{"id":51021,"date":"2021-02-05T15:24:35","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T22:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/researching-mba-programs-when-you-cant-visit-2\/"},"modified":"2021-02-05T15:24:35","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T22:24:35","slug":"researching-mba-programs-when-you-cant-visit-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/researching-mba-programs-when-you-cant-visit-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Researching MBA Programs When You Can\u2019t Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated 2.4.21<\/em><\/p>\n

A critical component of a winning MBA application is demonstrating that you are the perfect \u201cfit\u201d for the school to which you are applying and that you are excited about that specific program. This is harder than it sounds! Making an effective case as to why a program is a fit requires a nuanced understanding of both yourself \/ your goals and the culture \/ offerings of your target program. Then you can convincingly connect the dots between the two for the adcom.<\/p>\n

In a pre-COVID world, the best way to learn the intricacies of each school\u2019s culture (and demonstrate your interest) was to plan an in-person visit. You would sit in a classroom, see how everyone engaged, and determine if it was a place where you\u2019d like to spend two years. Visiting is not an option at the moment, but don\u2019t take that as an excuse to regurgitate the boiler-plate attributes you\u2019ve heard about your target programs in your essays and interviews.<\/p>\n

A silver lining of the current situation is that it has forced schools to get creative with their virtual offerings. Use this to your advantage and learn all you can about each program in your consideration set from the comfort of your own home! Here are our suggestions for learning about MBA programs virtually:<\/p>\n

1 . Talk to People. <\/strong>Next to sitting in on a class, talking to current students and recent alums is hands down the best way to get a sense for the culture of a school. Set up virtual \u201ccoffee chats\u201d with at least two alums or current students from each school you are considering.\u00a0Many programs will even facilitate one for you (see Kellogg\u2019s offering here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

2. Ask the Right Questions. <\/strong>If you ask someone \u201cwhy did you choose\u201d a particular school, they will likely cite things you already know (rankings, location, jobs, etc.). We recommend that you ask specific questions about their experience instead. Here are a few ideas to get you started:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was orientation like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat surprised you about your MBA experience? What didn\u2019t you expect?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was the most popular thing to do at your school? Event, class, club activity, etc.?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat stands out as the most impactful experience you had in b-school?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you wish was different about your experience?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would you do differently if you went back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you engage with your classmates now (if an alum)?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat advice do you have for an applicant to your school?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on your experience, how would you describe the culture of your program?\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Video Content > Written Content<\/strong>. The schools publish blogs that we find helpful for information and facts. But to get a sense for the culture of the school, the video content and webinars are way more helpful. In lieu of their usual slate of events, schools are offering virtual information sessions, campus tours, and small group chats with current students. Take advantage of as many as you can!<\/p>\n

For your quick reference, here are links to a few schools\u2019 offerings:<\/p>\n

HBS<\/a><\/p>\n

Stanford GSB<\/a><\/p>\n

Wharton<\/a><\/p>\n

Columbia<\/a><\/p>\n

Stern<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Read Forums & Guides (and take them with a grain of salt)<\/strong>.\u00a0 There are a number of sites dedicated to providing MBA advice. The problem is that a lot of it is crowdsourced. While these resources can be useful starting points to help you parse out subtle differences between programs, remember that someone\u2019s view of a school\u2019s culture may be different than how it feels for you.<\/p>\n

In a year where we expect the competition to continue to be high, it\u2019s important to stay focused. It\u2019s never too early to nail down your story, resume and \u201cfit\u201d with your target schools. If you need a good starting point for your school research, you can take the fit quiz on our site located here:\u00a0School Selection Quiz<\/a>. Remember, this is just a starting point.<\/p>\n

We are accepting Round 1 2021 clients now! Click here<\/a> to schedule a free consultation.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post Researching MBA Programs When You Can\u2019t Visit<\/a> appeared first on Vantage Point MBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Updated 2.4.21 A critical component of a winning MBA application is demonstrating that you are the perfect \u201cfit\u201d for the school to which you are applying and that you are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1955,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-vantage-point-mba","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51021","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\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51021\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}