Reality vs Application: Should I be truthful about my MBA goals?

For most MBA applicants, the decision to pursue an MBA comes at a pivotal moment in their career. They might be getting made redundant, want to change their job to explore other roles and industries, progress in their roles with an advanced degree, or they might want to give themselves 1-2 years to figure out what they want. 

But that’s not always what business schools want to hear! They want people with a mission. People who are driven and seek a higher purpose in their career. 

So, how do you strike a balance between goals that are “right” for your application, vs the goals that you actually want to achieve?

What the AdCom wants to see

Like we mentioned earlier, the AdCom want people with a mission. 

Naturally, they want to build a strong class of future leaders who can enrich each others’ MBA experience. With limited seats, they want to admit people who seem like they will do impactful things with their MBA. 

A more understated reason is that business schools care deeply about their employment stats and global ranking. AdComs are very mindful of the school’s global rankings, which are directly linked to the success of their graduating class. Every MBA program publishes an annual employment report that highlights how their recently graduated class fared in terms of job offers, which geography they work in, starting salaries, post-MBA industries, and functions. And the strongest numbers always belong to the world’s leading b-schools.

A graduate who has landed a successful job will also be satisfied with their decision to pursue an MBA at that school. B-schools want to know that they are providing quality education and resources for their students to have successful careers. And a satisfied, successful alum means more exposure for the school, possible recruitment opportunities, chunky donations, or volunteering their time for panel discussions, career support, and other school events.

That’s why your career choices after graduation directly impact the school. So when the AdCom evaluate your profile, they want to see that your goals are ambitious, but realistic enough to achieve. 

What that means is that your career goals should be ambitious enough to reflect well on the school and its employment stats, but they should also be reasonable and credible to your profile. You can’t just pull them out of thin air; you’ll need to also demonstrate some previous experience or connection to them. It’s a delicate dance. 

Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that everything that’s on your resume has helped you get to where you are today, and has formed the bedrock of your future career. Schools don’t like when applicants are all over the place, and state goals that are too lofty or vague. They like to see a  through-line of your career progression.

What if my real MBA goals don’t align with what the AdCom wants? 

But many applicants tell us that their ‘real’ MBA goals aren’t exactly AdCom friendly. You may want to pivot to something completely different, but the Adcom don’t want to hear that. 

Most applicants pursue an MBA to change one of three variables in their career: role, industry, or geography. For example, you may want to switch from healthcare operations in your home country to healthcare strategy in your home country.

Some MBA graduates also choose to change two of the above. For example, you may want to switch from Fintech Product Management in India to Greentech Product Management in Europe. 

But applicants who tell AdCom that they want to change all 3 variables at once are likely to get dinged by b-schools. That’s because it’s incredibly risky to make such a drastic pivot given high competition from professionals with years of experience in industry, visa challenges, underdeveloped networks, and a tough job market. 

And as we’ve seen, an unsuccessful alum is an unsatisfied alum. 

So don’t tell AdCom that you want to attempt a triple jump post your MBA. Your career plan needs to make sense given your prior experiences, skill set, and interests. If your real goals are dramatically different to what you’ve been doing in the past, and it’s not easy for the AdCom to draw that clear connection or through-line in your career so far, you need to adjust your goals to align with your past experiences.

A good way to do this is by using your short-term goal as a stepping stone to your more ambitious, mission-oriented long-term goals. For example, if you want to be in Venture Capital, your stepping stone short-term goal could be Investment Banking, which has a more structured recruiting process. Or if you want to be in Consulting but you have a strong Tech background, you could do Tech Consulting in the short term to transition to your long-term goal.

Make sure your goals make sense for your background as well as for the school. If you’re planning on switching more than one of the “role, industry, and geography” variables, it’s best to start working towards your long-term mission well before you actually start your application.

Here’s how to ideate and write about your career goals for a winning MBA application.

Stay consistent

Finally, stick to these goals.

Throughout your application, your goals should be consistent. Your personal stories, past experiences, and skills should connect to your goals (and your larger mission) in some way. Then, thoroughly research your target role, companies, and industry, your alternative plans, network, target school’s relationships with your dream companies, and recruitment prospects to show that you are focused and committed to achieving them.

If you get through to the interview, stay consistent with these goals. This also applies for waitlist updates and scholarship applications!

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