What B-Schools Look for in MBA Aspirants?

While you as an aspirant for MBA may be clear about your career goals, it is equally important to know what the business schools are looking for in their students.

Generally, the top MBA programs want candidates with leadership qualities, who are team players. They should possess analytical abilities, ethical values and a general management perspective. Cultural diversity is also much valued by the schools in this era of globalization.

The weightage given to these qualities may differ from school to school. While Harvard Business School (HBS) may place leadership skills on top, at MIT Sloan, it may be analytical ability and teamwork. Stanford GSB would want a combination of leadership, teamwork and ethical values.

At NYU Stern School of Business, Isser Gallogly, associate dean of MBA admissions is on the lookout for people with “emotional intelligence”, namely the ability to communicate, inspire and lead teams.

Meanwhile, David Simpson, MBA admissions director at London Business School, told TopMBA.com he wants those who aspire to use their skills to make a positive social impact on society and not someone who just want to secure a great job.

At NYU Stern School of Business, Isser Gallogly, associate dean of MBA admissions is on the lookout for people with “emotional intelligence”, namely the ability to communicate, inspire and lead teams.

And what does leadership mean? It is all about anticipating opportunities, articulating a compelling vision, team building, setting stretch goals and earning buy-in, allocating resources based on projected yield, integrating individual efforts to maximize synergies and productivity, making mid-course corrections, celebrating victory as a team success, among others.

At London Business School (LBS), MBA admissions director David Simpson is on the lookout for candidates with a global mindset and a desire to learn how things work in different regions and cultures.

They should also be able to deal with the rigours of intense quantitative study. They should be well-rounded personalities balancing drive and ambition with humility and team skills.

As far as teamwork is concerned, it essentially means exchanging strengths between you and peers to neutralize individual weaknesses and leverage strengths.

Kurt Ahlm, associate dean of full-time MBA admissions at University of Chicago Booth School of Business, wants students able to move out of their comfort zones and take advantage of the risks and opportunities.

At IE Business School, Tino Elgner, admissions director stress unconventional thinking. Prior to redesigning the IMBA program, the school had asked the students and alumni to describe themselves and got the feedback that they had the motivation to question the status quo and to embrace different points of views.