Within twelve hours I heard the same question from three clients, so I suppose this question may be on the minds of more than three, "now that I've submitted my applications, what should I do?" The following are a list of suggestions:
1. Continue to learn about each school by speaking with faculty, alumni and students. The more information you have the better. Be conscious of their limited time, so be thoughtful with the questions you ask. In addition, you may wind up with an unsolicited endorsement of your candidacy.
2. Conduct more research on your intended goal in anticipation of an interview invitation. If instance, your intended goal is consulting, read The McKinsey Way or BCG on Strategy. If you are an up and coming entrepreneur, Back of the Napkin or anything by Peter Drucker or Guy Kawasaki. If you are transitioning into marketing, check out Communities Dominate Brands or Marketing Strategy: A decision-focused approach.
3. Review our MBA interview database.
4. Attend any events the school may be having (including virtual events). Stay involved. Show your interest.
5. Make up for any gaps you may have in your application (quantitative skills, volunteer work).
6. Create new opportunities to add revenue, decrease costs, increase efficiency, increase market share, increase shareholder value, increase safety, increase satisfaction (customer or employee) at work.
7. Use your leadership skills with any opportunity you can imagine.
8. If you haven't been doing so yet, begin reading business press. You need to understand the jargon, the acumen, and what drives business today.
9. Now sit back and relax. Schools receive the largest number of apps in the second round and if they use student readers, the students are on vacation until sometime in January leaving a big bottleneck in the review process. Learn to be patient. A must-have in this process.
If you have additional questions or concerns about applications, please contact Accepted.com. My colleagues and I are available to consult with you.
By Natalie Grinblatt Epstein, former Admissions Dean/Director at 3 top business schools. Natalie would be happy to help you prepare for your MBA interviews.
