You must have heard the popular myth – it says that female candidates have a much easier admissions process than their male counterparts. Presumably it happens because there are much less women trying to apply for MBA programs, hence the better chances at enrolling: no school would like to be called sexist because of women underrepresentation.
This myth is made somewhat believable by what you hear when you ask admissions staff about how they treat female applicants: they usually avoid talking about the different handling of women. It doesn’t mean, though, that it’s as easy as “we must have a certain quantity of female students at our school, so their admission chances are higher”. Still, there are patterns of reviewing applications derived from analysis and logics.
The assessment of applications is not based on the gender of the candidates, but rather on their experience and skills. That’s why we sometimes can find similarities in treating women during admission – socially, women might have similar backgrounds.
Of course, top business schools acknowledge that women are underrepresented both in classrooms and in business-related jobs, and they create programs for getting more of them. The male/female ratio has changed drastically over recent years: for example, at the break of the millennium, most b-schools had no more than 27% women on their lists (MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth). Yet, this year’s classes have changed this figure up to 40% and more (Harvard, Wharton).
There are countries where the number of female applicants and GMAT test takers outweigh the quantity of male applicants (for instance, Russia and China). Of course, not everybody who take GMAT will apply to MBA programs – some of them have other specialized Master’s programs in mind. In average, 37% of b-school applications in the world are from women.
Apart from the GMAT, there is also the GRE test, which, as you know, is preferred by a certain percentage of applicants (approximately 10%). The GRE is said to be closer to the real studying process than the GMAT. Coincidentally (or not) there are more women taking GRE worldwide (45%) than those taking the GMAT.
Based on such numbers and the admissions process at top schools, we can find some useful patterns for prospective women students.
As we already mentioned, the admissions staff assess applications based on several factors and principles. First of all, there is the absolutely obligatory factor of the candidates’ logical and analytical skills – without them they wouldn’t be able to perform in class. Secondly, there are other characteristics which help students contribute while in classrooms and, consecutively, in their jobs, such as the ability to work as a team, leadership qualities, confidence etc. That’s why admissions officers often ask prospective students about their future plans, their choice of school, their professional goals.
Considering all these factors, we can find some different patterns in how male and female candidates give answers to questions about their own backgrounds, hopes, career plans and such like.
We mentioned leadership and being confident as important characteristics of a prospective MBA student – and many applicants know that too. This is exactly why lots of male candidates, trying to seem self-confident and firm, in reality show just stereotypical cheekiness and inability to connect with others.
The trick is, you should be honest about yourself on your application and interviews. As Dee Leopold, director of admissions at Harvard, states, there’s nothing wrong with being humble – humility doesn’t mean lack of leadership or confidence.
Stereotypically, women are more humble than men. Applications analysis shows that it’s indeed the case for many female applicants – they tend to describe their qualities with much less eloquence than men. A good advice for them would be to show more confidence, but without crossing into arrogance territory.
For those who find it hard to be self-confident, it’s better to talk first to a person who knows you well and will help you find these qualities in yourself. For example, they can tell you about personal traits you didn’t even notice before. So, talking to somebody who is close to you and appreciates you will be like a dress rehearsal for the real interview or application.
Still, women should not lean towards other stereotypes when drawing up their applications – focusing on only your strengths and leadership qualities will look as a desperate attempt to show ‘male’ and ‘dominant’ features, which is absolutely not what b-schools are seeking in you as a candidate.
Remember that admissions officers want to know as much about your experience as possible. Your attitude towards your achievements and challenges you’ve met may be important for your admission. It might be a problem for some female candidates, as they tend to downplay their achievements.
Stereotypically, women tend to have a degree in humanities and liberal arts more often than men, and this background can reflect negatively on their b-school admission. An MBA program requires strong analytical and quantitative skills, and if you don’t have the required experience in these fields (backed by your GMAT results), it may be a serious obstacle. Nevertheless, data analysis shows that in this case, admissions committees tend to be more lax towards women with poorer math results but with exceptional experiences and backgrounds in all other ways. To increase your chances, it’s better to enroll into a quant class to prepare yourself for business school challenges.
Among the male and female patterns, you should not forget that it’s your personality that the business school is after – your individual background and experience, no matter what your gender is. The best way to show your individuality (before interviews) is to get yourself a good recommendation letter. Here’s a nice tip for women: don’t hide your accomplishments when asking your boss for a recommendation letter. Give them examples of your success, talk to them about everything that proves your value as a professional.
There is a very important skill women tend to be better at than men – networking and relationship-founding. Before you apply to a certain business school, try to talk to its alumni, students and staff. Many universities encourage such connections and even help women candidates to communicate with current female students and those who have already graduated to share experiences. When you talk to a person who was in your shoes and had to make all the same decisions, it’s much easier to determine whether you belong to this particular university or program.
Thus, two conclusions may be drawn from this bit of advice – firstly, female applicants should show more self-confidence and eagerness to acknowledge their own achievements, and, secondly, the admissions committee will help you in every way to become their student and to balance out the present gender situation.
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