Four application tips from Yale

The new year is almost upon us and so are round two MBA application deadlines. With this putting the pressure on applicants the admissions office at Yale School of Management came forward with an early holiday treat – 4 tips for B-school applicants.

1. Work on your essays. Here is your chance to share your personal/professional narrative, so make sure your essays not only answer the questions, but tell a coherent and concise story. Consider asking a mentor or colleague to read over your essays and provide honest feedback on how well you achieve these goals.
2. Polish your resume. The resume is a snapshot of your educational and professional life to-date. Make sure it is clean, clear, and concise; that it highlights your achievements as well as responsibilities; and that it is completely typo-free.
3. Settle your recommendations. You want to give your recommenders as much time as possible to complete their recommendations. If you have not finalized your choice of recommenders yet and sent them the recommendation form, now is the time to do so.
4. Consider retaking a standardized test. If you’ve already taken the GMAT or GRE but not satisfied with the results and feel that you can do materially better, there’s still time to take it again. But, keep in mind that you’re in crunch time now, so make sure you have all other elements of the application under control if you’re considering retaking the test.