My application hints and tips

Distance Learning MBA participant Thato Kanjere shares how they approached the application process and how they broke it down into two steps.

Considering an MBA with Warwick Business School (WBS)? You are making the right decision, it is a life changing experience that will challenge your thinking. But before you get to the challenge, you have to go through the admissions process. I promise it is not as daunting as it may sound, in this blog post I’ll share a two-step approach I took to put together my application. The key takeaway from this post is to experience WBS as an applicant by interacting with alumni and business development managers before submitting your application. Interacting with the groups above will help you put together an application that is uniquely you.

Before submitting my application to WBS I took a two-step approach that helped me form a compelling application. The first step was figuring out what my motivations were for wanting to join WBS and the second step was to decide which MBA programme would be suitable for my current lifestyle so I could balance my school and work commitments.

Step one, why Warwick?

Part of the application process is putting together a CV and attending an interview. Being clear about why you want to join WBS and take part in the MBA programme are the first building blocks in putting together a compelling application. To complete this first step I built my application profile using these three core elements;
 

1. How my values aligned with the business school’s values: curiosity, openness restlessness and excellence.  All of these values resonated with me and I was able to come up with scenarios where I had applied each of these values. I was also able to build a theme around my journey so far where I could demonstrate these values.
    
2. What my contribution to the programme would be. I attended an open day at the WBS campus to get a feel of the type of learning environment before I submitted my application. I interacted with MBA alumni and current students. On the day, the business school also had a taster lecture that I could attend. It was interactive, fun and informative. I learnt from the lecturer and other applicants. By getting a sense of the school and teaching environment I could build a case on what my contribution to the class would be and what I was also looking forward to.

3. How the programme would contribute to my future ambitions. WBS publishes some of the modules that will be available for prospective students. Mentioning some of the modules you would be interested in taking up and how they would contribute to your future career ambitions will definitely help build your case.

With step 1 complete and my thoughts around this built into my application I was ready for the second step.

Step two, which MBA programme would best suit my lifestyle?

The second step was just as involved as the first, there was a lot of research I needed to do, part of which included chatting to some of the business development managers. The Warwick MBA can be taken as either Full-time, Executive or Distance Learning. As a consultant who is required to travel to client sites and being on a sponsored work visa, my options were limited but I was adamant I wanted to make the most of the programme. So I arranged a meeting with one of the business development managers to:

1. Get them to review my profile and application before submission
2. Get their feedback on which programme people in my position had previously taken.

I set up the appointment with one of the business development managers at the Shard. The conversation was informative, the views and the coffee were amazing, needless to say I applied for the Distance Learning MBA at the Shard programme - don’t judge till you see the views.

The two steps process I used helped me put together my application profile which got me admitted. My two step approach has a thread that connects it. I put together my application based on my experience of the business school. Before submitting my application I experienced the classroom, spoke to those that went through the experience and made it my own. If there is a key takeaway from this post this is it, before submitting your application, try to experience as much of WBS as possible, then put your own spin on it!

Find out more about the Distance Learning MBA (London) here.