Considering an MBA?

Earlier this fall, Career Services hosted an MBA Admissions Panel featuring representatives from several schools who shared their advice and strategies for tackling the B-school admissions process. The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth provided a handout with some great tips (thanks, Tuck!) Here are some things to consider:

• Take the GMAT before or within 6 months of graduating to capitalize on being in "study mode" before work and other commitments further divert your attention.
• Beef up your MBA network. Keep the names and contact information of mentors and colleagues who have completed the MBA. Search the Tufts Career Network by graduate degree to find Tufts alumni with MBAs who are willing to share advice with you.
  
• Perform well in your internships and first professional positions to maximize your reputation with potential recommenders.
• Seek leadership opportunities, both formal and informal. For example, stay involved with extracurricular activities and organizations you enjoy. Seek opportunities to impact those organizations. Quality is more important than quantity. MBA programs would rather see deep, lasting commitment to a few organizations than shallow involvement in many.
• Seek international experience, both formal and informal. Even if you do not have the opportunity to travel abroad, seek opportunities to work on diverse teams with people from other countries.
• Research pre-MBA organizations such as The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, the Forte Foundation, INROADS, MLT, SEO, and others.
• Start to think about what you want in a graduate program, from both a community and a curricular standpoint. Much like your undergraduate college search, your MBA program search should focus on finding the balance between size, rankings, curriculum strengths and location.
• If your coursework did not/does not include quantitative classes, take additional courses to enhance your skills and your candidacy. Some classes you might consider: Statistics, Economics, Accounting, Calculus, and Finance.
• Explore a variety of careers. Reflect on your interests, skills, values, and cultural background. Read about different career fields using Career Services' subscription to the Vault Online Library, for example, the Vault Guide to Consulting, Guide to the Top Financial Services Employers, or the Guide to Management and Leadership Development Programs.
  
• Speak with MBA alumni and corporate recruiters to learn what sort of skill sets they look for in their new hires.

Check out the Graduate School section of the Career Services website for more information and tips!