Mistakes you might be making at work that could cost you a seat at a top b-school

Harvard's MBA class of 2015 is dominated by North Americans with less than 1% of the classroom coming from Africa. One could argue that because majority of applicants are from the US, Americans would naturally dominate the admissions pool. While that could be true, I'm not here to argue for or against it. What I'm here to do is to share thoughts that I hope will help future applicants increase that African statistic by at least a few percentage points.

The points I have outlined are based on recurring themes I've observed in my personal experience working with people from varied cultural backgrounds, including Africans. My intention is not to criticize, but to create awareness about attitudes that could be leaving dents in the application quality of people from my demographic.

I hope you'll find some of these points helpful in shaping how you approach work in relation to your MBA ambitions.


1. Not telling anyone that you're applying for an MBA
Please don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting you announce to the whole world that you're applying for an MBA. In fact, I know that there are some Nigerian organisations where the HR folks will become proactive about letting you go as soon as they hear you're planning on leaving. However, you will find that talking to a trusted senior colleague (within or outside your organisation) could provide opportunities you never knew existed. 

For me, talking to a few senior colleagues at my company helped connect me to successful professionals across the globe who could give me advice on everything from my GMAT to my extracurriculars to my essays. It gave me 'high-profile' guidance that not only brought with it a wealth of experience in professional development, but that also gave me a great deal of confidence about the steps I was taking at various points in the application process.

2. Shying away from your 'Oga at the top'

I'm continually amazed at how 'afraid' many people are of their Ogas at the top. Sometimes it's so bad that when the Ogas are walking past them, they try their best to avoid eye contact and then walk very briskly past. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this.

What many people don't realize is that building relationships with your senior colleagues (up until CEO-level) could

• Give you insight on matters that are of primary concern to them and to the organisation which could help you be more effective in your role

• Make it easier for you to approach them for assistance when you need it e.g. letters of recommendation to your choice programs

• Help you build an influential professional (and sometimes, social) network that you will carry with you for the rest of your life

I'm sure there are many people (especially in Naija) who would say that getting close to senior management is 'eye service' or 'busybody'. However, in case you didn't know already, 'many people' don't get into the most prestigious MBA programs. Top programs are looking for candidates who are comfortable relating with people from a wide range of backgrounds. If you can't do it with people you see on an almost daily basis, you'll have a hard time proving you can do so with your accomplished classmates or with the star-striking guest speakers you will be exposed to when in school.

3. Doing what you're told to do (and just that)
If, and hopefully, when, you make it to the interview stage, your interviewers might ask you what your most significant accomplishment at work was. If all you can come up with is that you were ranked the 'highest performer' in your department, you will have dug a hole in your MBA application grave that will be very difficult to cover up.

We sometimes get so caught up in the "abeg, that one is not in my job description" mindset that we miss out on the opportunities that might exist if we did more that what we were asked to do. 

Getting involved in topics that are not directly related to your primary job role is a way to demonstrate your willingness to reach beyond what is right in front of you. Whether it's organising your department's first social event, or starting an 'after hours drinks' routine, you should be able to demonstrate that you can make a difference that doesn't only affect your end-of-year performance bonus.

4. Not 'complaining' about issues that bother you
"Let them not say I'm too forward..." 
I'm not an advocate for complaining. But I find that what many Nigerians refer to as complaining could very easily be turned into constructive feedback that would yield results for their teams.

Deans of top business schools are trying to build classes of people who 10-20 years after graduation will have challenged the status quo of their industries and who will have created disruptive innovations that will shape the way the world works. If you get used to sitting still just because you don't want to rock the boat, you might not rack up enough 'personality points' to be a candidate that the adcom will want to say 'Yes' to.

Build the skill of giving constructive feedback. If you have a problem with something, speak up about it. And when you do, be sure to provide at least one possible way of fixing it. You may or may not be successful at implementing the change you want to see, but you'll never know how much of a difference you could make if you never take that first step.

5. Putting work above everything else
Relationships. Extra-curriculars. Hobbies. These are aspects of life that make you not just a great MBA candidate, but that help you live a balanced life. Admissions committees are looking for candidates that other classmates will have fun learning and living with for 12-24 months.

When I started my MBA application, I went about it by describing how great I had been at school, my professional qualifications in accounting, my career in consulting, my transition to a global consumer goods company, etc. When I shared that version of my profile with my MBA-experienced colleagues, they all said the same thing and it was along the lines of "So, you've had a great career. But, who are YOU?". Remember that your application to b-school is not just your CV, it is your entire story.
A revised (and more successful) version of my profile included aspects that revealed other sides to me such as my love for music, my passion for learning, and my relationship with my family. Bottom line: Give your work your best but don't lose yourself in the process.


If you're just thinking about applying for an MBA and you're reading shortly after I post, you have about a year before Round 2 deadlines and you just might have enough time to 'right the wrongs' if you've been making some of these mistakes.
While you continue to study for the GMAT, try also to be more deliberate about the way you approach work over the next few months. You'll be surprised at how much you could enrich your story (and your life) when you are the one challenging your own status quo.

P.S. Feel free to add anything I might have left out by leaving a comment below