{"id":32246,"date":"2016-02-24T12:47:45","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T19:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=32246"},"modified":"2016-07-27T15:49:55","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T22:49:55","slug":"mba-application-planning-the-program-research-phase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/mba-application-planning-the-program-research-phase\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Application Planning: The Program Research Phase"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How<\/a>
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There is a sea of information out there: Make sure you're not swimming in circles.<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ve defined\u00a0<\/span>your goals<\/span><\/a> and assessed your qualifications. Now it's time to move on to the program research stage of the MBA admissions process. There is a sea of information out there: rankings, books<\/a>, MBA program websites,\u00a0<\/span>MBA fairs<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Poets & Quants<\/span><\/i><\/a>, newspaper and magazine articles on MBA programs, student and adcom blogs, school open houses, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let's dive right in! <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is some advice to help you add structure to the process so you\u2019re not swimming in circles after you dive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use the Rankings\u2026Sort of<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve read our blog posts,\u00a0<\/span>vlogs<\/a><\/span>, etc., you know we caution against relying exclusively and uncritically on rankings to decide where to go (so that means no \u201cI\u2019m just gonna apply to the top-5\u201d). Well, here we're going to suggest the opposite: use the\u00a0<\/a><\/span>rankings<\/span><\/a>\u2026at the beginning of this research phase. They\u2019re helpful at the start.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below you'll find 6 key steps for doing\u00a0<\/span>MBA program research<\/span>\u00a0in a way that a.<\/strong> yields\u00a0<\/span>meaningful<\/span><\/i>\u00a0info for decision-making and list-making, and simultaneously b.<\/strong> is efficient and focused \u2013 conserving and respecting your precious time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 1\u00a0\u2013 Look at Rankings<\/strong><\/p>\n

With your competitive profile in mind,<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>look at several broad\u00a0MBA rankings<\/strong>.<\/strong> Determine what levels\/ranges of programs for which you\u2019re competitive generally (taking into account reasonable reaches, on-pars, and maybe safeties<\/a>). Note the plural \u2013 rankings \u2013 as each has its idiosyncrasies (<\/span>US News<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Financial Times<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Bloomberg Businessweek<\/span><\/i>, etc.).\u00a0<\/span> Sometimes a program will be below or above your target competitive range, but it still might make sense to apply for some reason (it's in the following steps that you'll gain the additional info needed to make this decision). <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 2\u00a0\u2013 Talk to People<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this point it\u2019s good to\u00a0<\/span>start talking to people with MBA experience<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 colleagues, friends, mentors, etc. \u2013 and add a qualitative dimension to the above step. Ask about their impressions and experiences, and assess how their views align (or not) with what you gleaned from the rankings vis-\u00e0-vis competitive fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 3\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Search Industry\/Function-Specific Rankings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Research <\/span>industry-<\/strong> and\/or function-specific rankings\u00a0in your area(s) of interest<\/strong>.<\/strong> Identify programs from these rankings that overlap with those from Step 1 (and factoring in any learning from Step 2).\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

There may be programs in your competitive range that do meet your academic needs but\u00a0<\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/i>\u00a0show up on specialization rankings (e.g.,\u00a0<\/span>Kellogg<\/span><\/a>\u00a0isn\u2019t known as a finance school but offers much in this area and might be great for someone in PE who will be doing a lot of managing;\u00a0<\/span>Columbia<\/span><\/a>\u00a0doesn\u2019t often appear on entrepreneurship rankings but is quite strong in it). So indulge in some unstructured exploring, to \u201csee what you might see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 4\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Start Digging Deeper<\/strong><\/p>\n

Go to the source \u2013 the websites of programs that interest you. Look for specifics that you care about (structure of curriculum, flexibility, strong concentrations, students from a given industry or geographic region, etc.). Listen to your gut as well as objective response; does it feel like a good fit<\/a>?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 5\u00a0\u2013 Go to MBA Fairs and Visit Schools<\/strong><\/p>\n

What better way to understand your fit with a school than to see the students, professors, and administrators in action? You will get the most out of\u00a0<\/span>MBA fair<\/a>s, school information sessions, and\u00a0school visits<\/a> at this point in your research, after you already have a good idea of what each program offers and how you'd fit in competitively. <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 6\u00a0\u2013 Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re narrowing and refining a list. Now you can\u00a0<\/span>spend time meaningfully (i.e., with informed focus) on adcom and student blog posts, searching the web for articles and information, and attending\u00a0<\/span>school information sessions<\/span>, and of course continuing to talk to people with MBA program experience and insight.\u00a0You should now have a finalized or near-finalized list of 2-4 programs to apply to. You can continue refining the list and deciding on other programs to add later.<\/span><\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> This is a guideline, not a rigid process. <\/span>Always<\/span><\/i>\u00a0stay open to discovery \u2013 maybe you\u2019ll come across a school in a blog or a respected colleague suggests a program you hadn\u2019t considered. Maybe you thought you wanted to stay in the U.S. but got seduced by INSEAD<\/a>\u2026 Who doesn\u2019t love a pleasant surprise?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Register<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cindy<\/a> By Cindy Tokumitsu<\/a>,\u00a0author and co-author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports, including\u00a0<\/em><\/em>Why MBA<\/a> and\u00a0<\/em><\/em>Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One<\/a>. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her fifteen years with Accepted.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0MBA Rankings: What You Need to Know<\/a>\u00a0[free guide]
\n\u2022\u00a0MBA Admissions: Research the B-Schools<\/a>\u00a0[short video]
\n\u2022\u00a03 Ways to Determine Which B-Schools are a Good Fit for You<\/a><\/p>\n

This article\u00a0<\/a>originally appeared on\u00a0<\/em>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/p>\n

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help\u00a0you\u00a0<\/em>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve defined\u00a0your goals and assessed your qualifications. Now it’s time to move on to the program research stage of the MBA admissions process. There is a sea of information out…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,243],"tags":[1896,39,370,12],"class_list":["post-32246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","tag-mba","tag-mba-admissions","tag-mba-advice","tag-the-mba-application-process","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32246"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32249,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32246\/revisions\/32249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}