If you are a recent graduate looking to kickstart your career through a Master in Management, you know how important it is to connect with a school that will open the door for your future. Deciding which school is for you might be one of the most relevant decisions at this point in your professional development. Understanding the application process is the first step in the journey.
How can you best prepare for your IESE MiM application? Here are some tips and guidelines to have in mind when approaching the application –
Finding a good fit
When applying to a school it is essential that you get to know its culture and the people that make up the school. This is to ensure that you can thrive and excel in such an environment. It is a process of discovery that you need to go through with the school to ensure a “good fit”.
A great way to start is to do a little introspection and think about your motivations, desires, and expectations. What do you want to get out of your MiM experience? Why are you attracted to IESE? Make sure your application speaks about this.
Understand your values
IESE’s mission is to educate business leaders with a general management approach guided by a global mindset and people-centered vision. It is the bedrock on which the school is built, strongly informs its culture and is something that we want to see reflected in our student body. What are your values and how is this aligned with the school’s?
There are many ways where you can demonstrate the values of the school. You can share an example of where you went above and beyond, how you made a difference in your community or some other aspect of your life inside or outside of a professional setting
Highlight your essence
We understand that to ask you to bottle-up your essence in an application process is a difficult task. Make sure you take advantage of every opportunity to show us who you are (yes, that may include your peculiar hobbies as well!). How you can stand out is not only through your test scores or grades but through your personality, interests, and values – make sure you share all of what makes you, you with us.
Ultimately, we want to get to know you beyond the numbers or data that makes up the rest of your application. We hope you’re encouraged to show your personality!
Reflect on your essay
The application requirements such as standardized test results make sure we understand your academic background but that does not make up the complete picture of who you are. The essay section allows you the chance to complement your application and complete the picture of who you truly are. Essay questions can vary every year, but generally here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help prepare for just about any essay topic that comes your way.
Ask yourself the following:
- What makes me unique? Is this clearly demonstrated in my CV or in other parts of the application?
- How do my personal and/or professional experiences make me the right fit for this particular business school, rather than any business school?
- What are some concrete examples of leadership I have demonstrated? And how do I communicate them with passion and personality?
- How can I tell my story while avoiding clichés and not merely listing accomplishments? How can I make it personal, and perhaps even funny?
Take note of key deadlines
The Master in Management program at IESE follows a rolling admission policy, which means that we do not have a specific deadline for applying to IESE. As class sizes are limited and scholarships are allocated on a merit basis, we recommend you apply as soon as you are ready. We review applications on a continuous basis and aim to provide a decision on applications approximately 4-5 weeks after an application is submitted, if all the requirements are met. Do note the payment deadlines on our website as well; you may want to take those into consideration when deciding when to apply. You can read a detailed description of the application process here.
Final advice
A good application is one through which you can present yourself in a clear and authentic manner. The admissions committee wants to get to know you, so make sure that the stories that you share are meaningful. Make sure that you portray the real you in a consistent way and that you communicate your accomplishments and goals for the future.
We hope you enjoy getting to know yourself a bit better as much as we enjoy getting to know you!
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