Posts Tagged ‘Penn State Smeal MBA’

Let’s Get Ready to Recruit the Penn State Smeal MBA Class of 2015!

Friday, May 11th, 2012

As some of our students prepare to leave campus for their internship, and new graduates get ready to take on new career challenges, MBA admissions is already in planning mode for the next admissions cycle. We have already seen inquiries from prospective students who are applying to start school in the fall of 2013 to become the class of 2015. If you are looking at getting a head start on your application for next year, here are some things you can do now:

1)Begin preparing for the GMAT. It may seem like you have plenty of time before our November deadline, but if you prepare and take the exam early in the process, you leave yourself plenty of time to test again if necessary. If the first score is what you want, you’ve also then given yourself some extra time to work on other parts of your application.
2)Narrow your top program choices into a short list. You may be interested in 20 programs, but realistically, you probably won’t wind up applying to more than about 6. Certainly this number varies by applicant, but keep in mind the application itself can be expensive. Choose wisely and make sure you really know which programs will be a good fit for you.
3)Begin looking at finances. If you haven’t already, get a good idea of how much your target programs cost and how much you will be able to afford. If you are hoping for merit-based aid from a program, you need to make sure your final applications are as competitive as possible.
4)Start thinking about themes for your essays. While each program will ask slightly different essay questions, as you do your research, notice some of the themes that will emerge (career goals, leadership experiences, etc.)
5)Check out the fall schedule for both MBA recruiting fairs AND for the specific programs you have interest in. Fairs can be helpful in identifying program choices that best fit you and your goals, but they shouldn’t be the only way you research programs. Lots of great MBA programs don’t make the full “fair circuit”. Additionally, most schools will soon post program-specific events including campus visit opportunities. Mark your calendar now so you can make sure you’ve put aside the appropriate amount of time for MBA-related events and campus visits.

While summer can be a great time to relax and enjoy the weather, it’s also a great time to put yourself ahead of the pack and get an early jump on b-school admission!

–Stacey Dorang Peeler

Tags: application, GMAT, MBA, MBA fairs, Penn State, Penn State Smeal MBA, Smeal, visit mba
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