MBA Schools in the United States

Business or management education is increasingly becoming more popular and more competitive in the United States and Canada. The number of international students applying for admission to some of the top ranked business schools is on the rise. If you are a resident or citizen of the United States, you are likely to face stiff competition from domestic and foreign students when applying to an MBA program.

Admission to an MBA program

It is based upon multiple factors. The criteria that is common across business school admission includes:

(1) Undergraduate GPA
(2) GMAT test score
(3) Statement of purpose
(4) Resume & work experience and
(5) Recommendation letters.

Assuming that you have already completed your undergraduate degree in recent past, or many years ago – there is not much you can do about it. However a better GMAT score can well compensate for the lack of ‘good’ GPA at the undergraduate level. In the statement of purpose you write you’re a personal statement on what you are and what your objectives are from the course or school you are applying for. Here a good fit between your past, present and future and a compelling story about your life is helpful.

Many individuals, companies claim to help you write a winning personal statement. However, it is often best to be straightforward and truthful. Admission committee members are aware of such service offerings in the market, and become suspicious of ‘unreal’ statement of purpose. The resume you carry is a result of what you have doing for many years. One can’t change the realities of one past work. However one can present things in positive and affirmative way to make things look better. However, once again, not being able to defend what you put on your resume may jeopardize your chances of admission. There are many conflicting views on recommendation letters. While some say that it is very important, others refuse to give much credence to this part of the admission package. After all no student will ever ask anyone to write a recommendation letter who does not share a negative or neutral view about the candidate.

Often people think that getting a letter from a CEO or president of a company will secure an admission. However, the truth is that recommendation letters are always seen in light of other support materials the candidate has provided. How about GMAT score?

GMAT Score

Undoubtedly, the GMAT score is one of the most important, and objective criteria in advancing one’s case for admission. After all there is no subjectivity or lack of evidence in how one has faired in the test. We don’t intent to argue or debate on the fairness of basing admission on GMAT score, however, we do intent to emphasize its overall importance in getting admission in the test.

What is a good score?

A higher score is always better than a lower score. For example, a student with a score of 640 is more likely to get admission to an MBA program than someone who has scored 590. Some of the top business schools in the US include

Harvard Business School

Stanford

University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

Northwestern University (Kellogg)

Columbia

Duke (Fuqua)

Virginia (Darden)

MIT (Sloan)

University of Chicago (GBS)

University of Michigan

UNC Chapel-Hill (Kenan-Flagler)

UC Berkeley (Haas)

Dartmouth (Tuck)

UC Los Angles (Anderson)

New York University

Yale University

Carnegie Mellon

Texas-Austin

Vanderbilt (Owen)

Indiana University Bloomington (Kelly)

University of Souther California (Marshall)

Purdue university

Georgetown (McDonough)

Rochester (Simon)

Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)