MBA Insider: Admissions Q&A October 14, 2008, 6:52PM EST

Admissions Q&A: London Business School

The school's admissions director talks about getting in, and discusses how the financial crisis is affecting career advising

Story Tools

Business school admissions committees tend to ask about charity work and what you've accomplished in the past, says David Simpson, associate director of MBA marketing and admissions at London Business School. But he adds that the LBS admissions committee is more interested in what you are going to do in the future. The school, Simpson says, asks more direct questions such as, "How will you get involved in student clubs on campus?"

The most recent incoming class is composed of 320 students, who represent 60 different nationalities. Simpson wants applicants to realize what makes LBS unique. "Life at LBS is not the same as at Harvard or Wharton," says Simpson. "We want to see you understand what we do in your application."

He recently spoke about the application process and how the career services team is addressing the financial crisis (BusinessWeek.com, 9/18/08) with BusinessWeek reporter Francesca Di Meglio. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:

How would you describe the culture at your school?

You can describe the culture as being diverse, but that doesn't really do it justice. We recruit the best minds from all around the world. It's a highly collaborative learning program. In a room of 75, you have people from every background. We believe that learning comes from each other.

What is the average work experience among your students?

The average is five and a half years, which is not that different from the U.S. Nearly everyone has between four and eight years. That's not to say that people [with less work experience] don't get in. But they must contribute to the learning in some way. As with most top business schools, the work experience our students have is diverse. We have people who worked in consulting, finances, and accounting to name a few. [Others] come from nonstandard backgrounds—lawyers, doctors, military. Still others come from completely different backgrounds. This year, for example, we have a concert pianist with us.

What are the basic requirements for your application?

Transcripts, professional references, and essays are the basic requirements. We take a practical view. We put questions on the application to see what a student can offer to the learning community. [The essays] are a way to judge if you've given thought to why an MBA could help you at this point in your career. The decision to get an MBA should not be an easy one. We also require a one-page résumé. If CEOs can put their résumé on one page, so can MBAs. It forces you to choose the parts of your career that are most important.

What tips do you have for writing the essays?

Don't even think about starting the essays until you have researched the school and MBA thoroughly. The Web site is a good place to start. Our student blog is great. We also just started MBA TV to highlight the vitality of the LBS campus. We want [applicants] to recognize what we do. They must link up what they have done in the past and what they want to do in the future and explain how we can help them to get there.

Do you require interviews?

No one gets in without an alumni interview. We don't do pre-interviews. You have to have done pretty well to get an interview. Less than 50% usually get interviewed. We find alumni close to you and set up a face-to-face interview. It's important for us. You can only tell so much from a résumé . We're making a big investment in the student, too. It's way for us to see what kind of people these candidates are and what they bring to the community.