
- Benjamin Netanyahu, Former Prime Minister, Israel
- John Reed, Former Chairman, Citigroup Corporation
Stanford Graduate School of Business
With the highest average GMAT score in the world and the lowest acceptance rate, Stanford is the most difficult business school to gain admission into on the basis of numbers alone. That being said, they have a very diverse class mix and a balance curriculum that emphasizes both hard and soft skills. The key to admission is convincing the committee that you are bringing something unique to the class. While Stanford is not ranked #1 in any sub-specialty, it is strong in many areas.
FAMOUS ALUMNI SAMPLE
- Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation (dropped out after 1 year)
- John Donahoe, Worldwide Managing Director, Bain & Company
- Philip Knight, CEO, Nike Corporation
- Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems
- Charles Schwab, Chairman, Charles Schwab Corporation
The Wharton School
The Wharton School is ranked as the #1 school in finance and accounting, and their emphasis is definitely on business fundamentals. Although the class has the same number of years of work experience as at other top programs, the average age skews a little higher, and thus maturity is definitely valued by the admissions committee. The admissions committee at Wharton is looking for talented, hardworking individuals that have achieved a great deal but are not arrogant about it.
FAMOUS ALUMNI SAMPLE
- Reginald Jones, Former CEO, General Electric Company
- Shaun O’Malley, Former Chairman, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLP
- Louis Platt, Former CEO, Hewlett-Packard Corporation
- Donald Trump, CEO, Trump Organization
- Gary Wilson, Chairman, Northwest Airlines
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16 Comments
Hi Dagny,
After a long time i am posting here again.
Ur work on TG is awesome like all the time.Thanks alot again for all the info and the guidance u r provinding here.
This time i am bit confused about the colleges in UK. I am having 2yrs of MNC experience and i wanna persue an international MBA from UK. Please suggest me some universities which can match my experience coz everywhere i search for good business schools profiles, mandating min. of 3 yrs experience. I wanna persue my MBA in Top business school but their criteria is mostly based on work experience which is demanding much greater than mine. Could u please suggest me some good B-Schools in UK and which can really match my experience. Please help me dagny.
Once again thanksa lottttt 4 everything….
Hi Manasa,
When you say ‘Top Business Schools’ I am assuming that you are talking about London Business School, IESE, INSEAD, Oxford Said etc. The main point to be noted here is that all the programmes have a rigrous one year curriculum. The average age is around 28 years, and work exe 5- 6- years. The age range represented by schools is generally 2-12 years. Because the programmes have fast track one year programmes, schools make sure that they admit students who are able to handle the academic pressure. Someone with 2years of work experience need to present enough proofs about excellent academic records, leadership qualities, global experience etc. to make his/her application strong. I suggest that you wait for a few more years before applying. Also, that you are working in an MNC already, don’t leave any chance of getting an international exposure if you can. You have not mentioned much about your acads, community experience or extra curriculurs. SO I can’t really comment about your candidature as an Early career Candidate for US B Schools as well.
Thank you for the compliment.
Hi Dagny,
Yeah i agree with you that if i wait for some more years i will get eligibility to these top B-schools more confidently. But if it is the case that i have to join with 2 yrs Exp. with distinction(76%) in B.Tech. and extracurriculars like painting,Dancing?To make it more elaborative i was awarded with a gold medal in painting and won some good no. of prizes at state and district level both in painting and dancing. And my role as a president of Civil Students Association in my Graduation exposes my leadership quality.
One more thing i would like to mention here is i have MNC experience not as a software engineer but as a HR without any Masters degree. Can my HR experience help as a add on feature to my profile while looking from B-schools point of view?
After browsing lot about these B-schools i felt like may be my profile or experience still needs to be furnished or added more. But can u suggest some really good B-schools if not top B-schools next to them in UK which can accept my Experience and Profile?
I have been browsing and collecting info reg. B-School in UK keeping all these constraints in point of view and i found some schools for which i thuoght my Profile could be matching.
Some are : Edinburgh University
Cass Business school
Sheffield Hallam university.
These are some i found could choose my profile. Please guide me and let me know if i am wrong in any case. And also please guide me if these universities really worth going all the way to UK for an international MBA. And please suggest me if u can with some good B-Schools which can accept my Experience and age. Please suggest me.
Thank you in advance Dagny..
Now this is getting interesting.
I have loads of things coming to my mind but let me extract some more information here.
As I recall from you earlier post, you said you want to come back to india and work. Is that so?
Have you considered doing an MBA from India?
Also, why are you so keen at going to UK?
I really want to know what exactly are you thinking here. What do you plan to do ahead once you do an MBA? I don’t want to suggest anything to you on the basis of half baked information and that is why I asking you so may questions.
Thatss gr888 dagny !!!!!! u remember that post where i asked you about working in India with an international MBA. U r right.. i am the one who asked you that in my earlier post.
Firstly u asked me whether i have considered doing MBA in India..yeah i did..i have given CAT 2008 but i dint score well and now for me the situation is like i should go for Masters this year itself. Thats the reason why i have given MAT for some reason but what i felt is there are no really good colleges under MAT.I mean the college which really worth my 2 yrs of MNC experience in HR. Ofcourse my HR experience will really be considered good if i take any college under MAT but i felt none of the colleges can really be considered in atleast top 50 in India as per my knowledge. Please let me know if you think there is any Dagny?
Next to this its too late now to apply for US B-Schools coz their admission process starts by probably Oct/Nov. So the option left for me is UK for which the admissions are open for this Sep.And i felt ..yeah there are some really good B-schools over there in UK too then y not i got for it. Thats the reason why i have choosen UK dagny.
Last one u asked me about my plans once i am done with my Masters. To be frank i wanna be an enterprenuer. i wanna start something on my own. I have this idea from long back while am doing my Engineering. Thats the reason why i have choosen to work rather than doing masters immediately after my Graduation. I thought i should know many things i should get awareness on many things about the Process and the operations that happens internally within the organisation. Thats the reason why i have opted to work for management though i was trained under Mainframe technology. Now i wanna learn more in depth. So i want 2 persue Masters in Business then i work for some time in UK itself coz i heard the work experience you get in overseas will be different and i believe its right.So i wanna work in UK for 1r 2 yrs and return back to India and then will act accordingly then
Please let me know if any infomation is lacking from my end.
Hi Mansa,
Yes I do remember you asking about studying abroad and working in India.
As per your HR profile, I can suggest XLRI, SCMHRD and TISS in India. In fact, when it comes to pursuing HR, XLRI gets some of the best job profiles for its students.
There are no stellar Business schools under MAT. Christ Business School, BIMTECH, Alliance Business Academy are a few schools that can be considered.
Let me get a little critical now. Becoming and entrepreneur is a very vague statement and the first argument that you will face here is that you you don’t need an MBA to become an entrepreneur. To me, your career goals don’t look clear and you are still trying to figure out what exactly you want to do. I might be wrong as well but that is what I figure out from what you have said. The economic conditions in Europe and Northern America are not very good at this time. Business schools are facing a tough time in getting jobs for their students. The recent news said that a center for research into women in business at London Business School will fall victim to the financial crisis next month unless a corporate sponsor emerges to save it.
Business schools are also planning on increasing the number of seats to support the financials. You may argue that by the time you pass out, things would be better but that time people who have faced unemployment would be given the priority over you. I am not trying to scare you but trying to give a picture to you and leaving the final decision on you. I see very slight chances of you getting a work permit of two years in UK. It’s not that easy especially when the world has already seen so much. You are one of those lucky people who still have their jobs. My suggestion would be that you either work for a year or two so that you have a strong credentials to show in your application or look at some of the Indian Business Schools.
Just because you could not clear CAT so you want to take GMAT does not appeal much to me.You can consider taking XAT, FMS,and SNAP as well. If you are still decided upon doing an MBA from abroad, I suggest that you do a holistic research on the condition of job markets in your target country, the condition of placement at various business schools.Getting a global exposure is definitely beneficial but the question is would you get that exposure at all.
For reference sake, you can read this article on Business week- The Odds Favour Business Schools in China and India.
Thank you Dagny for explaining me everything so patiently.
At the end you said that “Getting a global exposure is definitely beneficial but the question is would you get that exposure at all ” . I just wanna ask you why do you doubt on whether i could get the Global exposure or not.
The reason is simple- The economic conditions are not in your favour right now. If you still want to pursue your MBA from UK& Europe, you can consider Master’s in Management at LBS, Master’s in Management from IE Business School, and Master’s programme at London School Of Economics.
But these schools need more experience than what i am having now dagny..!!!!!
I am talking about Master’s in Management programme not the regular MBA programme. The master’s programme is designed for younger applicants only. Check out the sites.
hi dagny,
i am a 2nd yr engineering student and looking forward to pursuing mba in one of the top us schools.i would like to know is it realistic to expect getting into a top school directly after graduation.and secondly how important is it have your work experience in a top notch mnc because the kind of image that i have garnered going through the batch profile of harvard and other b schools is mostly from top firms like goldman and all.so does it significantly deter your chances if you do not get into one of these top firms post your graduation?
Hi Prashant,
Excellent questions.
1. It is generally not realistic to expect an admission in one of the top US Business Schools directly after your graduation UNTIL you have high GPA, great extra curriculars, competitive GMAT, some great internships, and answer to the questions ‘Why MBA now?’. Business Schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Chicago GSB have started admitting younger candidates because of various reasons such as these:
http://www.totalgadha.com/gmat/2009/05/business-school-profiles-average-age/
The reason Business Schools want stellar profiles of younger candidates is that they want to be sure that such candidates would be able to contribute enough to the class. Younger candidates would have to show their competitiveness among the people who have already gained enough experience from both personal and professional life. Business Schools are ready to admit candidates who might not have got enough opportunities to show their skills at work place but they have demonstrated their capabilities in other areas such as community, extra curriculars and academics.
2.It is not necessary to have a McKinsey, BCG or Goldman Sachs tag under your belt. If you have it, it doesn’t hurt but if you don’t it doesn’t hurt either. Your quality of experience would determine your core values/skills.Working with a top notch brand at a same position for good number of years does not qualify you as a competitive candidate. Whereas if you have worked under modest banners but have gained promotions, shown leadership qualities, demonstrated your task handling skills and gained great reputation among your clients/ peers then you can definitely give a tough competition to a big banner guy.
Your work would be quantified with the qualities that you have shown and not by the big names in your kitty.
Hey thanks a lot for answering out my queries(i had asked you a few questions somewhere around end of may).Since its been quite some time i sense a need for reacquainting.I am 2nd yr engineering student(I.I.T.) and looking forward to mba from some top notch us business school.
1. I would like to know where does an mba from iim a,b,c stands in comparison to that from say harvard or cornell.(cost of education not an issue)
2. If one considers the prospect of working in India then does holding a foreign mba puts you at a disadvantage compared to someone from iims.
3. I had asked you earlier about getting into top b schools right after graduation and you had said if one is having high GPA, great extra curriculars, competitive GMAT, some great internships, and answer to the questions ‘Why MBA now?’ then one can make it.But still it puts you at a disadvantage to the ones having a substantial work experience.In that case would i would like to know does reapplying cuts down your chances in any way.I mean how do they look at someone who failed to get in in this first application,having gone through his profile already once wont they be too critical.In that case would it be better not to risk a failure in your 1st attempt and rather play safe by going for a few years of job experience.please tell me how important is it get successful in your first attempt?
4. does it make it any easier–going for an ms and then for mba.I mean a u.s. education and job ex.
I know i have been quite long but i would be grateful if you could take out some time to answer me out.
Hi Prashant,
1. Read this: http://www.totalgadha.com/gmat/2009/01/ask-us-indian-mba-vs-international-mba/
2. Not at all.
3. Not having a work experience does not put you at disadvantage but yes, you are increasing your competition yourself. You would mostly be competing with people who have work expereince and who have shown their capabilities in the real world so it would definitely be tough for you to prove how you make a tougher candidate against people who have wide range of work exe.
As per your re-application question, some Business Schools ask you to submit a completely fresh application and some schools ask you to build upon the previous application. Business Schools do have an idea why you got rejected in your first attempt. All they want to see is what changes you have made in your personal and professional life in past 8-9 months between rejection and reapplication. Have you got any promotions? Picked up any hobby? Got an international exposure? etc. Anything significant hat you have achieved between the time span of your rejection and reapplication. Read this: http://www.totalgadha.com/gmat/2009/06/the-1-2-3-of-mba-reapplication-process/
3. You would really have to justify your career moves and decisions. Why do you want to do masters when you already have one master’s degree in hand?
Hi Dagny,
really really appreciated for so many useful information provided in this website…It gave me a lot of insights on applications.I want to apply for the 2011 MBA,but I’m really feeling puzzled about the choice of so many schools.For one thing,it’s a huge investment for me considering the high tuitions,I have to be cautious about this.On the other,It’s really ineffecient and useless to search for all the schools one by one via the school website accoring to the ranking list,I don’t know if there is any better way to do the selecting work?It seems that I have little resources available to aid in my selection.
For me,I just want to make a good return on investment.US and Europe schools are my considerarions.Top schools deserve a hard try but I’m definitely not that confident to get admission.I have 3 yrs work experiences，currently working in big four,kinda of a younger applicant with not that many mgt experiences.
Actually,I want to pursue a school with an international studying environment,a comparatively younger student group,good job placement or internship opportunities and emphasizing both teching and case study approach,a typical 2 yrs program in US or Europe since there may be more exchange or internship opportunites,regradless of other conditions,can you recommend me some schools or do you need more information for doing that?
One more thing,I wonder how to make up,for those applicants with fewer mgt&leading experiences(sometimes it’s really hard for me to answer Qs like “what’s the influences or changes you made to the whole organization?How many ppl you lead or manage?”,and for applicants with little international exposures,it’s really a big shorts?
Sorry for posting so many questions,but I really need your guidance.If you need any information pls let me know.Thanks a lot first!
Hi Debbier,
Check these two posts: http://www.totalgadha.com/gmat/2009/05/ask-us-queries-from-a-younger-applicant/
http://www.totalgadha.com/gmat/2009/05/business-school-profiles-work-experience/
A lot of Business schools have started accepting students who have low work experience but with other aspects strong. And you are very wrong in saying “,It’s really ineffecient and useless to search for all the schools one by one via the school website ” . The first step to know a school is through its website. You would have to do your own research and decide which shools fit in your profile. Most Business schools in Europe have a one year MBA, so the the number of years of work experience is high. With this work experience, it is better that you concenterate on applying to US Business Schools.
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