Background Checks in MBA Admissions
Admit notifications for MBA programs are rolling in. Are you worried about the background check process? Curious about how detailed the search will be? Our MBA Precheck service will help you understand background verification.
Background checks in MBA admissions have become common for many top schools. Some programs vet every admitted applicant, while others randomly select a percentage of candidates. Others delve further only when something seems to raise a red flag. The process usually occurs in the spring, after all application rounds have passed and candidates begin sending in their deposits.
Re Vera is a leading screening service used by numerous MBA programs that verifies:
- Degree and School History
- Past Employment / Human Resource History
- Letters of Reference / Recommendations
- Test Scores
- Extracurricular / Professional Involvement
Last season, one of our clients shared, “I am a little worried about the background check process. How detailed is the search? How do they verify earnings, for example?”
Two former MBA Admissions Officers on the SBC team–from Harvard HBS and Duke Fuqua–replied to concur with the following. “It depends on the company the school hires; but, they will verify undergraduate degree and GPA as well as dates of employment, positions held and salary with the HR departments and/or direct supervisors.”
Another former MBA Admissions Officer on the SBC team added, “I have had a client who exaggerated his salary (without me knowing!) and freaked out after having been admitted by Wharton because the background company was asking him to show proof. Ultimately, he was able to explain it with a bonus that his employer verified.”
“Bottom line: if you were honest and can explain or document any discrepancy, you should be okay. Note: this applies to almost any inconsistency the background check companies discover.”
The vast majority of people shouldn’t stress over this verification process. Business schools aren’t on a mission to grill candidates about every last detail of their applications. They simply want to ensure that applicants have honestly represented themselves, their experience, and their accomplishments.
Listen to B-Schooled Podcast Episode #97: MBA Background Checks
Why do schools need to check your background?
Sometimes, applicants get screened because their profile is unusual or difficult to verify. Suppose their work experience included time in a startup or at a failed startup, in a small family firm, or at a company abroad. In that case, the admissions office simply needs to clarify and confirm the details.
Typical reasons for rejecting a candidate include:
- Ethical lapses
- Questionable behavior
- Not disclosing a layoff or firing
- Evidence of plagiarism
- Not disclosing a criminal conviction
Willful deception or lying by omission will jeopardize your admission. Minor discrepancies, such as being off by a month when listing your employment dates, likely won’t. Most schools give applicants a chance to explain any plausible mistakes.
Though we can’t share specific examples due to confidentiality issues, occasionally, past clients have had problems with background checks. In some cases, the program revoked an admissions offer following the review.
Once, a student had already started school and got escorted out due to an application omission. It wasn’t because of a lie. Instead, this person failed to include information the program would have wanted to know about during the application process.
What are they looking for in background checks?
Business schools can investigate application details that include everything from recommenders, employment and education history, extracurricular and professional involvements, leadership roles, and even authenticate anecdotes from application essays.
If you’re on the fence about whether to include or explain something in your application, chances are you probably should mention it. It’s always best to come completely clean when the issue is something like poor academic performance or a gap in employment history. The admissions team isn’t looking for perfection in applicants.
Significant failures can translate into a story about lessons learned and self-improvement. These can actually help your candidacy if you show how you’ve become a wiser, more humble person because of them. However, if the incident you’re wondering about is personal and does not appear anywhere on your official record, you may decide not to draw unnecessary attention to it.
Just stay calm
What should you do if you learn that your admission is conditional pending corroboration of your professional, academic, or personal background? Your best option is to cooperate quickly and thoroughly to facilitate the verification process. The schools merely want to make sure all applicants are who they say they are.
Make sure you’re meticulous about presenting the facts, haven’t exaggerated or lied, and have explained any lapses in judgment that could come back to haunt you, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.
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The process of finding, applying for, and sorting out MBA financial aid opportunities can be tedious and confusing. If you have already received admission to your dream MBA program and would like help with applying for financial aid as a US or international candidate, we are here to help with SBC’s Financial Aid Advisory service. Please email info@stacyblackman.com to learn more.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
