One of the most intimidating parts of applying to top MBA programs is the intense competition.
The number one secret of top MBA programs is they attract candidates who are already very, very accomplished.
Stanford GSB accepts fewer than 1 in 10 candidates and the odds are only slightly better at HBS. It can be even more disheartening if you look at the profiles of some of the rejected candidates and see how chockfull of impressive stats and accomplishments they are. Just think of the “26-year-old with a 3.95 GPA and a 760 GMAT who after a two-year stint at a global investment banking firm, worked at a tony investment fund. The young professional even had a letter of recommendation from a Harvard Business School alum. His fate: Rejected from both Harvard and Stanford” as Poets&Quants once chronicled.
But let’s say you have mastered the stats part for your target schools respectably enough – you are within the desired GMAT, GPA and work experience.
How do you add the magic fizz that helps your application stand out?
As a candidate, it’s so easy to be tempted to travel down the road of trying to impress. You think of every accomplishment, every award, every activity that makes you look like the high achieving candidate top MBAs are looking for. But I am here to advise you to think of yourself differently. Don’t try to impress. Try to excite.
But what’s the difference, you say? It's this:
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