The MBA Application Checklist: What To Do Before You Click SUBMIT
December 21, 2023 :: Admissionado Team
After weeks and weeks of research, writing, editing and re-writing, your MBA applications are DONE. Your resume is perfect, your essays are compelling, and your recommenders are ready to ship off those LORS.
You’re finished! Hooray! Time to sign, seal and deliver that application… then go to sleep for 24 hours.
But wait.
Before you do your little “I’m DONE!” dance, let’s give that app one final review. After all, you’ve been staring at that thing for days on end; it’s totally natural to miss a mistake here and there. And it would be a shame to spend all that time perfecting those applications, only to be flagged by the adcom for minor mistakes or careless errors.
Our MBA Application Checklist
Check your application for careless mistakes
Check for spelling, grammar, and SCHOOL NAMES. We see this all the time. Make sure you don’t submit an essay to Wharton that talks about how Duke is the right fit for you. Nothing says “I’m the best candidate for your program” less than careless errors and spelling mistakes. Especially on a resume. Spell-check is NOT perfect. Do not rely on it and do NOT make mistakes in your applications. Prove that for whatever weaknesses you have, “attention to detail” isn’t one of ‘em. There is NO excuse for making careless mistakes in an application. None.
Check in on your recommenders
Have they submitted anything? CHECK ON THEM. Have they begun the process? Remember, managing them is a test of YOU. If you can’t get THEM to submit their stuff, it WILL reflect badly on you. So don’t drop the ball there, folks. Keep in touch with them, and MANAGE them. Frankly, you have no choice.
Get a second opinion on your application
No, it ISN’T too late. And nobody is saying that you need to spend money on a consultant. What we ARE saying is that all too often, people miss obvious mistakes. If you have been working with someone – even if only a friend, relative, etc.- you are likely fine here. But if you have NEVER shown your work to ANYONE outside yourself, you. must. do it. Immediately. Getting a fresh set of eyes on your work will help ensure that there are no glaring, obvious, or careless mistakes. You know, things you can (and probably did!) miss after looking at the same essays for days on end.
Update your application with new information
Often times, people don’t realize that since they began their applications in the summer, things have changed. For the BETTER! Is there anything that has changed since you started your app? Even just a sentence or two can go a looong way. Are you gonna get promoted? Did you get the best bonus of anyone in your class? THINK ABOUT IT. Maybe, just maybe, there is something NEW worth adding.
Of course, if reading this is making you sweat (“wait, people are already at the polishing stage?!”), and you need some help…erm…starting the process, now’s the time to get it. Whether you need a full spa treatment or just a touch up, we’ve got what you need to put the final touches on your application. So just fill out a free consultation ASAP if you want to talk to our team!
And when that’s all set – you’ve clicked submit and done your little happy dance – sit down and start preparing for those MBA Interviews.
