A great number of people dream of getting into the top business schools of the world. The reasons are the quality of education, the skills, the people you get to network with and the job offers one gets post-graduation.

But there are only a certain number of business schools and a limited number of seats in them and a very large number of MBA aspirants. So, in order to secure your admission to these top MBA colleges, a person needs to stand out from the crowd.

So, in this race to the top business schools how does one win?

Let’s Find out.

Selecting and targeting the Business Schools –

You need to start by selecting the Business Schools you would want to study in on the basis of your strength and weaknesses (academic record, work experience, awards and achievements etc)

Look for the list of top business schools in magazines and the internet. Make a Mix of Ambitious, Realistic and Safe colleges from these lists according to their rankings and the Scores required to get into them. Check the college's websites to know more about them and the entry barriers you might have to face.

Cracking the GMAT –

After going through and selecting the universities, one gets a basic idea of what kind of a GMAT score one needs in order to secure an admission in their dream university.

So, one needs to score as high as possible. For this, one needs to study and practice the syllabus thoroughly. Study resources like the Official Guide for GMAT, Princeton, Kaplan can be used. Make sure to refer to latest issues.

Coaching classes and online coaching is also a good option. Though it may cost a bit more, it will bring discipline and regular practice to your GMAT practice.

Prepare Solid ESSAYS –

You have to submit about 3 to 4 essays per school and may end up writing about 15 to 20 essays. Unless the schools don’t find your essays good enough you will not be invited for the interviews.

Most schools have usually similar kind of essays so the first or the earlier essays would require the most effort. The later ones will be easier to write.

You can also hire Essay Editors to help you get through this stage.

Recommendation Letters –

Business Schools ask for two recommendation letters from companies and people that know you or for whom you have worked with. It could be a manager or your immediate senior.

It is important to be jack of all trades, especially the ones not mentioned anywhere else. Also emphasize on qualities you mentioned in the essays like leadership, teamwork etc.

Make sure the recommendation letter are not very superficial or just written for the sake of formality. As that may end up as a disadvantage for you. The LORs should be detailed and should give insights about you.

The Interview-

Business schools take interviews of the candidates before before enrolling them in their school. This task is either taken up by the alumni or the admission committee.

For the interviews, go through your application thoroughly. Remember your essays and resume. Work on responses to the questions you might be sure to get asked.  Try getting your answers reviewed from people you know and improve if required. Learn as much as possible about the course and the university you are applying to.

Try taking a lot of Mock interviews as they are useful for you to get familiar with the interview environment and will let you be more comfortable in the actual interview process.

The Admission offer –

After the interview, you may get the admit letters from colleges. Sometimes you may get offers from various colleges. Which one to opt for? Analyse all the factors like rankings, fees, opportunities, etc. before making the decision and select the university which is the most favourable option.

This is usually an easy process if we select and target the universities since the beginning of university shortlisting process.  

What next?

Once you have secured a good seat you can focus on the financing your education and the Student Visa process. After getting the admission letter, the next stages are comparatively easy. Start looking for financing options for tuition fees and other expenses and also start applying for the student visas. For Financing options, you can take a look at Yocket Loan Assistance Program. To know more about student Visa, you can refer to Yocket blogs . When all these are done, you are all set to fly to your dream university!

Not Selected in any top business school? Now what?

Despite your best efforts, the best universities rejected you? Analyse where you went wrong. Whether your GMAT scores was sufficient? Did you have enough work experience? Were your essays up to the mark? Did you give your best in the interview? Analyse all these factors one by one and then try once again because it is always worth the wait for your dream university. However, depending on your situation, you can always opt for the university available even if it is not your dream university. Maybe edit your college list this time. If you think your GMAT score is not enough, try attempting once more with better preparation. You can apply to the universities the next year with a better application and compelling profile.