Application jitters anyone? You’re in luck, because admissions officials at top MBA programs have taken it upon themselves to help assuage anxious applicants in recent days.
Earlier this week Stanford GSB’s Admissions Committee offered up tips on how to avoid common application blunders. In the days since, the recently launched Tuck Admissions Blog has provided two posts of its own, one giving insight into how the Tuck admissions staff reviews applications and another debunking myths surrounding the GMAT.
The first post explains how Tuck reviews applications from a procedural standpoint, a question we first posed several months ago to Tuck Admissions Director Dawna Clarke as part of our Admissions Director Q&A Series. On the Tuck Admissions Blog this past Monday, Associate Admissions Director Karen Marks provides much the same answer Clarke did when she spoke to us.
As both women explained, each application to Tuck undergoes at least two thorough reviews by members of the admissions staff. “Most are reviewed three times or more,”writes Marks. Clarke herself sees every single file as well, making a final decision in most cases.
In instances when a decision can’t be reached after multiple reviews, an application will get sent to the admissions committee. These are the cases when a candidate presents clear strengths as well as areas of concern – in other words, when they are “on the border” – Clarke explained to us.
In her blog post, Marks added that the entire application is evaluated during this process, not just grades or GMAT. Additionally, the demographics of the pool as a whole is also taken into consideration. “The bottom line is that we treat each application the same way, regardless of your scores,” she writes. “We are looking for fit as well as academic and professional excellence, and our review process reflects our commitment to a holistic analysis.”
In a subsequent post yesterday, Marks went on to address specific concerns about the GMAT. “It seems to be the component that generates the most anxiety among prospective students,” she writes.
Marks reiterated what she’d said in her previous post – that all applications are reviewed in the same way regardless of GMAT score, which means that other parts of an application can balance a below-average GMAT.
“Nevertheless, it is a reality of MBA admissions that we do look closely at your GMAT score, including an examination of how you did in each section – verbal, quant and analytical writing,” Marks continued. Tuck requests that applicants submit all their GMAT scores, ultimately considering the highest composite score as an official GMAT submission.
But at the same time, Marks writes, the admissions committee does consider the fact that you may have done better in a particular section on a previous try. “So, if your highest GMAT score is a 700, but you didn’t have a great quant day and scored below our average on that test, we will look at your other attempts to see if you did better in quant on a different day,” Marks says. “We won’t factor that score in an official capacity – i.e., we won’t create a new, higher GMAT for you, but we do take a look,” she continues.
According to Marks, Tuck considers GMAT scores as closely as it does because they have been shown to be good indicators of academic potential and they want admitted students to perform well as part of the school’s challenging curriculum.
Marks then moved on to myth-busting:
• Tuck does not discount applicants who take the GMAT multiple times. “We know that the GMAT is challenging, and it is important to (try to) apply with a score that reflects your potential,” she assures.
• There is not a cut-off score beneath which admission will be denied. “We do not have a minimum score, and the current average is just that – an average,” Marks writes. That said, most admitted students will come close to the mean score, she acknowledged. “I don’t want to create any unrealistic expectations.”
Finally, Marks adds that while her office cannot guarantee that new GMAT scores will be reviewed after the deadline for an applicant’s round has passed, it will do its best to update files if it can.
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