7 Points to Check Before Submitting Your MBA Applications

You have laboured over your MBA applications for the past few months and now the time has come to submit them. While you have gone through numerous iterations of your application form, resume and essays, there might still be some aspects that you have overlooked.

Here are some things to recheck before you hit that final “submit” button on your MBA application:

1) MBA application form:

This long, exhaustive document requires you to fill out many personal and professional details, some of which you may not have filled out completely the first time around. As you review your form, start at the beginning and make sure that each section is filled out, the information provided is accurate and all relevant transcripts have been uploaded. Data (such as job duration, designations and number of people supervised, among others) in the form needs to be consistent with the resume.

2) Resume:

As a snapshot of your work experience, education, skills and accomplishments, your resume needs to be comprehensive, but still, be only one page long. If the business school you’re applying to has a set template for resumes, make sure that you adhere to it. It is critical to be consistent in your resume. Double-check that your resume is correctly formatted, with the same font, margins and currency across all points.

3) Essays:

This is probably where you have spent the maximum time. Re-read the essays one last time before submission to ensure that there are no grammatical errors. During the MBA application process, you may have repurposed the same information for different essays across multiple business schools. Make sure that when you upload your essays, you have the right file! Errors, such as the wrong school name, can ruin your chances of gaining admission.

4) Letters of recommendation (LORs):

By now, your recommenders would have written your LORs. However, it is your responsibility to follow up with them to make sure that they have submitted the LORs before the deadline. Recommendations can be submitted before you submit your MBA applications, so tell your recommenders to submit this document as soon as possible. Remember, until your business school receives your LORs, your application will be considered incomplete.

5) GMAT/GRE scores and TOEFL/IELTS:

At the time of taking the test, you may not have decided on your college list and, as such, have not had your scores reported to business schools. These scores need to be sent along with the application. Ensure you have paid the fees and indicated where you are applying so that your desired business school gets your scores on time.

6) Proofread everything:

Each component of the MBA application needs to be proofread before you submit it. Check for spelling mistakes, grammar and syntax errors. The format you use for numbers, figures, dates and durations should be consistent across your application. Also, use either American or British English. Avoid using industry-specific jargon, acronyms and colloquialism.

7) Submission timing:

Do NOT wait until hours before the deadline to submit your MBA applications as this may cause unnecessary delays. Overloaded servers may become slow and even crash in the hours before application deadlines. Ideally, try to submit your application a few days early. In case you are applying close to the deadline, check the exact time of the deadline for each school, as they all may have different timings. Be wary of time zones, especially in the US, as the East Coast and West Coast timings differ significantly. If you are not mindful, you may miss the deadline entirely.

If you feel like you are not ready to hit submit, don’t worry, you can still apply for your MBA programme in Round 2. If you have any further questions about how to apply to a business school or if you need help with choosing the right school, get in touch with us.