7 Top Tips for Starting Your Business School Research

The next step is to network, says Kestner. “Whether it be a boss, family member or friend who went to business school, gathering information and advice from close mentors can provide valuable insight on the MBA experience at different schools,” she says. “Alumni and current students are also great resources for an insider’s perspective.” Of course, many schools will connect you with “ambassadors,” who are current students who can answer questions, or even give you a tour should you get to campus.

Get on a school’s mailing list to know when admissions staff or alumni are hosting events in your neighborhood. Seek out events organized by companies, such as QS, that connect schools and prospective students. Often at these events, you can check out the booths of multiple programs in one place. You can strike up conversations with staff from the program and get a sense of the type of people you might find there. It’s also a chance to ask any questions you have about campus life or the application itself.

As you begin to gather more general information about the degree and the types of programs available, you should start to narrow down your list of schools. You should be looking for schools that offer the type of education and career placement you are seeking. And the culture, geography, and size of the place count, too. Remember, you might have to live and work at this school for the next two years.

Ideally, you will visit the schools that most interest you. But that’s not always possible. The good news is your business school dreams don’t end there, thanks to modern technology.

“Of course, if you are in Toronto we'd like for you to visit the school and sit in on a class or go for coffee with current students, but you can also read the student blogs and connect with students online,” says Jamie Young, director of full-time MBA Recruitment & Admissions at University of Toronto Rotman School of Management. “We help to facilitate those connections and then you can take the conversation offline and ask the questions you really want to know more about.”

Schools mail newsletters or share student blogs with those who are interested in the program. Sign up for those to which you are planning to apply. You want to demonstrate interest in the program. More importantly, you need to keep tabs on the school, so you can demonstrate your fit and explain the school’s culture and your excitement about it. This will all enhance your chances of getting into a particular program.

Look at the class profile to learn about average GMAT scores, GPAs, and other student stats. See how you stack up against them. Learn about the recruiters who come to campus and the types of jobs and salaries graduates snag. You can find that information in career service profiles, which are often available on business school sites or in rankings packages.

But admissions experts warn not to become too focused on the data points. All sorts of candidates make their way into a program, even if they don’t match every aspect of the class profile.

“Many MBA candidates see class profiles as a signal of who the school is looking for from an admissions perspective. I would encourage you instead to consider the class profile as a report of who is in the program,” says Young. “Without this context, I think class profiles can create a self-perpetuating cycle. So, for example, any person from a group that is underrepresented in a class profile should know that the school may actually be very interested in their profile/background.”