Applicants to a full-time MBA program have to put together a lot of materials before they can submit the application for their graduate degree. Between all the required essays and letters of recommendation, it’s easy to neglect one central part of the admissions process: the MBA application form itself. This article explores some common pitfalls of the application form — and how to avoid them.
1. Not giving yourself time to properly complete the MBA application form
Most business schools have an online application system with a lengthy form and an application fee. You should allocate at least 3 hours to going through the form and filling it out as thoroughly as possible. While the form isn’t something you need to pour your heart and soul into (like your essays), it’s not a mere checklist — there will be fields you need to give some thought to.
You will be asked about employment status, past job titles, exact employment dates, and compensation data. You will have to describe your employer, explain why you left the company, detail your key accomplishments and most significant challenges. You should already have some of this on your résumé, but in a different format.
Other materials will be needed, some depending on your background: test scores, undergraduate and graduate programs, university transcripts, academic records, official transcripts, unofficial transcripts, other academic documents, GMAT or GRE score report, proof of English language proficiency (e.g., for international applicants), and so on.
You’ll notice it’s easy to spend 20 minutes writing a meaningful job description in the space allocated for your answer. And then you’ll go through the same excruciating process for your extracurriculars, awards and recognition, and academic experience.
Some candidates tend to describe the online form as a collection of mini-essays, and approach the form’s questions as such. Don’t fall into that trap, but do ensure that you provide all the necessary information in a clear, accurate, and compelling way.
Do not panic if the options from a specific dropdown menu don’t perfectly match your personal situation, and don’t sweat the limited space allocated to describe your work experience. The MBA admissions office will largely rely on your résumé to assess your pre-MBA experience. But sloppy or disorganized presentation on the application form will never look good to the admissions committee.
2. Not getting your letters of recommendation to the school on time
An important piece of news for anxious applicants is that recommenders will often be given a tiny bit of slack to submit their letters of recommendation. Do not, however, expect to be given a lot of extra time.
Getting recommenders on board in the first place is a key stage in the MBA application process, but it’s useless if they don’t follow through. Agreeing to write you a recommendation is one thing; actually getting it written and submitted is another, and it’s your responsibility to ensure your recommenders are on top of it.
Try to make sure that your recommenders submit their letters a day or two before the deadline. Why not send them a courtesy email the weekend before the deadline in order to make sure they’re on top of things? Offer to help should they face unexpected technical difficulties (and know that most schools provide detailed instructions and contact information in case your recommenders run into technical trouble).
3. Not checking for consistency
When you’re applying to a top school for graduate study, you’re facing fierce competition, and every part of the application is meaningful to the MBA admissions team. At Harvard Business School, only 20% of applicants will ultimately receive an invitation to an interview.
Although you should not spend an unreasonable amount of time reviewing your application over and over again, do try your very best not to appear unprofessional. Get rid of typos and grammatical errors. Make sure that your résumé and online form are telling consistent stories.
Too many applicants recycle résumés, or engage in frantic copy-pasting close to the MBA application deadline, and forget to update a thing or two. Save some time to verify all start and end dates, locations, and job titles you list.
Once you’re done, print your application and read it one last time. If you can, get someone else to read it and provide feedback. Having a fresh pair of eyes to review your work is definitely a plus. After weeks working on your application, you may no longer be able to spot obvious errors or inconsistencies in your application.
Don’t underestimate this last consistency check, and don’t review your work after your application submission. Spotting an error in your submitted application is a good way to lose sleep.
4. Being economical with the truth
On a final note, although I’m sure this goes without saying, do not lie or embellish anything on your application. And more than this, avoid anything that could possibly give the suspicion of dishonesty!
If your job title differs from your HR title, mention it. There is enough space in the online form to do so. Do not artificially fill gaps in your employment history. If you are converting your grades to a 4.0 GPA, do so rigorously (WES offers tools to do so). Or just list 0.0 to let the admissions team know that you did not get a GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Everything in your application can be checked after you receive an admission offer. Kroll and ReVera will report any inconsistencies to the school. And your admissions offer can be rescinded if these inconsistencies cannot be explained. Don’t try your luck. It’s not worth it. If you are not sure what to select between different options, pick the one that can be easily verified.
We hope this is helpful. If you’re looking for professional coaching for this or any part of the admissions process, check our list of the best MBA admissions consultants first!