What to Do After an MBA Event | TopMBA.com

What to Do After an MBA Event

By QS Contributor

Updated October 13, 2017 Updated October 13, 2017
The MBA event may be over, but you still need to follow up with admissions officers and reflect upon your experience. Here are some post MBA event tips on how to keep in touch with admissions officers after the event is over and process all the MBA program information you've received.
 
  • Reflect on your experience at the event. Were you able to achieve your goals? If not, why? What can you do differently? How can you improve your skills? Assess what you learned from the experience, and find ways to apply these insights as you move forward in the MBA application process.
  • Send a thank you email to everyone you met. This doesn't only include MBA admissions officers, but alumni and students as well (assuming they were present at the event). Talking to admissions officers at an MBA event is often your first interaction you have with a school, but it shouldn't be the last. In a recent article on the blog for the Mason School of Business, the Associate Director of MBA Admission Randy Tripp states that admissions officers want MBA candidates to contact them after the event.
  • Personalize your email message. Be sure to mention part of the panel or conversation instead of just sending a generic thank you. You should also make sure that you send the right thank-you note to each person. While cutting and pasting text makes things a lot easier, it could hurt you in the long run if you mention the wrong school in your email.
  • Include follow-up questions in your email if you have any.
  • Assess the schools you met with at the MBA event. Hopefully, you were able to find several programs that fit your profile and interests. Take time to look at which schools best meet your needs. If you find that many schools meet your MBA program criteria, you will need to narrow down your list of potential schools.
  • If you are unable to narrow down your list of schools to apply to, keep attending events, researching MBA programs, and asking for advice.
  • Give yourself credit. It is not always easy approaching admissions officers, but you did it! Hopefully, you can come out of the event with more confidence about your people skills, and your ability to choose the right school. If not, stick with it, and the confidence will come over time.

This article was originally published in December 2012 . It was last updated in October 2017

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