Some employers still fund or at least partially fund their employees graduate business education, however the number of companies still practicing this has dwindled in lieu of the our current economic state. Unlike a lot of private undergraduate schools, the offers of MBA scholarships based on merit are much harder to come by. While many student loan brokers are willing to approve much larger amounts of money for graduate students than undergraduate, it is important to know that there ARE scholarships out there, if you are willing to do some in depth research into a lot of different organizations, both public and private.

However, because of the fewer business school scholarships out there, in comparison to other types of education scholarships, the competition is fierce. This means that making sure you are submitting the best application possible is paramount to giving you a chance at being selected.

Make sure that your essays submitted for consideration is carefully crafted to reflect the specific desires of each organization/scholarship to which you are applying. During application searches for broader undergraduate scholarships, it might have been possible to create a standard “form” essay that could be altered to address each application specifically, but at the MBA and graduate level, it is strongly recommended that you dedicate exclusive time and energy to each essay for each application.

Find nontraditional sources of scholarship funding. Look into organizations that are of particular/specific interest to you.Ask yourself these questions when researching potential sources of scholarship funding:

Is there anything non-traditional or that makes you an especially unique MBA applicant?

Many organizations exist to create opportunities for networking MBA’s within minority groups. These professional groups often have mentoring/scholarship opportunities for others following a similar path.

Do you have a specific niche of business that you are looking to pursue?

Industry specific organizations are another great way to tap into potential scholarship opportunities.

IMPORTANT: Many of these smaller type of organizations may not have a a dedicated scholarship fund or review board, but they may want to to do a private act of philanthropy is your own career goals coincide with there own. It never hurts to ask!

Scholarship applications, like admissions applications, are time consuming- so make sure that you are not wasting your time applying to a lot of scholarships without a specific strategy or someone to advise on how to maximize your potential to receive them.

For more information, please read our MBA Scholarship Application Review.

Manhattan Review is proud to announce an industry-first ground-breaking MBA Application Boot Camp. The goal of the boot camp is to help students prepare for every aspect of the MBA Application process. It will also give them the right guidance they need in polishing up their MBA Applications.

The entire admissions process can be overwhelming, especially for young business professionals with full schedules. But with customized guidance, they can navigate successfully from writing their application essays to deciding what school to finally attend.

Manhattan Review will host boot camps on a monthly or bi-monthly basis in New York, London, and Real-Time Online. Students can register for a 2-day weekend Crash Boot Camp or a week-long Intensive Boot Camp. Participants will learn all the strategies, go through practice interviews and start essay drafting after the weekend crash boot camp. Students will complete the essential parts of all applications for three schools of their top choice after the week-long intensive boot camp.

MBA Application Boot Camp will feature programs led by top admissions experts who will share with prospective MBA students their over 12 years of admissions experience. The boot camp will address several topics including Career Goal-setting, Career Planning, Application Strategy Formulation, Preparation for Great Interviews, Crafting of Persuasive Essays, and Solicitation of Effective Recommendation Letters. The boot camp will also provide additional application guidance, such as advice on scholarship or loan applications and strategies on dealing with waitlist, deferral, re-application and dual-degree programs.

MBA Application Boot Camps – Details

-Crash Courses (Selected Cities & Online; 8-Hour One 2-day Weekend)

Cost: Regular – USD500; Promotional – USD450; MR Students – USD400

All attendees receive 20% off Admissions Consulting (AC) services subsequently; 25% off AC and GMAT at the same time subsequently.

-Intensive Courses (Selected Cities; 28-Hour One Week; 3-School Elite Pack Included after the course for complete end-to-end guidance)

Cost: Regular – USD5000; Promotional – USD4500; MR Students – USD4000

More details and registration can be found at our MBA Admissions section.

Step 4: Application Components

Although there are many components to the application, the following are common concerns of applicants and admissions committee members.

· Essay. Overall, tell your story honestly and with humanity while always answering the question. Describe your teamwork successes and work both in and out of the workplace.

· GMAT. Take a practice test and assess your scores against the ranges of your target schools. If your score is not up to par, consider a professional test preparation course. Give yourself adequate time to reach your target score and practice.

· Interview. Interviews are generally relaxed, but it’s recommended that you practice prior to your interview. Review your application, the school’s website, and come ready to have a good conversation. Avoid extreme wordiness, shyness, and poor eye contact, which all can come across as poor preparedness.

Step 5: Choosing Your School

· Consider attending the weekends for admitted students, which will give you a chance to meet admitted students and might help you decide on a school.

· You also may consider getting in touch with current students, faculty members and admissions staff.

· Reassess location benefits, reputation and your goals.

Step 6: Summer Before School

Take advantage of the opportunity to get to know members of your class at local events or online forums. In addition, if you’re in need of preparation consider taking refresher courses. Some students also take this opportunity to travel or visit friends and family, as school and work may not allow for extended trips or visits in the near future.

Step 7: Getting a Job

The process varies according to the school and your interests. Generally, if you are interested in a field that is typical of students in your program, you will find that the business school has its own process you can follow as soon as 1-3 months after you begin your study. If you are interested in an atypical path, you might have to do additional legwork on your own in terms of making contacts and getting interviews. Yet, each school will help you perfect cover letters and resumes and tailor them to the jobs you want.