Just about every top-ranked MBA program says they evaluate applicants “holistically” i.e. no single factor, whether GMAT score, GPA, work experience or background – can make or break an application. Top MBA programs almost like to brag about high GMAT scorers that didn’t get in to prove this.

As a former MBA admissions director, I know “holistic” can be confusing and vague. That’s why I created a 15-point rubric to help you understand where and how you can improve your profile. My view is that top business schools evaluate applicants along 3 dimensions:

1. Academic Aptitude – can you get through an intense, graduate level business program?
2. Work Experience – can the program help you achieve your post-MBA career goals?
3. Ambassadorial Potential – will your classmates, alumni, and professors be excited to have you as part of the tribe? Is the school confident that you’ll represent the program well with employers recruiting and as an alumni?

Every school has unique admissions criteria, but I believe they usually fall in one or more of these 3 buckets. For example, showing a track record of leadership – whether at school, work or in the community – would give more evidence of your ambassadorial potential and value-add to the school.

So, when you’re evaluating the competitiveness of your application, try using these big 3 buckets. Which ones are full of evidence that you can succeed and thrive? Which ones could use more support?

Topics

• What Does “Holistic” Mean? (0:00)
• How Can You Make Admissions Director’s Job Easier (5:22)
• Academic Aptitude (8:40)
• Employability (10:47)
• Ambassadorial Potential (14:35)

Show Notes

• Download Touch MBA’s 15-Point Admissions Rubric
• President John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration Speech (1961)

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Resources for MBA Applicants

• ⁠⁠Get free school selection help at Touch MBA⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs⁠⁠
• ⁠Join our Admissions Edge Course & Community⁠
• ⁠⁠Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)⁠

Capturing your reader's attention is the most important goal of your MBA application. You want the admissions officer to remember you after reading 20 applications that day. The longer you can keep his or her attention (in the right way!), the better your chances are of landing an interview.

In this episode, we take the core principles from Oren Klaff's Pitch Anything, and discuss 4 ways you can get and keep attention in your application. The primal "croc brain" that hears a pitch is very different from the logical "neocortex" that designs a pitch. The "croc brain" is intrigued by pleasant novelty, movement, and suspense. Listen on for some very specific ways you can incorporate these elements into your MBA essays and resume.

Topics

• Introduction (0:00)
• Be a Pleasant Novelty (3:35)
• Use Frames that Make You the Prize (6:47)
• Always Show Movement (12:08)
• Have Strong Alternatives (13:30)

Show Notes

• Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff
• Great Applications for Business School by Paul Bodine
  

Resources for MBA Applicants

• ⁠⁠⁠Get free school selection help at Touch MBA⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join our Admissions Edge Course & Community⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)⁠

"So I didn't write this book because I've accomplished something extraordinary. I wrote this book because I've achieved something quite ordinary, which doesn't happen to most kids who grow up like me." - J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy

J.D. Vance's memoir - Hillbilly Elegy, written when he was 31 years old - launched him into the national spotlight and eventually the Vice Presidency of the United States.

But in the book's first paragraph, Vance writes "... I'll be the first to admit that I've accomplished nothing great in my life, certainly nothing that would justify a complete stranger paying money to read about it."

Yet Vance's memoir became a cultural touchstone to help understand why "hillbillies, rednecks and white trash" voted for Donald Trump in 2016, and later got made into a Netflix movie. His story launched him into national politics.

Do you feel like your profile is ordinary for business school? Why not try the "J.D. Vance?" Instead of hunting for bigger achievements, why not share the distance you traveled to get where you are? Why not offer admissions readers more context in which to evaluate your performance?

Listen on as Darren breaks down this counterintuitive positioning strategy for your MBA applications.

Topics

• Why "Getting to Ordinary" Might Be Your Best Story (0:00)
• Reading the First Paragraphs of Hillbilly Elegy (2:55)
• What Obstacles Have You Overcome? (8:55)
• Uncovering Your Best Obstacle Stories (10:45)

Show Notes

• Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
• Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant

Resources for MBA Applicants

• ⁠⁠Get free school selection help at Touch MBA⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs⁠⁠
• ⁠Join our Admissions Edge Course & Community⁠
• ⁠⁠Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)⁠