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Top 10 Best Practices for Preparing Your MBA Applications
Since 2004, I’ve worked with applicants from all walks of life under my MBA Apply shingle. It’s surprising I never wrote this before, but here are the 10 best practices I’ve seen consistently help applicants sharpen their odds — and their sanity — in the MBA admissions process.
1. Get the GMAT Out of the Way First
Focus on the GMAT early. It requires dedicated time and energy. For top 16 schools, aim for a 700 minimum, ideally 720+. For top 30 schools, 660 minimum, ideally 700+.
Try to finish your GMAT by May or June of the year you’re applying. This gives you the headspace to tackle applications without splitting your focus.
2. Visit a Few Schools While Class Is in Session
Nothing beats walking the halls of a business school during the academic year (September to April). Sit in on a class, join an info session, and most importantly, buy a student a coffee and talk to them 1-on-1.
It’s not about impressing the adcoms — they won’t remember you. It’s about sharpening your own instincts and gaining authentic material for your essays.
3. Apply to 4–7 Schools
MBA admissions is a numbers game. Apply to too few, and you risk getting shut out. Too many, and you’ll burn out.
Aim for 4–7 schools, mixing 2–3 stretches, 2–3 sweet spots, and 0–1 safeties. You’re playing the odds, not proving a point.
4. Give Yourself 5–10 Weeks to Complete Your Applications
Applications aren’t a full-time job, but they do require focus.
Too little time? You’ll rush.
Too much time? You’ll overthink.
The sweet spot is 5 to 10 weeks total. That’s enough time to think clearly without rewriting the same essay 20 times.
5. Focus on One School at a Time
Resist the urge to juggle multiple apps in parallel.
Start with one school, and get fully immersed. Once you’ve completed a few, the rest will go faster — sometimes just a few days each.
Spacing out your apps also lets you revisit earlier drafts with fresh eyes.
6. Think, Write, and Speak in Plain English
Most applicants write like consultants — stiff, abstract, and buzzword-heavy.
Translate your work experience into real language a smart outsider would understand.
Try reading your essays aloud. If it doesn’t sound like you outside of work, rewrite it.
7. Get Feedback from Others
You’re too close to your own story. Get feedback from friends, colleagues, or a consultant. You’ll get conflicting advice — and that’s normal.
Take what resonates, ignore what doesn’t. The key is to get out of your own head.
8. Give Recommenders 4–6 Weeks — No More, No Less
You need to strike a balance:
- Too much time? They procrastinate.
- Too little time? They panic. Give them 4–6 weeks, max. And don’t assume they care as much about your app as you do. They don’t.
9. Apply in Round 1 or 2 — Avoid Round 3
Round 3 is not your friend — especially if you’re a traditional applicant (finance, consulting, tech, etc.).
If you can, aim for Round 1.
Round 2 is fine too — just beware of the holiday time sink.
Round 3? Only apply if you’re a non-traditional candidate or had unavoidable delays.
10. Treat the MBA Application as a Parallel Track
Don’t quit your job to apply. That doesn’t show commitment — it signals you can’t handle competing priorities.
The best applicants treat b-school as an option, not a lifeline.
Whether you’re employed or not, keep moving forward in your life. No one wants to admit someone who’s in a holding pattern.
Final Thought
The MBA application process isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity, confidence, and momentum. If you can tackle it with a calm mind and steady pace, you’ll come out the other side with not just stronger applications — but better instincts too.
Ready to Apply Smarter?
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