Why is teamwork so important in business school?
You have heard it your whole life: Teamwork makes the Dream work. But teamwork takes on a whole new level of focus in business school applications. Teamwork is so important, in fact, that if you don’t adequately convince the admissions committees that you excel in this area, you can forget a favorable decision on getting in.
Business school is extremely unique among graduate programs; for starters, you typically can’t roll straight in from undergrad.
Business schools require several years of progressively responsible work experience for good reason. Much of what you get out of school comes from what your classmates put in. This obviously also means that what you contribute is of value to your classmates as well. Top schools know that iron sharpens iron, so putting together a wide diversity of experienced professionals will enrich the experiential learning environment.
Business school is often referred to as the Disneyland of graduate schools.
Nobody fails out, there is no thesis required, and most importantly, you do almost everything in groups. Working in groups is how the world works and is the primary reason why business schools are so successful at creating leaders who excel in the marketplace. What business school lacks in individualized performance requirements, it makes up for in spades with intensity. This is why b-schools won’t allow you to carry a job while you are in a full time MBA program. Your full focus is required because your full attention is necessary to get everything done.
Cooperation in full time business school is like eating, breathing and sleeping.
Admissions committees need to be convinced that you are not the kind of person who is just in it for themselves. Sure, there are some big egos in business school and some high achieving, type-A personalities, but for the most part, applicants rarely slip through the admissions process who aren’t committed to working in teams to get things done. Let’s be real, if you could get everything you needed done in the business world by yourself, you probably wouldn’t need business school at all, and would likely not ever have a very big business. There’s only so much one person can achieve on their own.
What do admissions committees look for specifically when analyzing your profile for teamwork skills?
For starters, they want to see on-the-job responsibilities that indicate your achievements were not obtained entirely on your own. If your job duties find you predominantly in isolation (such as computer coding, or accountancy), you need to describe how others rely on what you do in order to hit the mark. Speaking about common goals in the workplace and the part you play in achieving them can be an effective way to relate just how well you understand teamwork.
Asking your recommenders to comment anecdotally on how well you function in a team can also be a good way to show your target schools that you play well in the sandbox. Third-party corroboration is very effective, and even though your recommenders are clearly biased and in your corner, their observations are the only part of the application that are not written by you directly. So make sure you focus on demonstrating a strong teamwork ability in your applications. You will probably get invited to interviews if you do.
For information on how we can guide your business school application process, email us at mba@amerasiaconsulting.com or go to http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/contact