Welcome to F1GMAT’s #askAtulJose series. In today’s episode, I will share how to focus on the one thing that will improve your admission chances to M7 schools by at least 60%.

When applicants start their research, they focus on the salary, the network, and the school's culture. But applicants rarely look at how they will add value to each school on the list.

This exercise should be your priority before starting the application.

1. Shortlist Achievements From Grade 1 to Grade 12

Before thinking about adding value to the class, shortlist all your achievements from Grade 1 to Grade 12, and categorize them into extracurricular, volunteering, and academic. Each achievement in these three categories will reveal something unique about your personality. These traits should match with the culture of the school. For example, MIT Sloan is known for accepting true doers – engineers, financial professionals, and even operations persons capable of simplifying complex processes, designs, and problem statements.

If, in your school, you performed in activities that required a similar quality, then you are a good fit for the shortlisted school.

2.  Shortlist Unique Life Experiences

Facing discrimination because of your sexuality or overcoming struggles from poverty to achieve your academic or career goals are all considered unique life experiences.

If you were part of the last of any or first or the only women participant or the only person from your nationality to participate or win in any global event or expedition, you would stand out.

If you were the first in your community or the top 1-2% in your town, village, or city to enter college or join a prestigious institution, again, your admission chances improve considerably.

3.  Shortlist Unique Professional Experiences

If you are among the top 5% working on a unique problem that is consequential to the future of humanity – that is, climate technology, AI security, preventing pandemics, improving the security of technologies, or creating a regulatory framework to avoid global financial meltdowns – all these experiences will help you stand out.

While shortlisting work experience, think about careers post-2030

If you took an unconventional career path instead of joining a family business or a traditional career path, your chance of admission improves, provided you use them strategically in your essays.

For help with shortlisting life experiences for your MBA application essays, contact me Atul Jose