Every MBA student is required to have a bachelor’s degree along with one or two years of work experience. Some other things that increase one’s chances of getting enrolled in a program of one’s choice include excellent GPA and GMAT scores along with few letters of recommendation that add value to the application. Although every MBA student has something unique and special to offer, MBA schools are specifically looking out for certain qualities. It is worth reviewing these specific qualities in order to ensure that one is able to highlight these to the admissions committee and establish oneself as a qualified MBA student.
- Zeal and passion: At the outset, zeal and passion seem to be the obvious traits that the selection team would look out for in an MBA applicant. However, a closer look at the terms would help you understand why it is of utmost importance. Passion is a concept that everyone loves but few really grasp the concept in its entirety. Although passion and zeal are regarded as positive concepts, there is an underlying implication of sacrifice and suffering. Members of the admissions committee value applicants with enormous passion and zeal who are willing to endure risk, shoulder responsibilities and make significant sacrifices when required.
- Innovation: The Wharton School of Management gives a lot of importance to innovation. Students with the ability to come up with industry-changing ideas along with the ability to initiate new projects are given preference. It would also help to highlight some real life instances where you had applied this skill in the past.
- High-impact leadership skills: Leadership skills are also given a lot of importance. The members of the selection committee are looking for candidates with the potential to create a societal impact. Including examples of instances where you’ve led a team and come up with effective solutions to resolve a problem would give you an edge over others. You are not required to come up with grand and other exaggerated examples of your leadership potential. Rather, what is of extreme importance is your ability to make an impact, no matter how small it may be.
- Collaborative skills: Leadership skills are highly valued by top MBA schools. However, the ability to collaborate and work together as a team is also given extreme importance by schools like the Wharton School of Management. In order to be an effective leader, one has to understand the team members, maximise their strengths, take the initiative when necessary and delegate responsibilities when required. Hence, teamwork is a precursor to effective leadership skills.
- Service oriented: Many business schools greatly emphasise the value of community service. It speaks volumes about a person and reflects care and compassion towards fellow beings and the environment. It also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your social skills and also reflects your desire to contribute to the university’s student and alumni organizations. After all, no MBA school would want a top ranking student with poor or no social skills.
- Analytical and quantitative skills: Although your GMAT scores would be a reflection of your quantitative abilities, it would be beneficial to have additional instances or examples of your problem-solving abilities in your present job. You could also cite any significant project that you worked on during your bachelor’s program that required excellent quantitative skills.
- Realistic career goals: While communicating your ambitions and goals to the selection team, it is important that you distinguish between big dreams and small achievable goals. Draw examples from your work, internships that have provided you with the much-needed experience to manage and overlook all aspects of a business. You will be required to neatly outline your objectives and the steps that you will take to achieve those objectives. Although you may be unsure about your goals and objectives at the beginning of the course, it would help if you spend a considerable amount of time chalking out your plans and explain to the admissions committee how their program will aid in helping you achieve your dreams.
You may have various reasons for applying to MBA schools including diverse employment opportunities and a higher pay scale. However, spend considerable time focusing on demonstrating the above-mentioned qualities that will make you stand out in the crowd and help you gain admission into your preferred program and college.
