At mbaMission, we emphasize the need for effective written communication. Indeed, gaining admission to your target business school involves no real “trick”—earning that coveted letter of acceptance depends on your ability to tell your story in a compelling way and in your own words. But is good grammar vital to good communication? And if so, will your recommender’s bad grammar be detrimental to your chances?
We believe that asking MBA candidates about their goals is plainly absurd, because so many students change their goals while they are in school. Further, an MBA supposed to be about career development and exploration, right? Regardless of how we feel on the subject, though, during a time when the economy is down and many firms are cutting back on their MBA hiring, you must ensure that (if a school asks via its essay questions or an interview) you have a compelling story about where you believe your MBA will take you.
In this episode of The mbaMission Podcast, mbaMission Senior Consultant Harold Simansky and Managing Director Gavriella Semaya speak with Simeen Mohsen, senior managing director of Harvard Business School (HBS) Online, about the Core Business Essentials program and how it can help aspiring MBA students. The discussion covers the program’s structure and origins as pre-MBA preparation, as well as which candidates might benefit from completing it before applying to business school.
As you prepare to start your MBA program, you already have many tasks on your plate, but we recommend that you add one more—updating your recruiting resume. As soon as you get to campus, you will need to submit your resume, so revising it now will position you to hit the ground running.
Here are three tips and associated action items for creating a compelling resume that will help you stand out from your peers.
As you enter application season, what kind of strategy do you have in mind? More than a few candidates, having likely read about the supposed advantages of applying in Round 1 on various Web sites and discussion boards, plan to submit all their applications in that first round—with the idea that if no acceptances are forthcoming, they will just submit another set of applications in Round 2. If this is your plan, we would like to explain why it is probably not your best course of action.
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Click here for the 2025–2026 MBA Essay Tips
