Applying as a couple - pros and cons?

Dear anathagenzum,

Greetings & thanks for your question!

Absolutely, the admissions results are individual – you will each stand on your own merits. However, as my esteemed colleague above noted, certainly the AdCom is made of human beings, and I agree that schools do try to employ compassion and not break up families/married couples.

In my nearly 7 years’ experience as an MBA admissions consultant, I have never seen a weak or non-qualified applicant be admitted because of their partner’s strong, qualified profile. It’s important to remember that the AdComs, particularly those who lead the most elite institutions in the nation, view themselves as the standard-bearers of deeply-held American values. These values include integrity, rising through one’s own merits and effort (not through one’s father, or one’s mother, or one’s friends, or one’s spouse), avoidance of cronyism, etc. So in many ways, it’s a point of pride that each applicant must make a convincing case on their own for how they will contribute to the classroom and community of that B-school…they simply cannot ride on another’s coattails.

And yes, it’s perfectly fine to mention that you are a couple applying together.

However, I’ll let you in on a secret here: the best way to ‘argue’ for your legitimacy as a couple applying to an MBA program is to show how you two, as a unit, will bring more to the community than you would have if you were separated (i.e. not both admitted). Just as you would if you were a business pitching to a prospective client, you need to make the MBA ADCOM aware of how they will benefit if they “buy in” to your value proposition. I’ve worked with clients who try to resort to threats (ie if you don’t accept both candidates, the stronger one won’t attend) – trust me, any threats and ultimata won’t work. There are just far too many qualified MBA applicants out there.

Regarding couple app’s, I would say again that you don’t want to pitch yourselves as “a couple who are applying and now please accept us simply based on that” but rather, as two very worthy individual business professionals who wish to join an extraordinary intellectual community together, and enrich it jointly. If you are planning to work on an entrepreneurial venture together, you might want to mention that. You want to subtly show that together, you will be that much more well-positioned to effectuate change and benefit society, as well as their MBA program, by studying and working side-by-side.

And of course, be sure to engage with the MBA community and AdCom through info sessions and events, so they can get to know you both, and ascertain your fit.

Happy to chat more with you and/or your partner/spouse.

Best of luck in life and the MBA!
Vanessa