Top Tips for LGBTQ+ MBA Applicants
Happy Pride Month! We’re on a mission to help all of the MBA applicants we work with shine their brightest when applying to business school. Bonus points if you’re able to enjoy the application process along the way. A group of LGBTQ+ MBA consultants from the SBC team got together to share stories from our own experiences applying to B-school.
We also swapped the lessons we’ve learned from working with clients over the years. Given the upheaval of the past two years, we believe that being bold and authentic is now more critical than ever. Here are nine tips for LGBTQ+ MBA applicants to consider when thinking about business school.
Curious about your chances of getting into a top MBA program? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
Advice for LGBTQ+ MBA Applicants
1. Connect with the LGBTQ+ student organizations at the schools you’re considering.
Speaking to LGBTQ+ MBA students at various schools is one of the best ways to learn about the program and the experience of LGBTQ+ students studying there. In addition, most MBA programs include information about the school’s LGBTQ+ student organizations on the school’s website. But if you can’t find this information, contact the admissions office.
We specifically suggest reaching out to one of the student co-presidents of a given school’s LGBTQ+ student organization. In our experience, these club leaders almost always write back to potential students.
This will give you a chance to gain current students’ perspectives and possibly connect with others in the admissions office working with LGBTQ+ MBA applicants. In addition, if there are events or information sessions specifically for LGBTQ+ applicants, you’ll want to be sure to attend these as well.
Listen to B-Schooled Podcast Episode #123: Tips for LGBTQ+ and Other Underrepresented Applicants
(Wharton School has the largest LGBTQ MBA club in the U.S. In 2020, the school launched Prism, a full-ride LGBTQ MBA Fellowship.)
2. Don’t be afraid to reach out to alums or individuals working in fields that interest you.
The LGBTQ+ world may be small, but it is also mighty. So, don’t be afraid to reach out to others in the LGBTQ+ community via LinkedIn and other professional platforms. Working through a friend of a friend is always great—but also try to “cold outreach” to other members of the community who graduated from schools you are interested in or who work in industries about which you are passionate.
Of course, this cold outreach doesn’t always work. Yet we’ve found LGBTQ+ applicants reaching out to others in the community seem to get an answer more often than not. A reminder: always put your best foot forward.
Whenever you contact anyone about your business school journey, ALWAYS be courteous in your approach, proofread your writing, and thank anyone who offers you feedback or guidance.
3. When writing your essays, share your story thoughtfully.
For many, coming out is a deeply personal experience that requires tremendous self-examination and introspection. Thus, an essay touching on this profoundly revealing vulnerability and self-awareness can be remarkable.
Many of the most compelling essays we’ve read, for example, don’t actually “center” on a coming-out story. Instead, they used this experience as a jumping-off point to explore topics that are deeply meaningful to the applicant.
Remember that admissions officers want to understand many different aspects of you as an applicant. We suggest that you present this element of your identity as an important facet—but not the totality—of who you are.
4. Don’t be afraid to be different. In fact, standing out can be a very good thing.
We see many LGBTQ+ MBA applicants who have been in the closet in college or professionally to conform to what society has told them a business person is “supposed” to be.
With all of our clients (not only members of the LGBTQ+ community), we encourage people to be themselves authentically. Embrace your individuality, your quirkiness, and your queerness, along with all the other things that make you unique.
Listen to B-Schooled Podcast Episode #103: The Power of Authenticity in MBA Applications
5. Check out the Reaching Out MBA Conference.
The Reaching Out MBA Conference (ROMBA) is the world’s largest gathering of LGBT+ business students and alumni. This event educates, inspires, and connects our community through C-suite panels, workshops, competitions, a host of receptions, and a career fair with 100 corporate partners across industries recruiting LGBTQ+ MBA talent.
The next ROMBA conference will be held September 26-28, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. See the ROMBA website for more details and registration information.
After you’ve been accepted:
6. Check out the Point Foundation (and other scholarship groups).
The Point Foundation (Point) is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students of merit. Point promotes change through scholarship funding, mentorship, leadership development, and community service training. To apply, applicants must be planning to attend a degree-granting undergraduate or graduate/ doctoral program. More information is available via the link above.
7. Consider your multiple identities when choosing the program that is right for you.
Several members of our team brought up the complexities of navigating the application process when one has multiple identities, such as being trans or non-binary, femme, from a low-income background, or non-white.
Each of these identity layers can add another degree of nuance when choosing the MBA program that feels right for you. This, of course, means different things for different people. For you, this might mean selecting an MBA program that has:
- Specific Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) policies in place (not just lip service)
- Faculty class rolls that include preferred names/pronouns
- Taken steps to make sure non-white and international students don’t feel isolated and that staff reach out proactively to check in instead of waiting for students to come to them
- A no-tolerance policy for derogatory language/behaviors so that individuals feel safe and know they can come forward
- A robust “ally culture” that supports LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented students
- Resources for pregnant/nursing mothers
On the other hand, we also realize that a) the list above is by no means comprehensive and that b) no single program is getting this 100% right. Therefore, we encourage applicants to evaluate these and other factors in light of their decision criteria to find the best fit. And then, once you select the program that is right for you and enroll, work hard to make it even better for those who will follow you.
8. When you do get to business school, speak up and pay it forward.
For every out person on a business school campus, there are often several other LGBTQ+ MBA students—especially those with multiple identities—who might not feel comfortable being out on campus yet.
Many of us remember times in our own business school experiences when speaking up or speaking out prompted others who weren’t out yet to approach us privately to thank us for making our voices heard. There is also a multiplier effect: once one person raises a hand to make a statement or acknowledge their identity, others gradually feel more comfortable doing the same.
9. Finally, enjoy yourself and make friends.
Invite that stranger to coffee. Have those tough conversations. Encourage the LGBTQ+ student organization to co-host a happy hour with a conservative group on campus. Business school can—and should—be a LOT of fun. It is also a powerful opportunity for you to influence the hearts and minds of classmates who will one day run corporations, organizations, and governments around the world.
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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. ×
