British business schools best their European counterparts in the latest MBA rankings list.
Admissions officers discuss the best recommendation letters they’ve read, Simon Business School sees a surge in applications, and the latest MBA rankings land in the United Kingdom. Here’s what’s trending on the MBA landscape.
More MBA rankings are here
The London-based Financial Times is out with their latest MBA rankings, which will have Brexit-shaken business schools in the United Kingdom breathing a sigh of relief. The country’s top program once again bested those on the Continent, which may give some prospective students a boost of confidence when deciding whether going to school there post-Brexit is a safe bet. Analysts predict that one of the ramifications of Brexit will be that it will harder for British business schools to recruit and enroll non-British students.
London Business School placed first in the MBA rankings for the third year in a row. Two business schools in France, HEC Paris and INSEAD, came in second and third, respectively. Our advice about attending business schools overseas is that it generally makes more sense if you plan to work there after graduation too, as that is where your network will be based. (BusinessBecause)
The best recommendation letters
While your recommendation letters are not nearly as an important in the admissions process as, say, your GMAT/GRE score or GPA, who you get to advocate for you and what they write makes all the difference. In others words, choose wisely. Pick recommendation letter writers who know you best, believe in you, and have a vested interest in your success.
“The very best recommendation letters I read demonstrate passion and enthusiasm for your candidacy and your future success, and tell unforgettable stories about your ability and desire to make a difference in the world,” says Luke Pena, admissions director at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Jim Parrish, director of MBA programs with the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University, adds: “If I see the specific name of our program highlighted in the letter, it leads me to believe that the applicant has had a real conversation with the recommender about our program and this was not just a form letter for multiple applications.” (U.S. News & World Report)
Simon Business School sees application surge
Meet the newest class at the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School. You may recall that last year, the upstate New York-based school did something extraordinary for a program that consistently earns a competitive spot in the MBA rankings: It slashed tuition, saving its students tens of thousands of dollars. That could partially explain why the business school is reporting a surge in applications this past cycle—it’s up 22 percent over last year, with applications from domestic prospective students up by an even more impressive 39 percent. The school also says campus visits rose 21 percent compared to the previous year.
“We believe strongly in the value of economics and statistics in the analysis of all business problems, and it is reflected in our ranking as a top five school for economics and finance,” said Andrew Ainslie, Simon’s dean. “Simon offers an education that will attract students who value our analytic bias.” (Poets & Quants)
ICYMI: Kaplan’s 2016 admissions survey
We wanted to make sure you didn’t miss out on the results of Kaplan Test Prep’s recently released 2016 business school admissions officers survey. Among the findings: 92 percent of MBA programs say they allow students to take the GRE as an alternative to the GMAT—but that those who submit scores from the GMAT may have the admissions advantage. Check out our video here.
We’ll be releasing additional findings from our annual survey over the next month or so. Stay tuned!
Looking ahead to Test Day? Sign up for a free GMAT practice test to gain insight into your performance.
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