Writing an Excellent MBA Personal Statement Can Be a Ticket to the Big 5 MBA Programs
Although it is not the only important basis for choosing an MBA program, students are still advised to look at a program’s ranking and prestige. Interested students must have their MBA personal statements ready to be submitted to any of the top-ranking MBA programs. Before writing your MBA personal statement, however, you must inquire at the Programs of your choice whether they have specific content requirements. Universities want your application essay to respond directly to any questions they have posed.
The top 5 MBA programs in the United States as of January 2008 are 1) Penn, Wharton, 2) Columbia, 3) Stanford, 4) Harvard, and 5) MIT Sloan. To be accepted to these programs, you need to have a good combination of a decent Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score and a well-written MBA personal statement. Your preparation should begin months before you apply. You have to prepare thoroughly in order to score more than 700 in your GMAT. Your MBA personal statement must also be perfectly-written to show a high degree of competence. Your hard work on your MBA personal statement essay will later on be rewarded with an excellent MBA education. This in turn means being qualified for high-paying positions and exposure to lucrative business leadership opportunities.
It has already been established that an excellent MBA personal statement can help you get into Wharton, Columbia, Stanford, Harvard or MIT Sloan. Whether you are enrolling into a top 5 program, or to a relatively “less prestigious” one, you must always present the best side of your work and life experiences in your MBA personal statement. MBA personal statements are important to these universities that have to pore over thousands of applications that have attached excellent GMAT and academic records.
Wharton’s MBA Program has the best reputation and boasts of more than 250 faculty members. If you have applied to Wharton before, you may have to submit a statement of purpose specified for re-applicants. Stanford’s MBA Program meanwhile has been around since 1925 and continues to promote innovation in teaching. Fortunately for applicants, Stanford does not have a minimum GMAT requirement. It does ask for an MBA personal statement that answers two specific questions. From 1916 to 1952, Columbia’s Business School accepted undergraduates. Since then, it solely focuses on graduate programs. Your MBA personal statement will truly play a big role because Columbia is looking for MBA students who have strong characters. Your statement of purpose must also convey that you can be both a team player and an independent achiever. MIT Sloan is looking for strong individuals as well. The business school has been catering to top students from more than 60 countries. Harvard, on the other hand, boasts of its Leadership and Organizational Behavior course for freshmen. There is no doubt now that your MBA personal statement must confirm that you are capable of handling Harvard MBA.
To get into any of the top 5 MBA programs, you must take the application process seriously and prepare accordingly. Arm yourself with the personal statement that the program is specifically asking for. The MBA personal statement must adequately demonstrate your strong characteristics. Interviews will not give you as much opportunity to “sell” your strong suite as a well-written MBA personal statement.
The top 5 MBA programs in the US live up to the hype. They are not only popular targets of MBA applicants but the MBA degrees they confer do deliver highly coveted career opportunities. Some also offer the desired executive MBA programs that working students will definitely need. These night classes enable existing business leaders and officers to combine work and school. Remember that your MBA personal statement is your ticket to a top program. Not many get the chance to have such a prestigious education. Use the opportunity wisely.
