Inside the Minds of MBA Admissions Officers

Veritas Prep has released a white paper examining the results of its first annual survey of admissions officers at the top 30 business schools in the United States.

"Trends in MBA Admissions: Perceptions of Admissions Officers at Top 30 Business Schools" highlights notable findings from the Veritas Prep Survey of MBA admissions officers, an eight-week online survey conducted among the top 30 U.S. business schools, according to BusinessWeek's rankings. Responses from admissions officers on topics ranging from student selection criteria to the future of the MBA application revealed a series of considerations that any b-school applicant should heed, including:

• Almost half of respondents report that the number of admits straight out of college has increased compared to five years ago, partly reflecting a push by many top MBA programs to attract younger applicants.


• Among desired changes that admissions officers would like to see in their applicant pool, diversity ranks number one.


• Among applicant traits and characteristics, analytical skills rank as the most important, far ahead of any other characteristic such as leadership and community service.

Despite the increased demand for graduate business education stemming from the current economic slowdown and other contributing factors, the savvy business school applicant is in a unique position to secure a coveted seat in a leading MBA program through some additional due diligence. Understanding what wows and irritates admissions officers at leading business schools, and tailoring the MBA application accordingly, can propel one’s candidacy from unlikely to competitive.

You can access the white paper here. For more MBA admissions help, contact Veritas Prep and get matched with an admissions expert today!