by Samuel T. Lundquist

Applicants to M.B.A. programs often spend more time trying to figure out how to get into business school than actual time spent researching the program itself. Hence, the prospective student has made the first critical error of the admissions process--seeking the elusive "admissions formula" versus making a quality presentation that demonstrates knowledge of self and graduate business education.

There really is not any formula that can predict admission to an M.B.A. program. Business school applicants must enter the selection process understanding the difference between being admissible and being admitted. The distinction between the two varies considerably among business schools, depending on the level of selectivity in the admissions process. While some M.B.A. programs admit all qualified students, others may deny admission to four of every five applicants who are qualified to be admitted. Understanding this difference is the first step to a successful application.

The Evaluative Process
Applicants to M.B.A. programs should understand how they will be evaluated during the admissions process. In general, presentation, academic profile, professional work experience, and personal qualities will be the four areas in which each applicant will be evaluated. Admissions officers generally evaluate the factors influencing applicants' educational and professional decisions and the corresponding outcomes. Admissions committees do not spend a lot of time evaluating the labels that tend to categorize applicants into special groups. For instance, candidates for admission often assume that the quality of the undergraduate institution that they attended will affect the outcome of their application. A common misconception is that applicants with undergraduate degrees from Ivy League schools are always more desirable candidates for business schools. In fact, candidates are generally judged, whether they attended a public or private college, on a combination of factors--academic background, work experience, personal characteristics, and post-M.B.A. goals.

Applicants are evaluated as individuals. The environment in which they have studied or worked is relevant only when it is given meaning in the context of their life experiences. How the culture of a campus or workplace has influenced one's success is interesting and important to the admissions committee's ability to fully evaluate an application. Therefore, applicants who provide only factual information about their academic and professional profile miss the most important opportunity to present the compelling and distinguishing characteristics of their candidacy.

The M.B.A. degree is not a professional license that is required to practice management. Therefore, people of all ages are known to pursue the degree at different stages of their careers. Older applicants (32 years old and up) often fear that because they are atypical to the traditional graduate school student profile they will likewise be less desirable to business schools. On the contrary, older students offer professional experience, maturity, and perspective that are highly valued in the classroom. The admissions committee does expect older applicants to have highly developed reasons for pursuing the M.B.A. at this stage of their life. Post-M.B.A. goals are expected to be clearer and more defined than those of their younger counterparts.

Applicants have much more control of the admissions process than they realize. Prospective students determine all of the information that is presented in the application forms, essays, and interview. They even get to select the people who will serve as references to support their candidacy. The only aspect of the process that an applicant does not control is the competition; that is, who else applies for admission. It is the competition that will determine the threshold between admissibility and acceptance.

Presentation is obviously one of the most important factors in admission. Three other areas are evaluated during the evaluative process. They include academic profile, professional work experience, and personal qualities.

Academic Profile
Business schools seek students who can survive the demands of a rigorous and demanding program, and the best way to show your intellectual strength is to demonstrate strong classroom achievement and high aptitude. Your ability to excel as an undergraduate student is directly related to your ability to succeed in a graduate program as well.

Your undergraduate specialization will have little effect on admission to business school. It is not necessary to take undergraduate courses in business administration because most M.B.A. programs offer or require a core curriculum of basic business courses as part of the graduate degree. However, it is advisable to have basic skills in economics, calculus, and statistics in preparation for graduate study in business.

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
Most business schools require applicants to submit the results of their Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The importance of the GMAT in admissions will vary depending on the school. Minimum score requirements do not exist at some business schools. Test scores are certainly not the sole criteria for admission to an M.B.A. program, but to one degree or another, all business schools use them as part of the admissions process.

The GMAT uses a standardized set of criteria to evaluate the basic skills of college graduates, which allows graduate schools to compare and judge applicants. The test measures general verbal and math skills so that schools can assess an applicant's ability to succeed in a graduate-level environment.

Quantitative section--this section measures mathematical skills and the ability to solve quantitative problems.

Qualitative section--this section focuses on verbal skills, the ability to understand and interpret written materials, and basic English writing skills.

Scoring--total scores range from 200 to 800. Most business schools accept scores between 500 and 600.

Taking the test--you can take the GMAT at a testing center in your area. Testing takes place on four days each year--generally in January, March, June, and October. Contact the graduate admissions office at your local college or university for specific dates and times and details on how to register.

Professional Work Experience
Admission to selective, international business programs often requires full-time, professional work experience prior to enrollment. While professional work experience is needed to provide a context for the interpretation and use of classroom material, students must also be able to contribute to class discussions and group projects in meaningful ways. Career success is the most effective way to prove your potential for leadership in a managerial capacity.

Personal Qualities
M.B.A. programs want to enroll students who can lead people. The admissions committee seeks men and women who will eventually be responsible for the management of entire organizations. Leadership is one of the basic ingredients for success. Communication skills, initiative, and motivation can become the most important aspects of the admissions process. Personal qualities set the tone for the entire review of an application. It is the one part of an application that is most likely to distinguish a candidacy in a compelling way.

The Interview
The interview is the one aspect of the admissions process that varies the most among schools. Some schools, like the Kellogg School at Northwestern, require all applicants to interview prior to admission. Others, such as Stanford's Graduate School of Business, do not interview any of their applicants. Most schools, like Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, leave the decision to interview up to the applicant. It is one more part of the admissions process that the applicant can control. For those prospective students who do have the interview available to them, it is a highly recommended experience. It is also a great opportunity to take initiative in the admissions process.

If an interview is part of the admissions process, it can be an invaluable opportunity for the applicant to show the strengths and leadership qualities that most business schools are seeking in M.B.A. candidates. The most effective and interesting interviews are those discussions that go beyond the information provided in the written application. Too often interviews remain focused solely on the candidate's resume. The meeting becomes nothing more than a redundancy in the evaluation of a candidacy. It is up to both the interviewer and the applicant to create an exchange of information that solicits useful information that will help the admissions committee understand the context of the choices that the applicant has made throughout life.

Categories and labels do not play as significant a role in the process as most applicants assume. Prospective M.B.A. students should take a high level of initiative during the admission process, while exercising discretion when determining what information is most important for a school to properly evaluate their candidacy.

These guidelines are the first step in understanding the nature of the admissions process from the perspective of an admissions officer. It is vital to recognize that each school has its own policies and procedures in admissions that will alter the way in which an applicant can interact with the admissions committee. Careful research and communication will, fundamentally, have the greatest impact on the success of an M.B.A. application.

Samuel T. Lundquist is Director of MBA Admissions at The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.