Mitigating a Red Flag in the MBA Application
Nobody likes drawing attention to their past mistakes, academic or otherwise. But when applying for a seat at a competitive business school, not addressing an apparent red flag does more harm than good. Being upfront about your foibles can go a long way toward minimizing the damage. In fact, it can actually boost your chances of admission. Below, you’ll find three common red flags in the MBA application. See how business school applicants can deal with them successfully.
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Explaining a Layoff
Many people assume that a significant gap in their employment history will raise a red flag in the MBA application. Yes, the admissions committee will notice the time out of the workforce. However, they care more about how you spent that time. The goal is to show how you used that break in your career productively.
Admission committees appreciate authenticity and understand when applicants have encountered roadblocks in the past. For example, in the wake of the tech layoffs last winter, many schools actively courted unemployed workers with application fee and test waivers. So, there’s no need to concoct elaborate tales or hide behind vague explanations. If you were unemployed, just say it, and then follow up with a description of how you utilized that time.
Briefly explain the layoff, and then draw attention to how you bounced back from the experience. We’ve had several clients in this situation, and we advised each to approach the challenge differently.
Some may have used the time away to hike solo through Tibet. Others dove into volunteer work that allowed them to hone their business skills while giving something back. Still others used the time to flesh out their entrepreneurial dreams, unencumbered by the 9-to-5 grind.
Handling a Low GPA
After a few years in the workforce, most MBA applicants would say they’ve matured significantly from their college days. They’re ready to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the academic rigors of a top-tier business school. The trouble is that a ho-hum GPA—meaning anything below a 3.5—will follow them to every admissions office and is seldom well-received.
When MBA programs look at academic records such as GMAT scores and GPAs, there’s a question of aptitude (“Can this applicant do the work?”) and a question of application (“Will this applicant work hard?”). A low GPA might signal that the applicant would have trouble dedicating themselves to the MBA coursework.
Addressing this red flag in the MBA application may require a two-pronged approach, depending on the individual circumstances. Some clients have chosen to take pre-MBA courses to boost their quantitative profile and alleviate any concerns about their ability to handle MBA-level coursework. We also typically advise such applicants to use the optional essay to address the matter directly.
We can sympathize with not wanting to draw attention to poor academic performance. But if you don’t provide all of the details, the AdCom might make negative assumptions. Isn’t it better to supply the admissions committee with the facts and tell them your story rather than have the committee jump to the wrong conclusions?
One client made no excuses but freely admitted that he lacked the maturity to see the big picture during undergrad. He had only worked hard in classes that he considered intellectually engaging. By coupling his career trajectory with various extracurricular involvements, his essay demonstrated clear evidence that he had since developed that maturity and was prepared to dedicate himself to his MBA studies.
Addressing the Ultimate Red Flag: A Criminal Record
This red flag in the MBA application may seem insurmountable, but we have helped more than one client explain an embarrassing episode from their past. In one such case, the applicant had been arrested for underage drinking and a DUI during his sophomore year at a well-regarded liberal arts college. Having to disclose this information on his MBA applications mortified him. He feared no top business school would accept him due to his criminal record.
In this case, honesty is the only policy to assure that the background check yields no surprises. We turned this setback into an opportunity and decided to actively address the arrest in one of his essays for each school. Because the incident sparked a period of considerable self-reflection and change, his story was ultimately inspiring.
Are you worried about the background check process? Our MBA Precheck service will help you understand background verification.
Many MBA programs ask you to explain a mistake you have made or discuss a challenge you overcame. The most compelling candidates have faced difficulty and learned from it, preferably changing their behavior for the better. We took a youthful mistake and showcased a person determined to improve his life.
Senior SBC consultant Caryn Altman joins B-Schooled podcast host Chandler for a two-episode series called “Things You’re Scared to Talk About (and Why You Really Should).”
Admissions officers look for applicants who will succeed in their particular program and the world after graduation. Showing who you are, your potential, and even how you have overcome blemishes to your otherwise perfect record gives the school insight into your potential as a student and as a future business leader.
We all fail sometimes. The trick is to look at our failures through a fresh lens and see the good that comes from them.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs, from our All-In Partnership and Interview Prep to hourly help with essay editing, resume review, and much more! Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
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. ×
