What do MBA admissions directors want in applicants?

Schools report trends including an increasingly international mix of potential students and a rise in the number of women.

Crystal Grant, head of admissions at Imperial College Business School in London, says international diversity in the classroom has grown. She adds: “More candidates are also planning to launch entrepreneurial ventures or join start-ups immediately after their MBA rather than three to five years after.”

Ceibs, based in Shanghai, China, has a growing number of students who want to remain in Asia after graduation. “Sixty-four per cent of international students in the current class, to graduate in 2018, highlighted Shanghai and Asia-Pacific as their desired job locations,” says Yvonne Li, MBA director of admissions and career services. “This compares with 30 per cent in the previous class.”

MBA students are coming from a wider range of industries. Brandon Kirby, MBA recruitment and admissions director at Rotterdam School of Management, says more applications are from the non-profit sector, as non-governmental organizations start to behave more like businesses. “We have also seen an uptick in Latin American applications,” says Kirby. “And we are also seeing an increase in applications from the healthcare and legal industries.”

For more please the following article in the Financial Times