MBA Admission: Your ‘Story’ Matters More Than GPA & GMAT

Ever wondered why seemingly successful professionals with top GMAT or GPA scores fail to gain admission in MBA programs while average candidates with far fewer achievements seem to breeze through.

An analysis of admission and rejection data across two years by Stacy Blackman Consulting revealed five points that the admission committees took into consideration that it some ways were contrary to popular perception, says the firm’s founder president Stacy Blackman in an article in BusinessBecause.

The first point is that the brand value your school and employer do not hold that much value and may even be a handicap considering the saturation in the application pool. The committee looks for diversity among the applicants and candidates from lesser-known schools, job profiles or geographies will be able to get if they have a ‘compelling story.’

 It’s not just the interests or activities, the committee takes into consideration the applicant’s skills displayed in multiple areas.

The second point is that high GMAT or GPA scores do not necessarily lead to admission. The fact that you have a 780 GMAT score only proves that you may be able to handle the analytical coursework part of the program.

Stacy says the Consultancy’s admit statistics reveal that those who gained admission generally fell within the 80% range of reported test scores for MBA programs. At the lower end, it was 600 GRE to a 770 GMAT, with a median score of 710.

The lowest GPAs for top MBA admits in the previous season were 2.4 and 2.3.  Several of the candidates who got admitted into top MBA programs had overcome a weak GMAT or GRE score with a proven track record in a quantitative job and compelling leadership activities.

The third point is about the need to prove your community work credentials. Once again, those who pursue other interests also manage to get in. An applicant from Poland, who had Fencing as a hobby managed to get admission offers from every program she applied to.

Another candidate with a background in finance got into four out of six top MBA programs and had mentioned only running and skiing as his outside interests. It’s not just the interests or activities, the committee takes into consideration the applicant’s skills displayed in multiple areas.

The fourth point is about displaying your personal qualities and values. This is where you should have a compelling story of your experiences, including how you overcame crisis situations or failures in personal or professional life that would impress the admissions officer.

The fifth point is to display the qualities that you would bring to the classroom. These include the capability to collaborate with diverse resources and stakeholders. Confidence and capability should be balanced by likeability and humility.