Stanford is Back on Top Alongside Penn’s Wharton in U.S News’ 2024 Best MBA Ranking

The U.S. News and World Report has posted the 2024-2025 Best MBA rankings. Stanford GSB and University of Pennsylvania Wharton are tied for the top spot, followed by a tie for third rank between Northwestern Kellogg and Chicago Booth.

Notable changes to the top 25 from the last year’s rankings include: 

• Stanford’s five-rank jump, which moved it from 6th in 2023 back to 1st, a position it also held in 2021 and 2022. 

• Harvard, which has spent the past two years in 5th, dropped one spot into the 6th position in 2024.

• The biggest increases this year, apart from Stanford, were Vanderbilt Owen, which moved up seven ranks to the 20th spot, and Berkeley Haas and UVA Darden, which both moved up four positions to take 7th and 10th, respectively.

• Dartmouth Tuck and Michigan Ross experienced the largest declines from 2023, both falling four positions. Tuck now shares the 10th spot with Darden, while Ross joined Columbia and Duke in a three-way tie at 12th. 

According to Poets & Quants, U.S. News acknowledged that its addition of a new post-graduate salary metric explains some of the movement seen within this year’s ranking. The addition of the metric de-emphasizes post-graduate starting salary/bonus slightly, incorporating MBA graduates’ starting salaries based on the field in which they’re entering. A description is available here. 

Rank School Name, Change from 2023

1 Stanford University (tie), +5

1 University of Pennsylvania, Wharton (tie), +2

3 Northwestern University, Kellogg (tie), -1 

3 University of Chicago, Booth (tie), -2

5 MIT, Sloan, -1

6 Harvard University, -1

7 New York University, Stern, (tie), +3

7 University of California–Berkeley, Haas (tie), +4

7 Yale University (tie), +1

10 Dartmouth, Tuck, (tie), -4

10 University of Virginia, Darden (tie), +4

12 Columbia University (tie), -1 

12 Duke University, Fuqua (tie), -1

12 University of Michigan, Ross (tie), -4

15 Cornell University, Johnson (tie), – 

16 Carnegie Mellon, Tepper (tie), +2

16 University of Texas–Austin, McCombs (tie), +2

18 Emory University, Goizueta (tie), -1

18 University of Southern California, Marshall (tie), -3

20 Indiana University, Kelley (tie), +2

20 University of California–Los Angeles, Anderson (tie), -1

20 University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler (tie), +2

20 Vanderbilt University, Owen (tie), +7

24 Georgetown University, McDonough, –

25 Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller, +1

Your MBA Application: Tips for the Early Birds

There are still a couple of months before business schools release their 2024 MBA submission dates. But if you know you’re interested in applying for a spot in the Class of 2027 (matriculating in fall 2025), it’s never too early to get started. In fact, we encourage it! Here are a few tasks you can undertake now that will save you time later, when things are more hectic. 

Document Your Experiences. In addition to seeking out high quality and challenging professional and extracurricular experiences you’re interested in, you should keep a brainstorming document where you will explore your formative experiences—what you thought, felt, said, and did. This brainstorm will be your touchstone for everything about this application process. It will help you discover what meaningful experiences and qualities you want to highlight in your school-specific essays, share with your recommenders, and discuss during your interviews (now and in the future!). 

Log details while they're fresh in your mind. Did you have a meaningful conversation with a colleague or mentor at work? Demonstrate leadership in an organization you’re involved with? Develop an innovative solution on a team project? How did those interactions feel? What actions did you take, if any? Are there results to share? Pay particular attention to those experiences that prompted an evolution in your perspective and reinforced your interest in an MBA, as well as those that could show the reader your abilities in leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. 

Secure the Right Rec in a Timely Manner. If you have a professional contact who you’ve worked closely with and who you'd love to support your candidacy for business school, ask for the letter of recommendation early. An early ask will give you plenty of time to meet and discuss your goals and for you to prepare a portfolio of information personalized for each recommender that includes Illustrative anecdotes from your work together. Alternatively, if you would prefer to wait, stay in touch and keep them updated on your accomplishments. We recommend giving them at least eight weeks prior to your submission deadline. 

Start Preparing for the GMAT/GRE/Executive Assessment. A long lead-time before you apply to business school allows you to adjust your schedule to accommodate studying and taking the GMAT/GRE/EA. Consider when you can most easily make the time for prep. Will it be during the summer when you have a lighter client load? Do you plan to take a test prep course that meets on weekends? 

Standardized test scores are valid for five years. If you can take the test earlier, you will have space to focus on developing other components of your application later. Additionally, taking the GMAT/GRE/EA early leaves you with more options if your initial score doesn’t meet your expectations.

Network and Research. Take the opportunity to visit as many of the MBA programs as you are able to. Meet with the students and professors, attend a class, and visit the career center. Understanding exactly how each program can support you in meeting your goals will help you to strengthen your case for admission. 

Related:

MBA Application Tips—Letters of Recommendation

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Demonstrate Academic Readiness

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Show Meaningful Professional Experience

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Show Compatibility in Close Knit and Collaborative Communities

More Prospective MBAs Prioritize AI

Interest in AI has surged among prospective MBAs, according to this year’s GMAC Prospective Students Survey. 

Globally, 40 percent of respondents selected AI as an essential topic (29 percent in 2022), and in the U.S., 34 percent (22 percent in 2022) did. Millennials were more likely to express interest in AI (44 percent, globally) than Gen Z (38 percent), which the report notes is consistent with millennials’ stronger interest in the tech sector. And men (42 percent) were more likely than women (37 percent) to deem AI essential.

Below, we highlight a few business schools that are integrating AI coursework into their MBA programs. 

American University’s Kogod School of Business: Kogod recently announced that they were undergoing a “makeover” to integrate AI skills and concepts throughout the school’s curriculum, operations, and philosophy. This includes bringing in experts from the private sector to ensure faculty and staff have the training and knowledge they need. Additionally, starting in Fall 2024, every student will learn how to use AI as a tool for business deliverables, as well as to navigate AI platforms. 

Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business: The school considers the use of AI and preparing students to engage with this technology as a key component of future-preparation. With faculty already involved in the research and development of AI tools, the school has also sought to embed it within the student experience. Tepper offers new courses specific to AI, and has also integrated AI content into existing courses in other topics, such as ethics. 

Johns Hopkins Carey Business School: Carey has included a mandatory AI class in its core curriculum for all FT MBA students since 2021. The course, Data Science: Artificial Intelligence, includes three main components: a foundation in the math and technology underscoring AI, a computational foundation (python), and instruction on using AI for business insights. 

Related: Trends in Business: MBA Programs Prepare Students for Leadership Roles in Technology

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Show Compatibility in Close Knit and Collaborative Communities

In this three-part blog series, we’re taking a deep dive into what admissions committees are looking for in your MBA application. Each post will highlight one question your application must answer effectively for admissions success. 

After you’ve demonstrated your academic readiness and high quality and quantity of professional experience, one question will remain in the minds of admissions committees: Will this applicant be compatible in our program’s collaborative and close-knit community?  

To answer this question the admissions committee will pay particular attention to:  

• Essay responses. Do not use your essay and/or short answer responses as additional resume space. Instead go deep into a story that allows the reader to come to their own conclusions about some of your character traits and abilities. Highlight how you’ve struggled, triumphed, learned, and how these experiences have developed you into the person you are now. Keep in mind that listing off your qualities is meaningless if you're not backing them up with real-life examples.

Review our blog on using lessons from memoir to write your personal statement.

• Interview responses. Use nearly every response to tell a story, rather than making general claims about your abilities. Anyone can speak in generalities. How boring! But no one has your set of unique experiences. Through anecdote, your values and character will come alive.   

Review our blog series on the MBA interview. 

• Recommendations. While these responses are not within your control, they are within your influence. Provide each of your recommenders with a portfolio of information that includes illustrative anecdotes that will show your ability to thrive in a collaborative environment and grow from constructive criticism.  

Review our blog on obtaining high-quality recommendations.

Related:

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Demonstrate Academic Readiness

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Show Meaningful Professional Experience

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Show Meaningful Professional Experience

In this three-part blog series, we’re taking a deep dive into what admissions committees are looking for in your MBA application. Each post will highlight one question your application must answer effectively for admissions success. 

After you’ve demonstrated academic readiness, the MBA admissions committee will assess the quality and quantity of your full-time, post-baccalaureate work experience. They want to know: Does this applicant have the professional experience they need to accomplish their short-term post-MBA goals? 

To get their answer, the admissions committee will pay closest attention to your:

• Resume and Essays. Think of your resume as a general overview of your life from the start of college until today, that articulates clearly the results you’ve achieved and impact you’ve had in each role or involvement. In contrast, your essay responses should be deep dives that will show the reader, through anecdote, your abilities in the areas of innovation and/or leadership and/or teamwork. On average, business school matriculants have about four years of work experience. If you’ve spent less than four years working, provide an explanation as to why you want to get your MBA now. 

Review our blog on crafting a results-driven resume. 

Review our blog on key mistakes to avoid when writing your MBA application essays.

• Your stated career goals. Provide the admissions committee with specific short-term, post MBA goals that make sense given what you’ve done in the past. This will convince them that you will hit the ground running securing an internship and job as soon as you enter the program.

  A common mistake we see in MBA admissions is applicants who, unknowingly, position themselves as an employment risk. This can happen when you articulate a goal set that is too vague or unrelated to any of your past experiences. Once you are admitted, you will have the opportunity to reevaluate your goals. You’re allowed to change your mind! But your first goal, of course, is getting into business school. 

Related:

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Demonstrate Academic Readiness

Anatomy of a Successful MBA Application: Demonstrate Academic Readiness

In this three-part blog series, we’re taking a deep dive into what admissions committees are looking for in your MBA application. Each post will highlight one question your application must answer effectively for admissions success. 

The first question that an MBA admissions committee will ask when they look at your application is simple: Will this applicant be able to compete in the academic rigor of our program?

Elite MBA programs are academically challenging. You must be able to thrive amidst the inevitable analytical and quantitative challenges. Since the best predictor of future success is how you’ve handled rigorous academics in the past, to answer this question, the admissions committee will pay closest attention to your: 

• Undergraduate (and graduate if you have them) Transcripts. They will consider not only your GPA, but also the quality of your course load. Does your GPA fall into the average range for the schools where you are applying (typically between a 3.3 and a 3.7)? Did you take on challenging courses and do well? Did you succeed in classes that required analytical or quantitative work? 

  If your answer to any of these questions is “no” or even “...maybe,” consider taking an analytical course or two, prior to applying to business school. Succeeding in these additional classes will provide the dual benefit of shoring up your confidence and case for admission, as well as giving you a chance to confirm that you’ll enjoy the MBA curriculum. 

• Standardized Test Scores. Submitting a strong GRE/GMAT/Executive Assessment score will reassure the admissions committee that you have the critical thinking, verbal reasoning, and quantitative skills necessary to succeed in the program. A strong quantitative score is particularly beneficial if your undergraduate major or professional experience did not require much in the way of analytics.

  The good news for business school applicants is that admissions committees will only use your highest submitted score. So, re-take it. You’ll likely do better the next time around.  Not only will a higher score benefit you from an admissions perspective, you will be more likely to get one of those sought after merit-based scholarships. 

MBAs come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. That’s the fun of business school! Just be sure you can convince them that you’ll thrive in their classroom.

NYU Stern Marks Five Years of Its Endless Frontier Labs

Prospective MBA and entrepreneur? Science and/or tech enthusiast? NYU Stern’s Endless Frontier Labs (EFL) might be of interest to you.

EFL is a dual stream program designed to bolster entrepreneurship in the science/tech space. The program includes an MBA course and an early-seed accelerator program for science and technology startups. Enrolled MBA students, with mentoring and coaching from EFL staff, are paired with a startup to develop a commercialization strategy. Students gain hands-on experience developing and implementing a business model, defining strategy, pulling together financing, and planning for scaling. The startups in the accelerator benefit from the MBA’s consultation on bringing the scientific development(s) to the marketplace, as well as from access to the resources available through the NYU, Stern, and broader NYC communities. 

The program has grown in popularity over its five years. As an accelerator, it now selects about 75 startups each year out of 1500 applications, making it among the most selective of early-seed accelerators. Students are also eager to take part, with about 120 students vying for 75 spots. The course founder and director, Deepak Hegde, stresses that he selects students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity and an ability to thrive in ambiguity, not just those with a background in science or tech. 

To date the program has yielded impressive results. EFL has led to 183 alumni startups, with 83 percent of those garnering at least one successful round of funding. This compares favorably to similar accelerators such as YCombinator and Techstars where 77 percent and 73 percent receive funding, respectively. Additionally, Hegde won the 2022 Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award from the Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division. And a number of the MBA student participants have continued their work with their startup in a post-graduate position. 

Wharton Claims the Top Spot in Financial Times’ 2024 MBA Rankings

Over the weekend, the Financial Times published its 2024 MBA Rankings. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton school took the top spot and Columbia Business School tied with Bocconi for the third rank. While just two U.S.-based schools cracked the top five, fifteen U.S. programs placed within the top 25. 

A few notable findings include:

• Wharton’s top rank came as a result of its first-place finish in “research” and its strong performance in “weighted salary” (third, behind only Stanford GSB and Harvard). 

• Stanford GSB came in 23rd overall, but was ranked the highest for “alumni network,” “weighted salary,” and alumni assessment of “aims achieved.” The program also ranked second for “career progress.”

• Harvard Business School, ranked 11th overall, took the second spot for both “research” and “weighted salary,” and fifth for “career progress.”

• University of Georgia’s Terry came in 40th overall, but ranked first for “value for money.” 

The rankings also took into account measures such as gender and international diversity, school environmental policies, and employment data. Check out the full rankings and the rankings for the underlying metrics, here.

2024 Rank / School

1 University of Pennsylvania: Wharton 

2 Insead 

3 Columbia Business School 

3 SDA Bocconi School of Management

5 IESE Business School 

6 Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

6 MIT: Sloan

8 London Business School 

9 Cornell University: Johnson

10 University of Chicago: Booth 

11 Harvard Business School

12 HEC Paris 

12 Dartmouth College: Tuck

14 Duke University's Fuqua School of Business

15 Yale School of Management

16 University of Virginia: Darden 

17 Esade Business School 

18 UCLA Anderson School of Management

19 University of California at Berkeley: Haas 

20 IE Business School 

21 New York University: Stern 

21 Ceibs

23 Stanford Graduate School of Business

24 Shanghai University of Finance and Economics: College of Business

25 ESCP Business School 

Thinking about an MBA Round Three Application? Sometimes it’s Alright.

As a rule, we do not recommend applying for your MBA in Round Three, but there are a few circumstances when it can be a sound choice for an applicant. 

• You have a competitive application. The third round is among the most competitive because there are fewer seats available. To gain admission, you must submit a strong application. Confirm that your GPA and test scores compare favorably to the school’s average ranges for admitted students. If you have doubts about your test scores or your work experience, or are concerned about getting strong recommendations in a quick time-frame, we recommend that you hold off until the next admissions season.

• You bring a unique value proposition. Admissions committees are looking for applicants who will bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the business school. Applicants who can showcase a unique point of view will stand out even in the competitive third round. Unsure? You might consider holding off on applying while you garner more professional and community experiences.

• You face a professional transition. Were you recently laid off? Did you just return from a military deployment or other overseas work experience? Shutter your startup? If you have a personal or professional reason for submitting an application in Round Three, rather than earlier, we recommend that you include this information in the optional essay space. Providing the admissions committee with an understanding of your timing will help you to build a stronger case for admission. 

• You don’t require merit-based support. If you don’t need financial support in the form of merit-based scholarships, Round Three is fine. Most programs won’t consider applicants for scholarships after the January deadlines.  

You’ve Received Multiple MBA Acceptances. What’s Next?

Congratulations! You now find yourself in the enviable position of having been accepted to multiple MBA programs, and you have to make an important choice. Don’t forget to consider the factors below before committing. 

Post-graduate employment opportunities. Take a close look at what companies are actively recruiting and hiring at the MBA programs that you’re considering. You can review each school’s career placement report (most schools have made their 2023 report available) and/or engage with the school’s career services team to learn more. Alternatively, if you dream of starting your own company, consider how each program supports entrepreneurs with mentoring, networking, and access to financing. 

 Academics. Which schools can boast leading professors in your specific areas of interest? Whose research makes you most excited? Are students involved in faculty research? Confirm that the school offers concentrations or majors in areas that you want to study and/or consistently makes courses available in topics of interest to you (beware the visiting professor!).

Geography. Where you are located plays an important role in your ability to network. If you know where you want to live post-graduation, consider those programs that are within that city or state. Similarly, if your goal is to enter a particular industry, think about programs that are located near one of the industry’s hubs. 

Fit. Will you feel comfortable at the school? Does it meet your expectations in terms of collegiality? Alumni-base? Are there other students similar to you in terms of lifestyle and/or interests? You want to choose a program where you’ll not only be happy for the next two years, but where you’ll be able to build a life-long network. 

Cost. An MBA is a major investment so compare the cost, including cost of living. But, keep in mind, not all schools offer the same ROI. Attending a top-tier school, while necessitating a larger initial outlay, can prove to be a better return on your investment. Conversely, if you know you want to return to your company post-graduation, it may make sense to opt for a very good, but more reasonably priced MBA program.

Five Writing Tips to Ensure Your MBA Application Essays are Memorable

We see it all the time. You have compiled excellent professional and extracurricular experiences and great personal anecdotes. But, for some reason, when you write your essays they are still coming across as …flat.  We’ve gathered up our top five writing tips below to help you incorporate personality and bring your essays to life. 

• Update your language. In your academic and/or professional life you likely use formal language in your written communications. However, we would caution you against being overly formal in your application writing. A personal essay is more like journalism than an academic paper. You're telling a story, and this one is about you. You want to sound intelligent and respectful but being a bit colloquial makes you appear confident and relaxed. As if to say, "This is who I am. This is who I plan to become." 

A great test is to read your writing aloud and see how easily it flows. Does your language feel natural or stilted? Does it sound like you? Make sure your writing style and language choices promote a connection between you and your reader.

• Structure your writing to grab the reader’s attention. One of the goals of your writing is to inform, but it is equally important to engage your reader and get them personally invested in your journey. You might even take a cue from an action movie. When the lights go down and the curtain goes up, you see the star in a sports car going full throttle. What you don’t know, immediately, is who or where they are. Narrative writing does not have to be linear. After leading with an attention-grabbing scene, the writer can go back and provide additional context and information on what’s missing. 

• Embrace emotion. Take a lesson from advertising. What do the best commercials have in common? They make you feel something—humor, pride, sorrow. As you write your essay responses, ensure that you use emotion to connect with your reader. And, this doesn’t necessarily mean recounting only sad or difficult times. Rather, it means bringing your reader along on the full spectrum of your experience as you share a story from your life. We rarely feel just one emotion at a time, embrace the complexity.

• Make it universal. Let the reader share in your learning by making it about more than yourself and your own experience. Look for the transcendence and let the admissions committee in on it. You didn’t just overcome a fear of public speaking, you learned to challenge yourself and break past self-constructed barriers. You didn’t just overcome cultural differences while working in a diverse group, you learned about seeking out commonalities with others. Whatever it is you learned, dig deep for that universal finding that will help to ensure your reader finishes your essay feeling they are better off for the experience. 

• Don’t forget the basics. One of our mottos is: "Clarity above all things." When you write an essay for your application, leave no room for misinterpretation. The reader needs to see the story how you do. Crisp and untangled writing is also best given character count limitations and how much you need to share.

You’ve Submitted Your MBA Application… Now What?

Congratulations! You’ve submitted your MBA application and completed required video essays. But your work is not quite complete. You still have the opportunity to make a positive impression on the admissions committee by demonstrating your enthusiasm for the program. 

Consider the following ways to showcase your interest.

• Follow the school on social media and set up Google alerts with key words so you can easily stay informed of current events, research, or news related to the program. You should also confirm that your social media presence is up to date and represents you well.

• If invited for an interview, try to do it in-person. Interviews are a great way for the admissions committee to get to know you and for you to learn more about their program.  While they will likely give you a virtual option, nothing beats connecting in-person.  

• Attend any admissions events, webinars, or other programming facilitated by the school or the admissions committee. And make appointments with professors or current students who share your interests and/or goals. Prep by creating a brief elevator speech explaining, with specifics, how the school's programming aligns with your interests and why you would be a great addition to the student body.

• Follow-up any interactions with faculty, administration, or students with a brief thank you note reiterating your excitement about the program. 

• Send an update letter to the school if you have a significant accomplishment or update, not previously covered in your application, to share. Examples include: a significant positive change to your GMAT/GRE score, publications, professional development (e.g., you presented at a national/regional conference or received a promotion with additional responsibility at work), awards/honors, and/or extracurricular achievements (you took on a leadership position or received recognition for your work with a community organization). 

• In your update letter, don’t forget to express your continued interest in the program, noting specifics that are particularly compelling to you. If the school is your first choice, make the yield protection statement: If admitted, I will attend. 

• Do not excessively contact the admissions committee, particularly to ask questions with answers readily available online or to ask for feedback on your application or admissions likelihood. 

Community Service Experiences Can Enhance Your MBA Application

Your MBA application should showcase the full range of your interests, abilities, and experiences. In addition to your academic and professional life, how you spend your free time can be telling. But before you run out and sign up for various volunteering gigs, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

• Show commitment and continuity. If you had experiences in college with a particular organization, say supporting the environment or working with the homeless population, you may want to pick up a role with a similar organization locally. Spend time on a cause you really care about. 

• Prioritize depth over breadth. A years-long involvement or considerable weekly time commitment with one organization is preferable to brief interactions working on a large number of causes. You will have more opportunity to make an impact.

• Flex different skills. Volunteer organizations are an excellent place to apply skills you may not yet demonstrate professionally. If you think your resume (or current position) is lacking in experiences that demonstrate leadership, innovation and/or teamwork, see if you can gain that experience in a volunteer setting. Entry-level professional roles typically don’t involve much people management, however, leading a non-profit initiative or committee often does! 

FAQs: 

I volunteered a lot in college, but I haven’t had much time to do so since I started working. Should I include those older experiences in my MBA application?

Your MBA application can include any experiences from the start of college onwards. Do keep in mind that the significance of your contribution matters. Participating in one “walk against hunger” your sophomore year will not carry the same weight as spearheading an initiative or raising a significant amount of money. Again, emphasize depth over breadth.

I am working constantly and don’t have time to volunteer right now. Should I try to fit something into my schedule?

Community service can enhance your application, but it is not a deal-breaker if you don’t have it. That being said, don’t forget to consider any volunteering you’ve done as a part of your company. Many firms include community service as a component of the performance framework. So, if you routinely help organize your company’s “dress for success” program, make note of that. 

I don’t volunteer for a nonprofit organization, but I do serve on committees at my workplace. Should I include this in my application?

Yes. Think about all that you do within your workplace that falls beyond the scope of your professional responsibilities. Are you a member of the holiday party steering committee? Or a participant on a DEI initiative? Those activities that go beyond your role are opportunities to demonstrate leadership, innovation, teamwork, and a commitment to giving back to and bettering your workplace.  

Your MBA Interview: Make a Claim and Back it Up Responses

Claim questions are simple and direct—but your answer should be complex and direct. Just like with your SAR responses, you will want to use stories here, not just statements. They may ask about attributes or skills you have but they're not looking for a list, they're looking for examples of when you’ve exhibited those things. Go ahead and use multiple examples! They don't all have to be long, but they should be detailed. 

Some questions will be about your future goals. Think: "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" A question like this should still be backed up with experiences, if possible, or anecdotes that prove that you have the skills necessary to achieve this goal. You’ll also want to include what you hope to learn in business school that will position you for success.

Other claim questions will require you to showcase your critical thinking. “What advice would you give to your classmates who are interested in working in your current industry?” Don’t just provide advice, tell a story from your experience that inspired this wisdom. 

Questions could also seem to require opinion-only responses. Something like: "How do you feel about your company’s CEO?" But don't get it twisted. This is a "make a claim and back it up"-question. You believe the leader is succeeding (or not) “because…" 

Other “make a claim and back it up”-questions that you may be asked: 

• How will you add to the diversity of our school? 

• What is your greatest strength?

• How do you deal with ambiguity? 

• What traits are the most important for a leader to have?

• What is your management style?

Related:

Your MBA Interview: Day-of Tips

Your MBA Interview: Prepare a Three-Minute Elevator Pitch

Your MBA Interview: Articulate Why You Want This MBA (Not Just an MBA)

Your MBA Interview: SAR Responses

Your MBA Interview: SAR Responses

Throughout your MBA interview, we encourage you to share anecdotes whenever possible. But there are some questions that you MUST answer with a story. These are "SAR responses" because you'll describe the situation (20% of the response), the action you took, and the result (collectively 80% of the response). Some SAR prompts will be familiar because they are commonly used in interviews. You may have also used some of these anecdotes in your essay responses. Go right ahead and reuse any applicable application content. Those were your experiences and your takeaways, after all. There's no need to invent a whole new self. 

Consider how you would respond to prompts like these:

• Describe a failure and what you learned from it.

• Tell me about a time when you challenged the group consensus.

• Tell me about a time when you took on a leadership role.

• Tell me about an experience when you learned from people different from yourself.

• Tell me about a time when you developed an imaginative solution to a problem. 

Related:

Your MBA Interview: Day-of Tips

Your MBA Interview: Prepare a Three-Minute Elevator Pitch

Your MBA Interview: Articulate Why You Want This MBA (Not Just an MBA)

Your MBA Interview: Make a Claim and Back it Up Responses

Your MBA Interview: Articulate Why You Want This MBA (Not Just an MBA)

“Why our MBA?” Or: “Tell me why you are interested in this program,” etc. This interview prompt will appear, in some form, early on in your interview.

Make it clear how this MBA will help you to achieve your goals. Your response should include school-specific details, like what classes or experiential learning opportunities you'll take advantage of, what unique resources you’ll utilize that maybe aren't available at other schools, which professors you're eager to learn from, the student clubs you'd like to join, the names of companies you’re interested in that recruit from the program, and maybe even what you like about the area. And don’t forget to bridge these details with your past experiences and future goals to reinforce your interest in these offerings. 

Whatever you do, don't say something ingratiating and general: "It's an esteemed program where I'll learn from esteemed professors who lead in their esteemed fields." We're teasing about this phrasing, but go deep rather than broad. Answer the question with a few salient details and you'll be golden.

Related:

Your MBA Interview: Day-of Tips

Your MBA Interview: Prepare a Three-Minute Elevator Pitch

Your MBA Interview: SAR Responses

Your MBA Interview: Make a Claim and Back it Up Responses

Your MBA Interview: Prepare a Three-Minute Elevator Pitch

The first question your interviewer asks will likely be something general that invites the widest-ranging answer. This question comes in many forms. It could be as short and blunt as: Tell me about yourself. It could be: Walk me through your resume. It could be: Talk to be about anything you believe will enhance your candidacy for admission. 

These opening questions require a three-minute answer. Think of it as an elevator pitch response. Naturally, your response should reiterate your commitment to pursuing an MBA and make it clear why an MBA will benefit your career and help you to bridge your past experiences with your future goals. It is okay to stay in a linear timeline: I did X and transitioned to Y. What's important is explaining the motivation behind your decisions. You can also share who you are via your three most impactful experiences. 

Practice some possible responses to ensure you're not going wildly under or over the three-minute mark. Don't try to memorize anything word-for-word as this will lead to fumbling with your words or coming off as wooden. But have an outline in mind—some milestones you know you want to pass. 

Some sub-questions you might answer to build your "Tell me about yourself"-answer are:

• What was your path to this point? Did you always know you would pursue a career in business?

• How has your work experience prepared you for business school?

• Do you want to expand on any meaningful professional experiences and how they reinforced your interest in graduate business education?

• What are your post-MBA career goals? 

• How will an MBA bridge your past with your future? 

• What fun fact about you could you close on?

Admissions committees like it when applicants include personality in their answers, especially when answering this question. Revealing something fun about yourself encourages a connection between you and the interviewer.

Related:

Your MBA Interview: Day-of Tips

Your MBA Interview: Articulate Why You Want This MBA (Not Just an MBA)

Your MBA Interview: SAR Responses

Your MBA Interview: Make a Claim and Back it Up Responses

LinkedIn Names Harvard as Top Business School in Inaugural Rankings

LinkedIn just unveiled its first ranking of full-time MBA programs, The 50 Best U.S. Business Schools to Grow Your Career, which uses data culled from the site itself. It includes only U.S.-based MBA programs, with at least 500 alumni, who graduated between 2018 to 2022. Its methodology is based on five pillars:

1. Hiring and Demand: Uses LinkedIn hiring and recruiter InMail data to track job placement rates for graduates and labor market demand

2. Ability to Advance: Uses standardized job titles to track promotions among recent cohorts, and the pace at which alumni reach director or VP-level leadership roles

3. Network Strength: Uses member connection data to track the average connections alumni have with individuals in director-level positions or above (network quality) and the network growth rate of recent cohorts before and after graduation (cohort connectivity)

4. Leadership Potential: Tracks percentage of alumni who take on entrepreneurial or C-suite roles post-graduation

5. Gender Diversity: Tracks gender parity within recent graduate cohorts

LinkedIn also provides some unique insights alongside its rankings, which include the most common industries, job titles, locations, and skills for each program based upon aggregated data collected from the LinkedIn profiles of alumni. The platform also allows the reader to click into each school to see who in their own network attended the school. Find the full ratings here.

Rank Business School

1 Harvard Business School

2 Stanford GSB

3 Dartmouth (Tuck)

4 Penn (Wharton)

5 MIT (Sloan)

6 Northwestern (Kellogg)

7 UC Berkeley (Haas)

8 Yale SOM

9 Chicago (Booth)

10 Duke (Fuqua)

11 Columbia Business School

12 Virginia (Darden)

13 UCLA (Anderson)

14 Cornell (Johnson)

15 Emory (Goizueta)

16 New York University (Stern)

17 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)

18 Michigan (Ross)

19 USC (Marshall)

20 Texas (McCombs)

Not all stakeholders are impressed with LinkedIn’s initial effort. Poets & Quants called it a “Shrewd concept, botched execution.” Noting a lack of transparency in the methodology, P&Q calls out LinkedIn’s failure to provide index scores so that readers can understand how schools compare to each other. Also missing: an explanation for how the analysis weights the five pillars, or how the methodology accommodates for different class sizes (e.g., HBS graduates double the number of students in one five-year period compared to Michigan Ross). P&Q is also critical of the fact that, for an outcomes-based ranking, LinkedIn neglects metrics on salary or salary growth in its analysis. Read the full critique here. 

Top Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your MBA Application Essays

Writing your MBA application essays is a massive undertaking. You must show the admissions committee who you are and what you value, while simultaneously building a case for why you will succeed in business school and beyond. It’s a lot. But we can help.

Below are the top five most common mistakes we see applicants make as they approach their essays. Try your best to avoid them.

1. Trying to include everything: You cannot fit every relevant experience you've ever had into your essays—and hey, that's why you submit a resume. Stick to one or two key experiences will show your abilities in leadership and critical thinking, prompted growth, and reinforced your interest in obtaining an MBA. The essays are about showing depth.

2. Telling instead of showing: The admissions committee is looking for more than a list of your strengths and traits. Not only is that boring, it is unreliable. A good rule of writing is: “Show, don't tell." Listing off your qualities is meaningless if you're not backing them up with real-life examples. Instead of telling the reader, “I am good at solving complex problems,” provide an anecdote that will show them your critical and/or creative thinking in action.

Similarly, don’t tell the school what you will do in the future without showing them why you are capable of achieving such things. We've said it before: Sharing goals works when what comes before it exemplifies your strengths and abilities. More than what you want to do, what you have done tells us who you are.

3. Staying linear: Imagine your intro paragraph as the opening sequence of a movie—the most thrilling ones start mid-scene. You want to see an action star in action, not waking up to a buzzing alarm clock. Don't save the excitement for many scenes later. Show yourself there, then explain how you got there.

4. Being uptight: A personal essay is more like journalism than an academic paper. You're telling a story, and this one is about you. You want to sound intelligent and respectful but being a bit colloquial makes you appear confident and relaxed. As if to say, "This is who I am. This is who I plan to become." Boom.

5. Overusing passive voice: Keep most of your sentences active. Passive voice can minimize your contributions and slow down your essay's momentum. Active sentences move the statement forward.

There is flexibility, of course. Some passive sentences aren't slow-going or unnatural, and there are also times when you'll use passive voice for effect, accuracy, clarity, or flow. Just be mindful of how often you're doing it.

Finally, beware of having too many readers review your writing. If you're an Apply Point client, consider asking two people besides your two Apply Point advisors (who work as a team) to read your essays. If you're not working with a consultant, you could ask up to four people to read your work but make that the maximum just so you won't be overwhelmed by input.

This is not us saying that you shouldn't have any readers at all. You want eyes or ears on this, especially if they're attached to someone you respect who knows you well. In fact, the top question you should ask them is: "Does this sound like me?" Friends, family members, or a mentor can confirm if your essay gets your personality and best qualities across. That said, send them the edited, polished draft rather than your raw first draft. This way their suggestions and questions won't psych you out because you already have a good idea of what you want to present in your response.

Women’s Enrollment in MBA Programs Continues to Climb

MBA matriculation is inching closer to gender parity. According to new data released by the Forte Foundation and reported by the Wall Street Journal, women make up 42 percent of 2023 MBA enrollees. This is up slightly from last year’s 41 percent and up significantly from 34 percent in 2013.

Five MBA programs did achieve gender parity: George Washington University’s School of Business, Oxford Said, Johns Hopkins Carey, U Penn Wharton, and Penn State Smeal. An additional 15 programs came close with women making up at least 44 percent of total enrollees. Among this group are some of the world’s most prestigious MBA programs. They include Northwestern Kellogg (48 percent), Stanford GSB (46 percent), MIT Sloan (46 percent), and Harvard Business School (45 percent).

Notably, two of the five programs that achieved gender parity, Oxford Said and Penn State Smeal, are one-year programs. Administrators from both schools told the WSJ that this shorter time commitment appeals to women, particularly those who carry family responsibilities.

Programs with the Highest Percentage of Female Matriculants (Fall 2023):

• George Washington University (65 percent)

• Oxford University-Saïd (51 percent)

• Johns Hopkins University-Carey (51 percent)

• University of Pennsylvania-Wharton (50 percent)

• Penn State University-Smeal (50 percent)

• University of Rochester-Simon (49 percent)

• University of Toronto-Rotman (49 percent)

• Northwestern University-Kellogg (48 percent)

• University of Washington-Foster (47 percent)

• Stanford Graduate School of Business (46 percent)

• Queen's University-Smith (46 percent)

• MIT-Sloan (46 percent)

• Duke University-Fuqua (45 percent)

• Harvard Business School (45 percent)

• Alliance Manchester School of Business (45 percent)

• Arizona State University-W. P. Carey (44 percent)

• Columbia Business School (44 percent)

• Dartmouth-Tuck (44 percent)

• ESADE (44 percent)

• Michigan State University-Broad (44 percent)