Interview with the Authors of Your MBA Game Plan

What are common mistakes you see in MBA admissions essays?

The most common mistake we see is the simple failure to answer the question that’s being asked, as crazy as that sounds! This usually happens when an applicant tries to recycle an essay from another school, or is so focused on communicating a certain idea that he or she tries to shoehorn that message into the wrong essay. Other mistakes that we tend to see are not respecting word limits, rambling and failing to make a point, and making typographical or grammatical errors, which are simply unacceptable in an essay that’s this important.

Is there any general advice you can offer to business school applicants who are getting ready to face the admissions process?

This isn’t an easy process. And keep in mind that it’s a very competitive market. The acceptance rates for the top ten schools are no higher than 20%, with the acceptance rates being below 10% for schools like Stanford in the toughest years. We don’t say that to be discouraging, but to help applicants set realistic expectations. All the time we get questions from applicants who describe their backgrounds and ask “What are my chances at Harvard??” Often we tell them that their odds are slim, and they get discouraged. But just remember that the odds are slim for everyone simply because there’s way more demand than supply. By doing the things that we describe in our MBA admissions book you can greatly improve your odds, but there’s no golden ticket into a top business school. All of it matters – the GMAT, essays, letters of recommendation, and interviews. So work hard at every part of the business school application, apply to a handful of schools which you’re truly excited about, and take your best shot.