Sponsored by LUMSA
With admissions deadlines just around the corner, it’s time to start polishing and sending off applications.
If you’re applying to business schools in Europe, you’ll know just how exhausting and time-consuming the process can be.
Once you’ve tackled the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), a standardized test which can take up to several months to prepare for, you’ll be bracing yourself for the forms, personal essays, reference letters and in-person or Skype interviews that follow.
Read on to get the inside track on how to impress admission staff at your dream business school.
Read the Financial Times and Business Insider to stay up-to-date
Do you know what the European markets are doing and where the price of a barrel of oil is headed? If so, why not? You should be able to hold down your end of a conversation about the state of the global and European economy.
If your knowledge of business news and current affairs isn’t up to scratch, email newsletters are a great way to get up to speed. Sign up for the Financial Times’ Brussels Briefing for a daily digest of what is happening across Europe as well as Business Insider’s very engaging daily email listicle, 10 Things Before European Markets Open.
A low GMAT score isn’t fatal but it won’t do you any favors
Book a test date before you do anything else, ensuring you give yourself ample time to revise for the test.
Seats at test centers around the world can fill up quickly, and you need to make sure you receive your scores in time for admission deadlines.
How long should you set aside to prepare for the test? Kaplan recommends you spend between two and three months, or the equivalent of up to 120 hours, reviewing revision notes and taking practice tests. It’s worth remembering that while the GMAT can be challenging, like most standardized tests, it’s as much about knowledge as it is about technique and preparation.
It’s not uncommon for grad school applicants to retake the exam. If your score is low and you have a few months ahead of you before the deadline, allowing enough time for marking and for your results to get sent to you, consider retaking the exam. You’re allowed up to five resits a year, but no more than one per fortnight.
Spend time choosing your referees wisely
References are an all-too neglected aspect of grad school applications. While it can be difficult to find people with first-hand experience of you in a work or academic setting who are willing to write you a reference, try to find the best references you can.
You should have two equally strong referees to attest to your leadership skills, commercial acumen and work ethics. Ideally, you’ll have one reference from an academic background who has taught you personally and another reference with professional ties to you who’s worked with you in the past.
Treat your personal essay like a written interview
How will the degree help you achieve your long-term goals? The admissions committee reading your essay will be looking to find out about your background, career goals, and some sense that you know what you want to get out of the course.
Of course, recruiters will also want to find out about your potential and unique strengths. Striking the right tone is a tough balancing act: you should aim to sound conversational but not colloquial, thoughtful but not self-centered.
It’s really important that you use the essay to showcase your unique transferable skills. The admissions committee will be looking for signs of adaptability, problem-solving, and an innovative and entrepreneurial approach, as well as the capacity to work in a multicultural context, so try to provide evidence of times when you’ve demonstrated these abilities.
The key to bragging about yourself without sounding like you’re tooting your own horn is to back every assertion you make with solid facts. For example, if you make the claim that you have good commercial acumen or problem-solving skills, describe an instance in your life or career when you had to make use of those skills, what you learned in the process and how it might feed into your career trajectory.
Some business schools give students a prompt and word count. If that’s the case, stay within the word limit and don’t wax lyrical about a topic you’re interested in but is completely unrelated. Stick to the prompt, or your credibility will go out the window. And, of course, don’t forget to proofread for grammar, spelling and accuracy.
Don’t be afraid to be picky
Choose the right university for you. If you’re still researching business schools, we recommend you consider LUMSA, one of the oldest institutions in Rome within walking distance of the Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo and San Pietro.
Their outstanding MSc in Management and Finance will give you the skills and know-how you need to work as manager or consultant for businesses, financial institutions and public administrations.
The 24-month program offers two specializations: entrepreneurship and Innovation for Sustainability and Banking and Finance for Innovation.
Key features of the MSc include its focus on innovation and digital transformation, sustainability, international business, entrepreneurship and soft skills.
