Applying for an MBA: Thoughts from University of Michigan Ross School of Business

The following is an excerpt from Your MBA Game Plan, Third Edition: Proven Strategies for Getting Into the Top Business Schools, © 2012 Omari Bouknight and Scott Shrum. It is reprinted with permission of the publisher, Career Press, Pompton Plains, NJ.  800-227-3371.  All rights reserved.

A Conversation With Soojin Kwon Koh

Soojin Kwon Koh is the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Consistently ranked as one of the top-10 business schools in the United States, Ross is often

acknowledged for its innovative curriculum and for turning out some of the most sought after business school graduates in the world. We checked in with Soojin to get her perspectives on the application process and advice on what applicants can do to improve their chances of gaining acceptance to the top business schools.

What’s your take on the GMAT? Why is it important?

In general the application review process is all about adding dimension to what is an inherently two-dimensional evaluation. The GMAT is one of the primary factors we use to predict an applicant’s propensity to perform well in the academic program. I don’t think that it’s necessarily a good predictor of how well an applicant will do in the career of her choosing, but in addition to the GPA, it does help to quantify intellectual capacity. It also  allows many applicants to make up for less-than-stellar GPAs. Lastly, as a standardized measure, it puts applicants on similar footing, whereas GPAs come with a certain amount of bias depending on the undergraduate curriculum.

For applicants who have a relatively low GMAT, what do they have to do to at least be considered?

Strong work experience and undergraduate GPA help. Strong essays really make a difference. We also take a close look at the applicant’s career goals and reasons for wanting to pursue an MBA. Does the applicant have clear reasons for wanting to get an MBA? Does he have a clear thought process? Has he demonstrated passion for pursuing an MBA at Ross? These three attributes can help put an applicant into the running. It does make the process a bit easier though when the applicant at least scores within the range of traditionally accepted applicants.

What does it mean to evaluate an applicant for fit?

Every school probably evaluates fit a little differently. We’re looking to confirm that who the applicant is and aspires to be fits well with the Ross mission. In addition to having the appropriate level of intellectual capability, the applicant must exhibit attributes that are consistent with our culture, which is team-oriented and collaborative. If you’re a person who prefers to work and excel on your own or generally just don’t perform well in teams, then it’s a major red flag for us. We also look for passion. That is a real desire to go out and make a difference. It’s most impressive when an applicant communicates that she has the skills and motivation to pursue her dreams and she truly understands how Ross fits into that picture. So, it’s important that the applicant truly understand what a school is all about and evaluate what role she might play in supporting that school’s mission.

Would you encourage applicants to reach out to and spend time with current students so that they can get a better sense of a school’s culture?

Absolutely. Students are the best reflection of what it’s like to go to school here. Getting students’ perspectives on the school’s culture can definitely give applicants a good idea of what day-to-day life is like.

How do you evaluate recommendations? Aren’t all recommendations glowing?

In recommendations we’re looking to see whether the applicant truly is who she claims to be. We’re looking for consistency. One thing we stress is for recommenders to provide specific examples. It’s not enough for recommenders to simply say that an applicant performs at a high level. We want to know exactly what the applicant has done to merit such high praise. Anecdotes, tangible results, and specifics go a long way. It also helps to see how the applicant really goes above and beyond. It shows that the applicant is passionate about her work and is inclined to contribute a great deal in the future.

You would be surprised how many poor recommendations we receive. Some recommendations have maybe five lines and answer each question with one sentence. Obviously this type of recommendation does not send a positive signal with respect to the applicant’s candidacy. Some recommendations might look positive at initial glance, but a closer read reveals veiled criticisms. It’s interesting to me that that the applicant would not have picked up on the nature of the relationship before requesting a recommendation. That, in and of itself, is a signal.

How then would you recommend that applicants manage their recommenders?

We recommend that the applicant sit down with his recommender, explain that he is thinking about going to business school, explain why, and then discuss his intended career track and why. Moreover, the applicant can spend some time talking to the recommender about their working relationship and what he’s accomplished through time. There is a fine line, however, as applicants have to be careful not to start coaching their recommenders and providing them with too many specifics. Because we require two recommendations, if both cite the same exact specifics then we question whether the recommenders have been coached on exactly what to say about the applicant.

What is one of the top mistakes that applicants tend to make?

One of the major mistakes is not clearly laying out what the applicant wants to do from a career standpoint and then laying out where the business school fits into the picture. A lot of applicants just apply to business school without taking the appropriate time to reflect on their career goals and on where we fit into the plan. For many, it just feels like the next natural step. Successful applicants tend to be much more reflective and consider the pursuit of an MBA as significant turning point in their lives. We want applicants to treat the application process with that level of significance. So we ask, “Why is an MBA from Ross necessary for this applicant?” We check to see whether the applicant has really researched us or whether she is simply applying to all of the top-ten schools and saying the same thing to all of them. If that’s the case then we tend to discount the probability that you will really take advantage of all the different opportunities that we offer here. These opportunities would be wasted on someone who is looking to merely check the MBA off her list, so we tend to avoid box-checkers. We want applicants who are really going to come and embrace everything that is available.

So, what level of specificity is adequate when discussing career goals?

I would say as specific as is honest. We recognize that most students won’t go on to do exactly what they discuss in their essays. What we’re looking at is the applicant’s thought process. We want to get into the applicant’s head and heart to understand their motivations and what drives them. If the career goals are well thought out and make sense in the context of what we offer as a school, then the applicant is on the right track. We definitely don’t want people to offer up career goals that simply sound good or are trendy. Rather, we want to see that they’ve spent some time researching their options, have made an initial choice and can defend it as a viable career objective. Certainly the more specifics the applicant can give, the more interesting an essay or discussion will likely result.

How would you recommend that applicants that come from traditional “feeder” industries (for example, consulting and investment banking) differentiate themselves?

In addition to academic and professional track record, we look at extracurricular activities. Extracurriculars such as community service, international experiences, entrepreneurial ventures, or activities related to sustainable development can be great indicators that the applicant would be a good match and we have evidence that the applicant would get involved with activities here on campus. Additionally, it provides us with some comfort that the applicant will be a good Ross alum even after they’ve graduated.

Are there major mistakes that you see among international applicants?

Oftentimes, we receive a number of applications that are virtually identical in terms of academic and professional experiences to international applicants. While it differs a bit from region to region, it’s critical that the international applicant understand that the application process requires so much more than simply a high GMAT score or an impressive resume. At a certain point, you know the applicant is smart, but so are the next 200 applicants from their country, so you have to go beyond that to differentiate yourself. We’re trying to achieve diversity here; not just in gender, ethnicity, geographical region and professional background, but also diversity in thinking. The last one is important, because we expect that each student will bring a slightly different perspective to the table. If an applicant sounds like hundreds of others, there isn’t much of a reason to bring him in, even if his scores are off the chart. We know that diversity of thought can have a powerful impact on the ability to learn, so we are very careful to evaluate that and it’s critical that applicants consider how they’re different and what they will bring, as unique individuals, to the table.

What does it take for an undergraduate applicant to be successful?

In all of our applicants, we look for people who can make significant contributions to classroom discussions as well as to team-based assignments. As such, for an undergraduate applicant to obtain admission to Ross, he really needs to have outperformed his peers not only academically, but also in extracurriculars and hopefully also in business. The applicant may have started his own business or played a starring role in significant internships. No matter what it is, the applicant must be capable of significant contributions such that his classmates truly benefit from his presence on campus.

What makes for a great essay?

Great essays are the ones where you can see an applicant behind the words. After reading 500 words, if you feel as though you’ve really gotten to know the applicant a little bit better, then it’s a successful essay. Whether there is heart, humor, or an experience that is different, a good essay is memorable and interesting. It doesn’t need to be poetic or overly eloquent, but we do want to know that there’s a human with interests and passions behind it.

How important is the interview?

It’s another dimension that we use to characterize the applicant. The interview is a great opportunity to assess the enthusiasm of the applicant. It’s relatively easy to assess characteristics such as energy level, body language, eye contact, and knowledge about the school. So, it definitely helps give us a sense of fit. It helps us to understand whether this is the kind of person who will work well on a team and think on her feet. But, it’s not typically the aspect of the application that makes or breaks a person. We have non-admitted applicants call all the time requesting to re-interview, but it’s rare that the interview is the only problem.

Any trends that you’ve seen among applicants that concern you?

Yes, it appears that there some applicants who are using essay consultants that actually write essays on behalf of applicants. And it’s plainly obvious in many cases. With some international applicants, in particular, when you compare the GMAT writing samples to the essays, it’s clear that they’ve crossed the line in terms of having someone else do the writing for them. I’ve seen essays on par with something that could be found in The New Yorker and it’s such a red flag. I mean, I don’t even think our staff could write as eloquently as some of these essays. We don’t expect that essays read like Hemingway’s work, but they should be authentic. It’s almost refreshing to read essays from an international applicant that are flawed here or there, rather than some of the fake submissions that cross our path. We want to hear from applicants themselves and hear their voices.

Any other parting thoughts?

I’d love to get people to write so that we can really get to know them. When you’re reading thousands of applications, it’s refreshing to get the ones that come to life in your hands. You think, Wow it would be great to have this person here, because I can see that there is something about them that shows they would make a real contribution here and make great contributions after they leave.

Comments

[Luis]

What an excellent interview/post, it's Brilliant!

[Mike Hunt]

Since it's been a while since I was in college / grad school, I've not thought about all the hoops you have to jump through to get into a good school.

In a way, it's a lot, lot, lot like the interview process to secure a job and move up in your career, but it's just tuned differently because it is from the perspective of the school and admissions officer- it still requires the same level of preparation, self-reflection, and being able to present yourself in a way that is attractive to the institution.

-Mike