Your Graduate Application: Do’s and Don’ts
Before you begin your Babson graduate application, I wanted to share some Do’s and Don’ts on how to make your application as competitive as possible.
Recommendation Letters
Do… ask colleagues with whom you collaborative regularly for their recommendations. It’s ideal to have at least one recommendation letter come from a current or former supervisor, but it’s more important that you ask people who can speak to your strengths at work and your ability to thrive in teams.
Don’t… ask someone whom you don’t know well for a recommendation just because they have an impressive title. It’s easy to tell when a recommendation letter is generic, and you want to make sure you have recommendations that really highlight all the wonderful work you do!
Resume
DO… highlight key skills in your current position, like quantitative expertise, team lead roles, or impactful individual contributions, and be specific about any value-driven examples you provide.
Don’t… leave major gaps in your resume unaccounted for. Took a year off to backpack through Europe? Worked full-time for a few years before starting your undergraduate degree? We value a diverse class, and we want to see a complete picture. You can choose to add any pertinent information to your resume or to our Optional Essay.
Essays
Do… answer the question completely, but succinctly. Your essay should be no more than 450 words, and should answer the Babson essay prompt specifically.
Don’t… turn in sloppy work. Spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or even the dreaded “wrong school name in this school’s essay” really detract from the professional image you hope to convey.
Do… use the Optional Essay to describe any gaps in your resume, academic background concerns, or interesting things about you that you feel weren’t properly addressed elsewhere in the application.
Don’t… feel like you need to write an Optional Essay! We offer it as a way for applicants to address any concerns or showcase any missing information, but we’ll be able to get to know more about you regardless of whether you submitted an optional essay during your admissions interview.
Interview
Do… dress appropriately, arrive on time, and come prepared with any remaining questions you may have about the program.
Don’t… be nervous! The interview is a time for both of us to assess program fit, and if you’ve done a thorough job answering our essay prompt and preparing your resume, you’ll be able to approach the interview as a friendly conversation.
Make sure to view your program’s upcoming application deadlines. And, please keep in mind that Babson takes a holistic approach to application review, and will consider all parts of your application during the admissions process. You’ll also automatically be considered for scholarship, and will be notified of any scholarship at time of admission. We look forward to receiving your application and getting to know you better!