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MyMBAPath
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GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V42
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Thanks so much for a fast and thoughtful reply.

On another note, I am surprised Essays are only 11% of the application. It just seems they take so long to put together and assemble and the essay is just 11% while undergrad grades, resume, test scores, and interview have all greater importance :dazed


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bb
Thanks so much MyMBAPath for sharing this!

Where do you see work experience and professional achievements sitting within this model? Is that a different dimension?


Great question, bb! The notion here is that professional and personal achievements as well as leadership and clarity of career goals are all woven into the various parts of the MBA application. They will be present in the resume, the transcripts, the essays, the interviews. Collectively, these pieces of the MBA application will paint a picture of the candidate.

The most important message that this survey demonstrates - and something that I know very well from my work in MBA admissions for so many years - is that MBA admissions is indeed holistic. Every single part of the application and what it seeks to glean matters.
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Thanks so much for a fast and thoughtful reply.

On another note, I am surprised Essays are only 11% of the application. It just seems they take so long to put together and assemble and the essay is just 11% while undergrad grades, resume, test scores, and interview have all greater importance :dazed


I share your surprise about this. I believe the explanation lies in the fact that, as the report outlines, “a total of 306 business schools and faculties worldwide participated in the survey and submitted data for 641 graduate management programs”. This means that the data should not be interpreted to reflect the approach of any one specific segment of schools. It’s a global view, representing a very large number of programs worldwide and not necessarily that of the highest ranked schools.

If we ever got data for the highest ranked schools only, it might be different. I am simply guessing, of course. Regardless of what the assigned weight might be, the essays, which are a vital part of the story a candidate tells about themselves, are a critical tool when it comes to differentiation. And for the most competitive programs, differentiation is absolutely essential.