{"id":33727,"date":"2016-07-14T02:59:13","date_gmt":"2016-07-14T09:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=33727"},"modified":"2023-10-10T04:40:18","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T11:40:18","slug":"focus-on-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/focus-on-fit\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus on Fit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Listen<\/a><\/span>In\u00a0today\u2019s episode<\/a>, Accepted\u2019s founder and director, Linda Abraham, shares the<\/span>\u00a04 not-so-easy steps of showing fit in your application. <\/span><\/p>\n

While they are not simple to do, these steps are necessary if you want to get accepted to a program where the acceptance rate is less than 100%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

STEP 1: Understand the school\u2019s mission and criteria for acceptance.<\/strong>\u00a0[1:20]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost all schools have a mission stated clearly on their site. For example, Stanford GSB\u2019s is \u201cChange lives. Change organizations. Change the world.<\/a>\u201d It\u2019s everywhere on their site. Not surprisingly, to me the defining characteristic of accepted Stanford applicants is initiative, the willingness and ability to effect change in the face of need or opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, when we spoke to the admissions directors for any number of medical schools they all emphasized the importance of their schools\u2019 missions. \u00a0(S<\/span>e<\/span>e links below for examples.)<\/span><\/p>\n

The other key is to understand the school\u2019s criteria. Some schools clearly state their criteria on their site.<\/strong>\u00a0[2:50]<\/span><\/p>\n

An example of a criteria list: Harvard Business School\u2019s has its \u201cWho are We Looking For?<\/a>\u201d page where it says all its students share the following characteristics: Habit of Leadership, Analytical Aptitude and Appetite, Engaged Community Citizenship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another example: UCLA Geffen School has a page devoted to Basis of Selection, which goes beyond course requirements, grades, and MCAT. It explicitly states that qualities like \u201cLife Experiences (Research, volunteerism, etc.) are considered.\u201d Furthermore \u201c<\/span>Preference is given to students who present high achievement in college <\/span>and a capacity to develop mature interpersonal relationships<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span> \u00a0[Emphasis added]<\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly UCLA is looking for academic achievement and this \u201ccapacity.\u201d Teamwork is probably one important way to show an ability to develop mature interpersonal relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you listen to episode 155<\/a> with representatives of Temple\u2019s Katz School of Medicine, you will quickly learn that Temple values teamwork.<\/span><\/p>\n

Know what your target school is looking for:<\/strong>\u00a0[4:33]<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just that simple. So if Stanford is looking for initiative, your essays, descriptions of activities and jobs should highlight those aspects of your experiences that show initiative. For HBS, it\u2019s a <\/span>habit<\/span><\/i> of leadership and engaged community citizenship that the written parts of your app will most likely reveal. <\/span><\/p>\n

And the same process holds for law school and other graduate programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The foundation of fit:<\/strong>\u00a0[5:25]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This basic understanding of what the program values and what it is seeking in applications is the foundation of fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

STEP 2: Show you can do the work: usually grades and test score.<\/strong>\u00a0[5:40]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is usually a stated requirement and criterion for most schools. However, it is so important that I have to mention it. Some applicants believe that \u201cthe stats\u201d are the be all and end all of admissions. Others believe that anything but the stats count.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both groups are wrong. You need stats and<\/em> qualitative fit at competitive programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schools want to admit students who can succeed in their programs and who will make the admissions offices proud to have as alumni. \u00a0Stats give them that confidence easily and quickly. In that sense they are part of showing you belong at a particular school and demonstrating fit. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Accepted Selectivity Index\u00a0<\/strong>[7:30]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Accepted recently developed a fairly simple tool to help you compare schools on their selectivity. You can see schools\u2019 selectivity scores.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have it for MBA<\/a> and law schools<\/a> and should have the med version ready any day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But for the values, mission and soft criteria, that\u2019s for you to show in the non-quantitative parts of your application, mostly the essays, experiences, activity histories, and interviews.<\/span><\/p>\n

STEP 3: Show that you share the school\u2019s values as presented in its mission and criteria\u00a0<\/strong>[8:20]<\/span><\/p>\n

For medical schools<\/strong> [8:45]<\/span><\/p>\n

The secondary applications are all about showing fit: Show that you share the school\u2019s values, identify with its mission<\/a>, and meet its criteria. The best way to do so is to highlight activities that support its missions that reflect similar values and consequently prove that you meet its criteria. \u00a0You can learn more about secondary applications and showing fit through these critical essays during next week\u2019s webinar on secondaries<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For MBA applicants<\/strong> [9:45] <\/span><\/p>\n

It's the job of the essays, sometimes the video, and the job history to reveal that you belong at school X like a hand in a glove. <\/span><\/p>\n

Use examples and specifics to answer the schools\u2019 questions and prove that you belong at your target schools. (For webinars on fit at HBS and Columbia, see the links below. I\u2019m presenting a webinar TODAY, 7\/13, on showing fit at Stanford GSB<\/a>, so if you hear this recording on 7\/13, we might still have a few seats available. If not, be sure to catch the recording when it\u2019s available.) <\/span><\/p>\n

Fit in grad applications<\/strong>\u00a0[11:04]<\/span><\/p>\n

For grad applicants of all kinds knowing professors\u2019 areas of research interest and the department\u2019s focus is critical to success. If you have any doubts on that topic, <\/span>listen to Accepted consultant and former head of graduate admissions at Hofstra, Carol Drummer in<\/span> episode 113<\/span><\/a> talk about her experience as a new head of graduate admissions many years ago. One of the first lessons she learned was that even exceptional candidates will get dinged if their experience is not a good fit for the department they\u2019re applying to (even in terms of theoretical orientation within the same field).<\/span><\/p>\n

Interviews everywhere and for every program and degree are about fit.<\/strong>\u00a0[12:55]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of interview: For blind interviews, you can use examples from your applications as well as new examples. For non-blind interviews, you need to have additional examples and bring new insight to the experiences discussed in your application. With medical schools\u2019 multiple mini interviews, the goal is the same: show fit. <\/span><\/p>\n

STEP 4: Show that the school can help you achieve your goal.\u00a0<\/strong>[14:05]<\/span><\/p>\n

For most MBA programs<\/strong> [14:10] <\/span><\/p>\n

It is critical that you show that this MBA program can help you achieve your post MBA goals<\/a>. B-school is not a place to figure out what you want to do with your life. What if you discover you don\u2019t need an MBA to achieve your goal? The MBA program will have an unhappy customer, and you will have spent a lot of time and money for something you don\u2019t need.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consequently, in addition to knowing the schools values you have to understand its placement strengths and how its programs, extra-curricular activities, and alumni network contributed to those strengths and will help you realize your goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Med schools also want to know that you want to practice medicine.<\/strong> [14:55]<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why they insist that pre-meds have clinical experience before accepting them. They also generally prefer that med students have some direction in terms of their focus in med school (primary care vs specialization, research vs clinical focus), but they don\u2019t require you to be committed to a specific specialty.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you do have an idea what specialty you\u2019re interested in, check out Medhound\u2019s story at accepted.com\/143<\/a> where I interviewed the founders of a site devoted to helping med school applicants find med school results data that can help you find the best school for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

For other grad applicants<\/strong> [15:45]<\/span><\/p>\n

This is why you have to write a statement of purpose<\/a>. Without that purpose, this is an extraordinarily difficult to write. You have to understand the program and the direction of most of its grads to show this kind of fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

For law school applicants<\/strong> [17:13] \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Showing that you have an understanding of what law school is going to help you do is becoming more important, but still is not as important as for business school or academic grad programs. <\/span><\/p>\n

Review the 4 Steps to show fit in your grad school applications:<\/strong>\u00a0[17:35]<\/span><\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Understand your target schools\u2019 mission, values, and criteria.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Show you can do the work required at your target program.<\/span><\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Reveal that you share the school\u2019s values and believe in its mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Show that the program can help you achieve your goals and even your dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please feel free to post your questions in comments!<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Related\u00a0Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Get Accepted to Harvard Business School
\n<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/i>\u2022 Get Accepted to Columbia Business School
\n<\/a><\/span><\/i>\u2022\u00a0Get Accepted to Stanford Graduate School of Business
\n<\/a><\/span><\/i>\u2022\u00a0Secondary Application Strategies for Essays That Score Interviews
\n<\/a><\/span><\/i>\u2022\u00a0Multiple Mini-Interview Webinar
\n<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/i><\/b>\u2022\u00a0Are You Asleep When You Apply?
\n<\/a><\/span><\/i>\u2022<\/i>\u00a0Business School Selectivity Index
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022<\/i>\u00a0Law School Selectivity Index<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\u2022<\/i>\u00a0Sophie Davis School Of Biomedical Education
\n<\/a><\/span><\/b>\u2022<\/i>\u00a0Baylor College Of Medicine: A Holistic Approach To Admissions
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022<\/i>\u00a0Attn Med Applicants: A Class Is Matriculated Every Single Year
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022<\/i>\u00a03 Ways Temple Can Help You Become an MD
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022<\/i>\u00a0How to Think Like A Dean of Admissions
\n<\/a><\/span>\u2022<\/i>\u00a0MedhounD Hunts the Right Med School for You<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Subscribe:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"Listen<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

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

This article<\/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

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