Best Practices to Get into a High Ranking Business School

Getting into a top ranking business school puts a big pressure on candidates who are torn between a list of options to pick from.

The best business school is a professional school that prepares students to thrive in the highly competitive business world. It seeks students with the necessary leadership skills necessary to succeed, so here’s to make the cut.

Research First

Choosing from a list is dreadful, similarly to picking the most delicious plate from a variety of taste palettes. It’s all about looking for the right information and following the gut feeling. A good starting point would be narrowing down the fields of interests, personal points of strengths, and the end-goal because it’s all about finding the best fitting programme for every candidate, and finding a perfect match comes after meticulous research into business schools and how this fit is established.

A big part of research goes beyond numbers, it’s more reflective and should answer a specific set of questions:

• Does the school have ample resources for entrepreneurship training?
• Does it support students develop their business?
• Does it train students for real life business scenarios?
• Is the alumni circle active and supportive of current students?
• Is it capable of boosting my networking circle?

Business School and the Right Preparation

For the application essay and the interview, they both rely on one main element: authenticity. Giving some time for self-reflection and introspection are the key to understanding candidates’ goals and allowing them to shine in the application. Some preparation would involved asking oneself these questions:

• Why do I want to pursue an MBA or an MSc?
• Why did I choose this particular business school?
• How does the programme align with my experience, current situation, and future plans.
• What would I want the business school to offer me overall as part of the experience?

According to MBA admissions officers, a smart preparation also includes an out-of-the-box preparation because a high ranking business school assesses whether a student is a willing team player who can collaborate on group projects and if the student has strong communication skills, because unlike a Ph.D., it’s not a purely academic programme. In addition to evaluating a student’s test scores and grades, a top  programme will consider whether the student has a history of making meaningful contributions to the organizations where he or she has worked, admissions officers say.

Showcasing the Nontechnical Skills

Beyond good test scores and work experience, top MBA and MSc programmes look for candidates who demonstrate initiative and are not afraid to think outside the box and coming up with creative solutions even to common business problems. This will allow the interviewee to:

• Unlock the professional potential based on the candidate’s answers.
• Discover personal characteristics and whether they fit the school values.
• How the candidate’s attitude can predict his contribution in team projects and presentations.
• Does his speech and eloquence reflect the motivation essay of the application?

Léonard de Vinci Business School (EMLV) offers several degrees with specialisations in accounting, digital business, marketing, finance, and human resources.

The EMLV programmes have been designed to help students reach their highest potential as future leaders.

EMLV provides state of the art programmes in business with an emphasis on diversity and entrepreneurship. Students are exposed to real life business scenarios which equip them with core professional skills. In addition, the numerous study-abroad opportunities provide a strong international aspect. The range of internships opens up many career options for the future. Faculty and staff consist of both international research professors and business professionals.

Researching a business school? Read the Why choose EMLV as your top business school in Paris, France.