Professional Work Experience Admission to selective, international business programs often requires full-time, professional work experience prior to enrollment. While professional work experience is needed to provide a context for the interpretation and use of classroom material, students must also be able to contribute to class discussions and group projects in meaningful ways. Career success is the most effective way to prove your potential for leadership in a managerial capacity. Personal Qualities M.B.A. programs want to enroll students who can lead people. The admissions committee seeks men and women who will eventually be responsible for the management of entire organizations.
Leadership is one of the basic ingredients for success.
Communication skills, initiative, and motivation can become the most important aspects of the admissions process. Personal qualities set the tone for the entire review of an application. It is the one part of an application that is most likely to distinguish a candidacy in a compelling way. The interview is the one aspect of the admissions process that varies the most among schools. Some schools, like the Kellogg School at Northwestern, require all applicants to interview prior to admission.