Advice from the Executive Director: Preparing to Apply

October 7, 2024 | Jenn Crandall

The following post was written by Jenn Crandall, executive director of admissions. Jenn oversees recruitment and enrollment for Simon’s full-time and part-time graduate business programs. With more than 10 years of experience at Simon, she loves building long-lasting relationships with students—while they work through the admissions process, during their time as students, and into their lives as Simon alums. 

Once the calendar flips to October, the leaves across the greater Rochester area begin to change color and a slight chill enters the air. For Simon Admissions, October also means that our first application deadline of the cycle is right around the corner! If business school is in your plans for 2025, and you’re considering a Full-Time MBA, PMBA, or Full-Time MS degree, I’d encourage you to consider applying by October 15! You’ll have the best chance for admission and receive maximum scholarship consideration.

No matter when you plan to apply, here are a few tips that will help you prepare:

Do your research. 

Finding the right business school is an important process. You’re going to want to find a school that obviously brings value to you but also where your unique experience and skills bring value. I’d encourage you to learn as much as you can about your top schools, including using the school’s website, personal introspection, and any connections or conversations you have had with stakeholders. At Simon we also host a robust selection of webinars throughout the cycle, which are a great way to fit research into your schedule. Plus, live attendees of our webinars get an application fee waiver (a $90 value).

Find ways to engage. 

This will actually support my first piece of advice by helping to affirm things you may have heard about the school or information you are still hoping to learn. We are participating in a variety of in-person and virtual events with partners such as The Consortium, Forté, Inside the MBA, and more. We also offer an opportunity for you to receive feedback on your candidacy from the Admissions team before you apply.

Reflect on your goals. 

Understand your personal strengths and weaknesses, why you want a graduate degree at this stage of your life, and where you see the degree taking you in your career. Practice how you present your ideas and your story. This will benefit your interactions with the Admissions team and ultimately be excellent preparation for future networking conversations with current students, alumni, and corporate recruiters.

Be yourself. 

You have unique talents and insights to add to the Simon community, and the Admissions Committee wants to see those! In your essays—and in the rest of your application for that matter!—be authentic and demonstrate why a graduate business degree is the right next step for you. At Simon, our community is very close-knit, and we seek to get to know our applicants individually. Showcasing your personality in your application is one of the best ways to allow us to do that!

Get started now! 

Regardless of when you plan to apply, now is the time to open an application and get started. Once you open the application, you can see what is required and budget enough time to put your best foot forward. Additionally, you will also receive timely reminders to ensure you stay on track with important deadlines.

Applying for B-school is an extensive time commitment, but it is an exciting next step in your career journey. We are excited to partner with you in your plans for graduate study and look forward to seeing your application to one of our graduate degree programs. Good luck and feel free to reach out to the Admissions team with any questions you have throughout the process!