How to prepare an MBA application?

This is probably the most important section of this blog.
Be accepted to your favourite Business School is not an easy task. It requires time, effort and money.
Time: let's say thay you want to start your MBA in September 2011, well you should start to plan your preparation now (two years in advance). Your goal is to submit the application in the first round, which is one year before the beginning of the MBA, to maximize your chances (all schools have quotas for nationalities/job experiences, if all the places are already taken you will finish in the waiting tlist). Time is spent to study for GMAT, TOEFL, preparing the essays, asking for the reference letters and filling the applications
Effort: you will need to study hard for your tests and write perfect essays. If you are a consultant you might sacrify some week-ends to complete your preparation.
Money: There is a cost for the tests and for each applications you will submit, plus books and, if you need, essays revisions (consider approx 600-800$ for tests and material and approx 150-200$ per application)

Hope you will not be discouraged by the work to be done and you will start to plan it.

My first advice is to

1. Start from the short list the schools that you will apply for (in case read the advice in the post: How to choose an MBA?).
2. Look in the School websites what you need to prepare to apply and which is the deadline for the first round.
3. Prioritize the School with an earlier deadline.

Usually to complete an application you need to do:

• GMAT test. (1) Check the school website if there is a minimum score required. (2) Schedule a test appointment (http://www.gmat.com/). (3) Prepare for at least 3 months, the the more you prepare for the GMAT, the higher will be your score. Here some links for the books that I used to prepare for the GMAT. I suggest to have your own books so you can take notes and continuosuly refer to them. Use the link below to quick buy them
  The Official Guide for GMAT Review
  Kaplan GMAT 2010: Premier Live Online (Kaplan Gmat Premier Live)
  Cracking the GMAT 2009 (Princeton Review: Cracking the GMAT)
• TOEFL (if you are not a native English speaker). (1), (2) as above. Toefl test preparation is easier if you are ready for the GMAT. Some people says that if you study for GMAT, TOEFL will come for free. My advice is to check your current English level and decide which test to do first (GMAT if you are already at a good level, TOEFL if you need more practice). Quick links to buy the books that I suggests are:
  The Official Guide to the New TOEFL IBT (2007)
  Cracking the TOEFL Ibt with CD, 2010 Edition [With Audio CD] (Princeton Review: Cracking the TOEFL)
• Essays. Read carefully what the essay is looking for. Tell a coherent story across the different essays. As general tip, you can write down the main points for each essay first and then develop them. Another advice is to use a clear introduction, paragraphs and conclusion. Try to be special. If you are using the same essay for different application, please remember to chance the name of the school and do consistent references (you have no idea of how many students do this mistake). As final advice ask to a school alumnus and a native english speaker to check your essays.
• Reference letters. Usually schools ask for two reference letters. Look for school alumni among your supervisors. An alumus refering a prospects student is different from a person that the school do not know.
• CV. If requested please have a one-page compelling CV. Put your experiences from the most recent to the oldest one in the form of achievements. Remember that schools look for complete candidate, therefore do not underestimante your non-work activities section
• Filling the online application. The main advice here is to pay attention and try to fill as many fields as possible.

Hope this list of tips will help you in your MBA application preparation!