{"id":37938,"date":"2017-06-25T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2017-06-25T14:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=37938"},"modified":"2017-06-25T01:33:30","modified_gmt":"2017-06-25T08:33:30","slug":"showing-you-can-do-the-work-fitting-in-standing-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/showing-you-can-do-the-work-fitting-in-standing-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Showing You Can Do the Work [Fitting In & Standing Out]"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Two key goals of every application reflect a tension if not an actual conflict: you must show the admissions committee that you fit in<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 that you\u2019re a perfect fit with their program and the exact type of candidate they\u2019re looking for \u2013 while simultaneously showing that you stand out<\/strong><\/a> in the pool of qualified applicants. Over the next few posts, we\u2019ll give you 4 key tips to help you fit in<\/strong> and stand out<\/strong> as an applicant.<\/em><\/p>\n

For today, the first step to fitting in: showing that you can do the work and excel in your target program<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Can You Get the Job Done?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grad and professional school programs want to admit students who are ready to do the work the program requires. If you aren\u2019t ready for the rigor of the program, you will be neither a happy student nor a successful alum. So the first step to \u201cfitting in\u201d an applicant pool is to demonstrate that you have the intellectual\/academic ability to do the work. As NYU Stern Associate Dean of MBA Admissions Isser Gallogly said in an Admissions Straight Talk podcast<\/a>, \u201cWe want academic excellence\u2026.We\u2019re looking for students who can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Can You Show This Ability to Thrive?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most straightforwardly, through your academic record and test scores. Ideally you want to be at or above your target programs\u2019 averages for both GPA and test scores. Or at worst, only a little below that average.<\/p>\n

Some programs have additional considerations or academic requirements \u2013 for example, certain courses (medical school pre-reqs) or skills (foreign languages, computer skills, work experience<\/a> for MBA programs, clinical exposure<\/a> for medical schools), and if you want to be taken seriously as an applicant, you will have those skills and pre-reqs on your record.<\/p>\n

What if Your Stats Aren\u2019t High Enough?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 If the issue is your test score (GRE, GMAT<\/a>, MCAT<\/a>, LSAT<\/a>, etc.), consider retaking the exam. Most, but not all, graduate programs weigh most heavily or exclusively your highest score. For these programs, retaking the exam and raising your score is the best response to a score that doesn\u2019t represent your abilities fairly.<\/p>\n

\u2022 If it\u2019s your undergrad GPA<\/a> that\u2019s concerning you, a high test score (and excellent research\/work experience, brilliant recommendations, etc.) can mitigate it. Depending on your field, you can also consider taking additional courses (and getting great grades in them) to prepare for grad school.<\/p>\n

Demonstrating your academic ability is just the first step to fitting in \u2013 it is necessary, but not sufficient. In our next post in this series, I\u2019ll discuss how to show you\u2019re a fit with the mission and culture of your target school.<\/p>\n

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

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

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

\u2022 From Example to Exemplary<\/a>, a guide to writing outstanding application essays
\n\u2022 5 A\u2019s for Your Low GPA<\/a>, a podcast episode
\n\u2022 How to Show Fit in Your Application Essays<\/a>, a podcast episode<\/p>\n

This article<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0<\/i>blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/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 to 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<\/i>get accepted<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two key goals of every application reflect a tension if not an actual conflict: you must show the admissions committee that you fit in \u2013 that you\u2019re a perfect fit…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[20,1071,296,1312],"class_list":["post-37938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-admissions","tag-admissions-advice","tag-fit","tag-standing-out","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37938","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=37938"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37941,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37938\/revisions\/37941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}