Management Opportunity ?? 2025 Insider's guide to MBA and Master's admissions

Here is the ultimate bag charm: the 2025 insider's MBA Admissions & Masters Report to get accepted to the top business schools of your choice. According to recent reports across the media, applicant pools at the world's top global business schools are spiking yet again, according to the GMAC. Therefore, getting accepted will take much more than sporting a leopard spot beret from Dior and the latest bag from Hermes.

Here are our hot tips on making your MBA or Master's applications stand out from the slush pile this year.

GMAT update

Most leading business schools demand the GMAT or GRE. For those of you applying for the third round that starts in mid-January, make sure you are registered for the exam and get the score you need. Should you hate these standardised tests, you are not alone. Very few schools have scrapped this requirement. Those that do, such as IE Business School in Madrid, will allow you to sit their in-house exam. For more details, contact the school directly.

Do not be obsessed with this test. Just do what needs doing. You do not need 800 and your score has nothing to do with winning a scholarship should this be your intention.

TOEFL scores are required for all candidates who were not educated in English or English is not their mother tongue. Count on +100.

Make your resume stand out

In?today’s world, your?resume?and social media profiles are intertwined. Personal branding must highlight who you are as a human being. Making your profile stand out against the competition will require creativity, layout, and strategic thinking.?Whether you are looking to change jobs or apply for an MBA, your resume is fundamental to any online application package.

MBA Candidates: Do not commit the classic cardinal mistake of making your CV a catalog list of "accomplishments" and responsibilities. Today's resume must engage in synoptic storytelling. The more experience you have at your back, the more details you can pick and choose from. Younger profile cohorts (21-23) will find this more challenging. Please note that top European MBA business schools tend to favour candidates who are +25 years old. American schools still recruit younger candidates.

Where to apply: Choosing where to apply is never straightforward. Evaluate your budget, where you can afford to go to school, and where you would like to work post-MBA. According to the FT, European MBA programmes offer the best ROI. This doesn't mean you should avoid applying to leading American or Canadian programmes. Just recognise that these programmes, for the most part, are 2 years in length whereas European ones are roughly a year (12-14 months).

The hot business school programmes to apply to

this year are INSEAD, London Business School, University of Chicago Booth, IESE Business School, YALE SOM, and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. There are many other excellent programmes out there. Applicants are always spoiled for choice, but it is important to remember that you need to target your application to give your candidacy the best shot at actually getting accepted.

No "one" profile type gets accepted over another. What matters is excellence in what you have done and what you can share with the incoming class. (For a better understanding of where you should apply or how your candidacy stands, drop us a DM to book a FREE 20-minute consultation.)

For?MIM and Masters candidates, anyone +21 can apply. For these degree programmes, a solid resume still matters, and yes, internships and pro bono work count.

Story Telling: When it comes to choosing how to tell your story, make sure you are authentic, avoiding any cliches. Demonstrate your communication skills, teamwork, and leadership abilities supported by concrete details. Certain HR people refer to these as “soft” skills. There is nothing soft about these skill assets. STEM candidates beware. Metrics will not be enough to put you across the admissions acceptance line. With so many STEM candidates resembling each other, professionally speaking, they will need to find differentiators to make their candidacies radiate.

Another key admissions determinant is character. However, a character is hard to quantify. Admissions people look to see ingenuity, uniqueness, how you handle obstacles, and how well you can explain setbacks. Everyone has setbacks. What matters is that you can articulate not only why a project did not go as planned but more importantly what you learned from the experience.

MBA Admissions: How to write essays that matter

Essay writing is an acquired skill. Some of us are better at written forms of communication than others. Consequently, there have been diverse conversations on what constitutes a well-written essay. This has led to certain candidates looking for essays, which have gotten people accepted in the past. The practice of "borrowing" someone else's work doesn't wash well with any admissions committee. We advise being straightforward and avoiding professional jargon.?Another word to the wise: Every school has a software programme that proofreads your work for plagiarism.

For those tempted to use AI, I would think carefully. I have read essays generated in this manner. They use words and terms that human beings simply don't use. My advice is that should you go this route, do so parsimoniously and with caution.

We counsel MBA and Master's candidates to use words that anyone can comprehend. Admissions people are for the most part, not technical folks and you can lose them in recounting your glorious campaigns and escapades. The key to great essay writing is clarity. Therefore, connect the dots. You might not be the next hi-tech wunderkind but this is not necessary. Who you are as a human being is as important as what you have done. One look at politicians and certain business leaders around the world should prove to you that what the world needs now are honest and decent leaders in business who have a human heart. We already have too many of the other sort.

Another often neglected component in essay writing is a candidate's aptitude to express what motivates them. Get this wrong and your file is binned. Some candidates feel that this is pandering. It can be if not handled judiciously. Business school admissions committees want to make sure that you will fit in and excel in their academic community. Since no two business schools have the same business education culture, this is an important determinant. This rule applies to both FT and PT MBA or Masters candidates.

Scholarships: There is a lot of chat online about getting a "free ride". Please note that nothing in life is free. Absolutely nothing. Yes, there are some schools, which do offer full academic scholarships. To win a scholarship is either merit-based or based on financial need. "Need" is a relative term. Think carefully about this. Also, I should add that winning a scholarship is akin to putting your hand in a bag of straws and hoping to find the pin. They are extremely hard to win. Period. This doesn't mean don't try; by all means, go for it, but don't expect anything.

Many people speak to us about whether should they take a loan. The answer is yes. Should you get accepted to a top 20 MBA or Master's, your diploma is worth its weight in gold. Almost all grads gain 6 figure salaries. This is certainly worth your investment. Secondly, many ask us if they should hire a coach who can help them to get accepted. Here again, we are slightly biased on this topic since we have been helping qualified applicants for more than 25 years. Despite this fact, I feel the answer is yes because a great coach can help you get accepted to a top school you probably won't by yourself. Is this worth the cost? You bet your life it is if they can get you into HBS or INSEAD. Food for thought.

Bringing it back home

Applying for an MBA or Master's has challenges. Most talented candidates seek professional assistance with their applications. There is no shame in doing so. Do not take the application process lightly and do not feel a sense of entitlement. We feel that these degree programmes upscale your career quicker than should you try this organically.

About the author

Andrew Scharf is an Award-Winning MBA Admissions Consultant and also offers ?? Executive Coaching ?? He is widely recognised for helping top performers and aspiring professionals be all they can be. His?mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world at Whitefield Consulting .