Nailing a Strong MBA Application
Ifeoluwa: Lane, also known as Light Africa Network, focuses typically on global MBA programs with a vision of building an economically and politically inclusive Africa through helping young people to identify and execute practical ventures that lead to Africa’s inclusive growth. As members of Lane, we are inclusive and also accountable to each other. One might want to join the MBA program, so all you can do is be self-motivated and enthusiastic about the program.
Lina Ramos: As part of the program, we usually help introduce our students to the LBS MBA program in the community and get to know them better. Maybe you might want to know how we perform our admission insights; the funding options being offered in the program and how you can prepare your application if you are interested. There are some ways by which one can use to motivate oneself, whereby we have leadership development, career acceleration, and career transition where one might want to change their religion.
We also help provide entrepreneurial ambitions so that our students get entrepreneurial skills that will help them in the business field, which usually helps enhance their networking ability while in the business field.
Charlotte Smith: Four key things are essential in the program, and we are going to look at World-class faculty that teaches our students about the curriculum, which is necessary when we look at your master’s degree. The faculty also helps in research during their teaching time in the school, enabling them to bring cutting-edge research to the classroom for our students daily. Apart from that, we also have an outstanding peer group where we look for people that are specifically curious and collaborative in partnering with people who are not necessarily the same as them in terms of life experience or types of businesses they have done previously.
When talking about our location, the school is well-positioned, which makes it more connected to other business firms within the world, and our students also have a good connection when it comes to job inquiries. We provide a global mindset whereby we look for a way to expand their time in the business school. We usually aim at having gender parity on the program, but generally, we review applications holistically, and basically, gender parity is one of the elements considered in an application. One might want to know what the program looks for in a student, and here we will reflect on the motivations we talked about earlier since they are also crucial things that our students should learn.
We encourage our students to be collaborative by putting them in groups to interact and share ideas with other students. The school has students from different nationalities and backgrounds, which also helps them to be more collaborative.
Damilola: The grouping sessions help in understanding ourselves since the groups consist of people from different nationalities, which allows us to have and contribute more ideas and makes us have more experiences.
One thing that is good about the structure is that you get to meet and interact with people from different nationalities and backgrounds. Everyone in the group is very flexible and emotionally mature, making the program exciting and comfortable for those who want to join the program.
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Charlotte Smith: When we talk about self-awareness, we shall be looking at your strengths and weaknesses from when you join or start applying for a chance in the program, which you should always be aware of. It would help if you prioritized your work regarding what you want to increase your skills with or what you want to work on while in business school. It is also essential and advisable to know where you are in your career and where you want to be while writing your application.
We have online modules which are often completed before students arrive, whereby the first term is the most prescribed in the MBA program, and this is where you get to know what you will be studying and when since the rest of the program is flexible. The second and third terms of the first year are where you get to tailor yourself through tailored core courses. Usually, our business fundamentals take care of everything in marketing, finance and not leaving a bit of accounting.
We only offer internship and intrapreneurship during summer and not summer holidays, so you should know what you want to do since one can start entrepreneurship in their first year in the field. The students are only allowed to choose complete electives since one can concentrate in one of the eight specific areas within the program. So, for instance, in the entrepreneurial area, together with management and marketing.
Apart from that, the electives are flexible in terms of what you choose and how you choose to study them. We also have early exit points that run for about 15 and 18 months. If you all wish to know about the MBA program, especially the employment reports, we have a website page where you can log in to get the information you need. You can also talk to the school alumni or the great student in the admission blogs since you will know more.
Lina Ramos: While looking at the application process, we will look at the standard application. You will have to submit a completed application form of the rank for which you are applying. After that, the admissions committee will review the entire application. If by any chance, you are shortlisted by the admissions committee, you will have an in-person interview with one of the MBA alumni situated in your location. The interviewer will then return the interview report, or rather the feedback, to the admissions committee. It will be reviewed once again with your initial application and then come out with a final decision.
The application process can last for about 5 to 12 weeks, depending on the round you are applying for. We have four rounds of application deadlines, which are available on our website. When it comes to application requirements, you need to submit a one-page CV and the online application form, which will help us know your background better, and these may include reasons for taking a job and reasons for leaving a role. We also have two types of essays where one essay is compulsory, and the other one is optional. Besides that, we require GMAT or GRE scores, and they should be at least average. We do not use the only GMAT as the only reference while making the final decision. When we talk about an essay, we discuss an opportunity to distinguish yourself by showing us that you have done the research and what you would like to achieve since an essay is the most significant part of an application.
Damilola: Actually, LBS has one of the easiest essays since it is straightforward. It’s advisable not to waste words but think about how you can develop a compelling story to be captivating. This also applies to the application form, where you should not undersell yourself while applying.
Awele: When writing an essay, you have to understand the obvious as well as yourself. It would help to find the overlap and where it is coming from to know where to start.
Lina Ramos: One of the questions we often get is how one can select referees. The key things you should note should be who makes a good referee, and here we will talk of that person willing to write well about you. The person also knows you well, which leads us to speak of how much weight a referee’s job title carries, where it is advisable to not depend on the people who might not be having your time or maybe the time to write about you in details. Finally, we shall look at what you can do if at all you do not wish to disclose your plans to your line manager, and in this case, you can talk to a client or maybe a college that you have worked with, or you can as well involve your previous employer.
The MBA group always ensures that they match you with someone in the same field, which causes the interview to come as a two-way communication process. In this case, the alumni may want to find more about you just as it allows you to ask them questions about the industry, their experience, and most importantly, how the LBS experience helped them achieve what they wanted and the positions they are in now.
Questions and Answers
For those coming from health care, how does the scholarship help support diverse representation within the LBS community and the experiences students get while they are in the program?
Lina Ramos: LBS has awards based on merit and financial needs since we consider the benefits of having a diverse student body. We have the Layla scholarship for women, which is set aside for exceptional women who cannot afford higher education. Then we have the ROMBA scholarship, another award open to influential candidates who would like to be active within the LGBTQ+.
What are some of the common mistakes made in essays?
Lina Ramos: Some candidates tend to replicate what is on their CV in their essays which usually seems to be the most likely mistake in most essays. One can add something maybe about their background but not replicating what is on the Cv.
Can one shed more light on how important extracurricular and contributions to the community are in the application?
Charlotte Smith; If you have any extracurricular activities that you wish to share with us, you are free to add them to your application since it is important. You can do this through any application questions, and if by any chance you feel that you do not have such information, you should not apply. The good thing is that everyone is free to apply regardless of who you are and where you come from.
Lina Ramos: Apart from that, we also have different clubs, which are the collaborative environment in which the curricular gives us an indication of being in the community once you join the program. Therefore, it is advisable always to make sure that your essay and application are always unique since it increases your chance of getting into business school.