{"id":44434,"date":"2019-01-09T07:56:52","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T14:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/is-an-mba-in-your-future-heres-how-to-prepare-now\/"},"modified":"2019-01-09T07:56:52","modified_gmt":"2019-01-09T14:56:52","slug":"is-an-mba-in-your-future-heres-how-to-prepare-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/is-an-mba-in-your-future-heres-how-to-prepare-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Is An MBA In Your Future? Here\u2019s How To Prepare NOW."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Preparing<\/figure>\n

So, you\u2019re a spritely recent college graduate, or maybe you\u2019ve already been crushing it as a \u2018real\u2019 adult, and you\u2019ve decided that you want to go to b-school in some years. Firstly, congrats on coming to this epiphany sooner rather than later! <\/p>\n

Setting your sights on b-school this early in the game will bring a level of intentionality to the story you tell in your application that so many candidates scramble to put together at the last minute. On that note, your first order of business should be patting yourself on the back, and maybe even treating yourself to that overpriced smoothie. <\/p>\n

Now, you\u2019re ready to tackle the million dollar question \u2014 \u201cWhat should I be doing NOW to make sure that I put my best foot forward when I apply to b-school in X years?\u201d Quite frankly, b-school adcoms aren\u2019t really going to be interested in what you did 4+ years prior to applying anyway. So the good news is that you have plenty of time to make that career move that might resemble a Hail Mary for credibility if done too late in the game, as well as compensate for any component of your application that is not currently up to par with your dream school\u2019s standards. <\/p>\n

\n

Recommended Reading: <\/strong>When to Apply for an MBA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

To that end, we\u2019re gonna give you some quick tips on how to
\nstart building up each key component of the MBA application now <\/em>so that you show the admissions
\ncommittee that you are nothing short of a no-brainer for admissions.<\/p>\n

1. Compensate for a low GPA <\/h3>\n

Maybe you were initially a pre-med student until the rigorous
\npre-med curriculum crushed your grades (and your soul), or maybe you were too
\nfocused on your old dream of becoming a ballerina to care about your
\nperformance in your math class. Regardless of why your undergraduate GPA fell
\nbelow the benchmark, the important thing is that there are lots of moves you
\ncan make to compensate for that low GPA and prove to the adcom that you\u2019ve got
\nkiller quantitative skills before applying.<\/p>\n

Take some quantitative courses at a local college, or even an online university. Start flipping through old textbooks and shamelessly pick up that copy of Finance for Dummies<\/em> from your local Barnes & Noble\u2019s so that you\u2019ll be ready to snag that finance certification. <\/p>\n

All the adcom really wants to see from your transcript is that you\u2019ll succeed in the b-school classroom, especially in quantitative courses like statistics and economics. Passing classes and certification tests a couple years after undergrad is a better indicator of your academic performance at b-school than that C you got in Econ 101 sophomore year of college. <\/p>\n

2. Crushing the GMAT <\/h3>\n

More good news! Even if you\u2019ve never taken a business course in your life, you\u2019ve got time to show the adcom your business-savvy potential by crawling through books, splurging money on prep classes and seeking however much advice is necessary to make sure you crush<\/em> the GMAT. You\u2019ll want to do some research on the average scores of your dream school to know how high you should be aiming. But you\u2019ll want to aim for at least the 720-730 range in order to fall into the average range for most top schools. <\/p>\n

3. Activities and Interests <\/h3>\n

A key mistake that so many candidates make on their applications is failing to show that they are, well…how should be put this? Interesting! <\/em>Especially if you come from a more traditional b-school candidate sector, you are going to need to set yourself apart from the next finance or consulting or product manager guy by showing that you care about getting involved in your local community and have a life outside of work. The last thing you want to do is cram a bunch of random volunteer activities into the last 3 months before you submit your b-school application, so you\u2019ve got time to weigh your options and pursue activities that are meaningful to you. <\/p>\n

These \u2018extra-professional\u2019 activities can be as simple as
\ncoaching a middle school basketball team, fundraising for a cause you care
\nabout, performing at weekly stand-up comedy nights at a local theater, or even
\nmaintaining a blog that raises awareness about something close to your heart!
\nHow do you decide what additional activities to pursue? The most important
\nthing is that you are legitimately interested
\nin<\/em> and care about <\/em>whatever
\nactivity you choose. Authenticity is key.<\/p>\n

Additional activities and interests are also a great way to show off your leadership and managerial skills in an unconventional setting, so you\u2019ll want to seek leadership positions if at all possible. Improving your middle school team\u2019s basketball skills to go from a losing record to league champs in two seasons, or raising 50% more funds than the previous year at a local charity can look preeeettyyy impressive to a b-school adcom.<\/p>\n

4. Leadership at Work<\/h3>\n

If you are a recent college graduate and still hold an
\nentry-level role at work, chances are that you are not going to get a title
\nchange or promotion that lets you manage a team, take the lead on deals or
\notherwise show conventional \u2018leadership\u2019 in your current role. However, that
\ndoesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t start showing some key leadership traits, such as
\ntaking initiative, navigating ambiguous situations and motivating others. <\/p>\n

Tell your manager that you want to take on additional
\nresponsibilities \u2014 request to be put on that major project that is usually
\nreserved for more senior analysts, propose a new internal initiative to improve
\nemployee satisfaction or get a team together to pursue a side-project that will
\nbring long-term value to company. Managers are more receptive to this sort of
\nthing than you might think. Who wouldn\u2019t want to enable their employee to bring
\neven more <\/em>value to the company? <\/p>\n

5. Letters of Recommendation <\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t have any strong relationships with your manager or other mentors? Fear not. You\u2019ve got time to cozy up to those individuals who are situated to write the strongest letters of recommendation for you. When deciding who you want to write your letters, the most important aspect is that they know you intimately enough to comment on your performance as an employee as well as your character as a person. The biggest mistake b-school applicants make when choosing their recommenders is going for people who\u2019ve got fancy titles and seniority, but who do not know them well enough to give specific examples and insights into who they are.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Reading: <\/strong>How to Choose an MBA Recommender That Strikes the Right Balance<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

So start with your current direct supervisor. Shoot her an email asking to discuss your b-school plans over coffee so that she knows that b-school is on your radar, or tell your manager that you want to set up one-on-one mentorship meetings to really hone in on your leadership skills. <\/p>\n

6. Self Reflection <\/h3>\n

And off to the final major component of your future b-school application…the essays! Believe it or not, b-school essays need not be some daunting task, shrouded in mystery of deciphering what the adcom wants to hear. The essays are an act of self-reflection and a chance for you to link your current experience to your post-MBA goals. That\u2019s it. Start doing some research now into your dream school so that you already know what to expect from the essays. You\u2019ll be able to find the exact prompts, which tend to be the same from year-to-year, so you won\u2019t be taken by surprise. <\/p>\n

\n

Recommended Reading: <\/strong>Crafting Sharp MBA Goals<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Do you know you want to go to b-school in 3, 4, 5 years, but you\u2019re not quite sure exactly what you want to do afterward? That\u2019s okay! You have time now to do some serious introspection and think deeply about what your short-term and long-term career goals are, and why you absolutely need an MBA to fulfill them. You will want to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, gaps in your managerial and strategic savvy, as well as any skill-sets or industry expertise that you don\u2019t currently have but will need to attain your goals, whatever they are. Once you have reached this level of self-aware in these areas, telling your story in the essays will be a cakewalk.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

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