Getting into a top ranked business school will give you “Wow Factor” and help you to land a top paying job. But on average only 10% of applicants get into the top ranked schools. What can you do to get in? Having high grades and superb work experience are the obvious answers. But let’s say that you did not get the best grades and you are not a senior manager at a Fortune 500 company. What can you do to improve your chances now?

• Take Classes: If you were not a business major or if your university grades were not the strongest consider taking a few related classes at your local university before applying to business school. Get A’s and recommendation(s) from your professor(s). This will demonstrate to business schools that you have the ability to compete in a business class. Recommended classes include:
o Economics (Macro and Micro)
o Accounting
o Finance

• Start a Business: You are working as the assistant dog catcher in your county and you do not think that business schools will take your experience as being very relevant. What can you do? Today, many people are using the internet to start their own businesses in their spare time, with very little expense. Here are some ideas:
o Create an Ebay shop.
o Write an ebook and market it.
o Start small and work your way up to managing your own online business. Start by creating a Squidoo lens. Then develop a blog and affilate with Amazon. Finally, work your way up to doing drop shipping for a major distributor. You will have not only something to write about in your business school essay, but also experiences to refer to in your classes. If your company is successful it might help support you through business school.

• Study for GMAT: Many schools put a lot of weight on the GMAT and high scores will give you a definite advantage. Although some say studying for the GMAT does not help, in reality studying can increase your GMAT scores by 100-200 points. The best book, the “Official Guide for GMAT Review” is full of old exams and some of the questions on the test are very similar to the questions in the book. Don’t waste this book. Use other books to give you test taking strategies and the background you need to know for the GMAT. Use this book towards the end of your study time to hone your knowledge. The information in here is gold.

• Do Something Unique: Business schools are looking for future business leaders. It is important that you can show how you stand out from the pack. There are several ways to do this. For example you can demonstrate your leadership ability by:
o Running for public office
o Running the election campaign for a local politician.

Use your imagination to create a project that is interesting for you and will help to make you unique and attractive to the admissions department of the top business schools.

• Write Remarkable Essays: Possibly the most challenging task in compiling an application is to write a great essay. Why is this important? The person who reads your application will be reading hundreds of essays over a few weeks time; 30-50 everyday. Yours needs to not only stand out from the rest, it needs to make a lasting impression. What have you done that is remarkable? What shows that you are a leader? What have you contributed to the world to show that you will climb the corporate ladder? This has to come out in your essays, but most importantly, it has to come out with style.
o Open the essay with a paragraph that is vivid and catches the readers’ attention.
o Paint a picture with words that has the reader looking for more.
o Conclude the essay with a summary that refers back to the opening paragraph.
o Most importantly, have others review the essay and check it for grammar, style and spelling. By all means, mistakes here are to be avoided at all costs.

• Try Again: You didn’t get into a top Business School. What now? You can go to an alternative, lower ranked Business School and pass up on the “Wow Factor” or, you can try again. Contact the admissions office at the school and request a follow-up appointment. Chances are good that the admissions officer will agree to go through your application with you, tell you what is wrong with it and help you understand what you need to do to improve your chances in the coming year.