Just as a business expects job applicants to have done their homework about the company, business schools expect MBA applicants to know how they operate and be ready to contribute to the collective effort.
The biggest mistake MBA applicants can make is to assume that the admissions process is all about them: their spectacular academic achievements, stratospheric test scores, and awards for community service.
But it’s not all about you. It’s also about how you will fit in to the program.
While stellar accomplishments certainly get the reader’s attention, it’s up to the candidate to craft an application that convinces the committee that they will contribute to the success of the entire class. The program should help you reach your goals, but you must be willing to play your part in creating a learning experience in which your classmates also achieve theirs.
To this end, applicants should carefully research the distinctive teaching and learning style of each program they are considering.
Many MBA programs have adopted the case study method pioneered by Harvard Business School, so applicants are likely to be familiar with the expectation that they prepare for class by reading many accounts of businesses facing different issues.
What many starry-eyed applicants to HBS may not realize is how stressful it can be to be called on out of the blue to present the case by answering the professor’s opening question. “Cold calling” is the method by which the professor orchestrates a class to bring a case to life by contributing, voluntarily or not, to the ongoing discussion. Depending on a person’s temperament, this can seem like an exhilarating race or a total nightmare.
Barbara Coward, founder of MBA 360 Admissions Consulting and creator of the youTube channel, “It’s Not Just About You,” explains that applicants must consider carefully the teaching method of each program. An applicant who starts out determined to apply to HBS might change their mind once they fully understand HBS’ famed cold-calling method. Not everyone, Coward says, is thrilled at the prospect of “sitting in a classroom with 90 pairs of eyes staring at you when the professor calls on you.”
A more appealing alternative for such a student, suggests Coward, might be to “Learn Business by Doing Business,” as practiced by MBA students at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business. The Michigan Ross Full-Time MBA was ranked #8 this year by U.S. News & World Report, and an impressive 8 business specializations at Michigan Ross individually ranked in the top 10.
“Nothing prepares leaders like real experience,” claims Michigan Ross, and they back up this claim with their signature “Real” curriculum offerings. If you have an idea you can’t wait to launch or you want to be part of the excitement of a startup, Real.Start is for you. In Real.Advise, students consult full time for seven weeks at companies or non-profit organizations, half of which are located outside the U.S. Real.Invest puts students at the helm of six investment funds, including funds specializing in real estate, social ventures and one in an especially hot field today, namely leveraging the skills of the business school students to bring to market technology developed in other departments of the university. Real.Lead invites students to get out into the world and manage a real business.
Your learning style may suit the fast-paced case study method at Harvard Business School, or you may thrive in the real-world opportunities at Michigan Ross. Perhaps something in between would be best for you. Make sure that in choosing an MBA program, you look carefully at teaching style, classroom dynamics and opportunities beyond the classroom.
It’s not only about what the program teaches, but how they teach it.
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