Researching your target MBA programs is an important part of your MBA journey—and a key part of that research should be reaching out to students and alumni of your target programs. You have many options to do so!
First, schools have invested a lot of effort to make a wealth of information available online. Frankly, this levels the playing field for applicants who cannot travel to visit schools in person because of work or cost barriers. Second, if you know someone at a program, reach out! Third, many MBA programs provide opportunities for applicants to talk with students virtually through admissions ambassador programs and coffee chats. These virtual meetings are often a great first step in connecting with current students. Fourth, leverage LinkedIn and search for your connections (or connections of your connections) at your target MBA programs.
While it’s possible to gain background information on a school through its website, the best way to truly get to know a school is to talk with current students and alumni. Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Be prepared.
Any time you reach out to someone to gain knowledge, make sure you are as efficient with their time as possible. Although you can have more open-ended conversations with good friends and colleagues about their MBA experiences, it is important to have thought through why you want to attend business school and what your career goals are before you have conversations with someone new. Have your one-minute elevator pitch ready so that you can succinctly talk to students or alumni about your goals for an MBA. The more specific you can be about what you are trying to accomplish with an MBA, the more helpful they can be with directing you to a resource or classmate with experience that might relate to your goals. Having this elevator pitch ready also allows you to practice it before you articulate it in your essays.
2. Do research.
Make sure you are familiar with the school information that is available online so you can ask deeper questions of students and alumni. Questions about experiences, culture, and community can help you get to know a program on a deeper level and can be asked of someone from any industry. For example, leverage your time with a club president to understand what is going on within a specific club so you can think about what you could add or how you could get involved. These details can make your contribution essays or interview questions much more specific and unique. Find out if there is a specific role you might want to take on or introduce to the club. On the other hand, don’t ask about steps in the admissions process that you can research yourself.
3. Create a list of questions.
Think about what you want to know ahead of time. It’s nice to have a common list of questions to ask across schools so you can easily compare their answers to help you identify which programs are right for you. The goal is to have your questions guide your conversation—not to make this an interview. Consider these examples: “What stands out to you about the school’s culture?” and “Tell me about your interactions within the classroom.” Stay away from one-word or yes/no questions such as “What is your favorite class?” and “Do you think I can get in there?” Check out “25 Questions to Ask Students and Alumni While Researching MBA Programs” for other ideas.
4. Attend a tour or a student/admissions chat.
Most MBA programs now offer both in-person and virtual admissions events. If you cannot visit campus in person, it is a good idea to connect virtually with a school—and we suggest setting a target of at least three times in some way that the school can track. This doesn’t mean sitting in on the same webinar three times; you should find different ways to connect with a school. Maybe start with a general webinar and then attend an industry-specific admissions event or a student or admissions chat where you can connect within a small group. It can be nice to hear other students’ questions as well. For example, Berkeley Haas offers The Student Perspective webinars, where you can talk with current students and alumni and ask questions. Make sure you are on the email list for the schools of interest to you because slots at these events can go fast!
5. Reach out to admissions ambassadors.
These students have volunteered to be ambassadors for the school, and reaching out to them is a great first step in making a connection with a school when you might not have a personal connection to leverage. Often, an ambassador can connect you with a student who is following a similar path or involved in a particular experiential learning opportunity or club. This is another reason why being prepared to discuss your goals is important. Duke Fuqua and Michigan Ross both appoint student ambassadors to engage with applicants.
6. Reach out to students who have a common interest.
Do you love to hike? Are you passionate about playing soccer or participating in “hackathons”? Find a club that you would have a personal interest in joining, and reach out to one of its members. Often, it is easier to connect with students across a shared interest. Chicago Booth lists club members in its website’s “Student-Led Groups” section, and Columbia offers different ways to connect with student groups through its club websites.
7. Search via LinkedIn.
LinkedIn can be a powerful search tool. Search for the school you are researching along with an industry or company name. Have you been involved with a professional organization such as Forté, a national or global nonprofit like Project by Project, or an alumni network such as Teach for America? Leverage LinkedIn to find current MBA students that might have links to those same organizations. This can give you a list of connections to contact.
When you reach out to people, don’t just send the automatically generated message to connect; send a brief, personalized message to explain why you are hoping to speak with them. Find a connection to mention, such as your goals, the person’s experiences, or something you have in common. For example, maybe you are interested in following a similar path or you want to understand why they got their MBA. Or maybe you have a personal connection: you went to the same school, worked at the same company, or are involved in a similar community organization.
8. Leverage your undergrad alumni network.
Approach the process of learning about schools through a student the same way you would conduct informational interviews about a new career path. Leverage your undergrad or graduate alumni database to find alumni who are attending or have attended schools of interest to you or are following a similar career path. You could start with LinkedIn to find others from your school and then reach out.
9. Send a thank you!
In addition to being the right thing to do, a kindly worded thank you may be a subtle reminder to someone to make that next introduction.
If you have questions about the MBA application process, please reach out to us for a free consultation!
