What Do Colleges Look For in an Applicant

A top business school looks for specific qualities when they review thousands of applications that cross their desks. If you possess these 5 qualities, you’ll put yourself miles ahead of everyone else within your applicant pool. So here are the top 5 qualities to answer your question- what do colleges look for?

#1. Leadership

Business schools look out for a student who will contribute immensely to the society, and applicants have to show how they have begun to lead others even before setting foot on campus. But this does not have to mean coming up with grand and sweeping examples that forever changed the course of history at your company.

#2. Clarity of Thought

An applicant needs to be absolutely clear about what he wants to achieve. If there’s one thing B-Schools definitely don’t like in a candidate, it’s an applicant who is clueless about where they are headed.

Clarity of Thought is one the most important factor in an interview. You have to be absolutely sure of exactly why you are sitting in front of that interviewer who will decide your future.

#3. Solid Communication Skills

Top B-schools do give importance to your technical knowledge but what they value more is how you communicate your knowledge with your words and gestures. More than any other degree in the world, as an MBA student is expected to have really solid communication skills. Many Indian professionals do great in the technical part, but they fail to impress in the latter. At a top B-school, class participation makes up for up to 60% of the overall grade. The admissions team wants to diversify the class with students who can clearly make a pitch for their opinions and ideas.

#4. Fit for the Program

All the programs might appear similar on their websites, but each one has a ‘personality’. It is extremely important for a candidate to find whether their vision is aligning to what the course is offering. Showing compatibility with the culture of the university is essential.

Admission officers want to see whether enough research has been done by the candidate on the course and the college. They want to know what an applicant wants to take away from it and give back to the community.

#5. Personality Traits

During a personal interview, admission panel asks a candidate about his past work experience and academic record and also to elaborate his personal life-related discussions. During an interview, a lot of emphasis is given by an interviewer on the candidate’s personal traits. They also trick candidates to come open on their integrity and personal character. Extra‐curricular activities, that the candidate has been involved in, also helps in strengthening a candidate’s profile and tells a lot to the admissions team about his personal character.

Thousands apply for a top B-school each year, but only a few make it to their dream college. A top b-school not only gives you a platform where you meet, connect and compete with some of the best minds across the world but it also makes you a part of a legacy that stays with you for the rest of your life.

–Team Leverage