MBA Insider: Admissions Q&A September 25, 2008, 10:39PM EST

IESE Admissions Q&A

Tips from the admissions director of high-ranking Spanish business school IESE on how to file the best application

Javier Muñoz Parrondo
IESE

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Ranked eighth among international business schools on BusinessWeek's most recent list of full-time MBA programs, IESE commands attention in Europe and around the world, says Javier Muñoz Parrondo, director of MBA admissions. Last year 1,529 people applied for 220 spots in the first-year class. About 70% of those accepted to the school are attending now.

If you have your sights set on living in Barcelona and attending IESE, you have to prove to the admissions committee that you are unique and can bring something special to the class. Parrondo, who graduated from the IESE MBA program in 2003, recently spoke to BusinessWeek reporter Francesca Di Meglio about this and more, including the basic requirements for applying and how candidates can stand out from the competition. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:

How would you describe your school's culture to applicants?

IESE is a very international business school. It was founded 50 years ago, and we have programs, staff, faculty, and students from all over the world. The mission of the school is international. Sometimes people get the impression that this is a Spanish school, and that is absolutely not true.

The two focuses are general management and entrepreneurship. We work to make students see the global position of companies and to help them achieve great heights in companies. We rely a lot on the case method. We try to combine the diversity of the students with the case method, so we're able to see and share all dimensions [of a particular subject]. We pay a lot of attention to ethics and improving society. The school was created to have a positive impact on people and society.

What are the basic requirements for applying?

I imagine they are the same at most business schools. You must have a good university record, GMAT score, two years of work experience, and proficiency in English. What's more important for us is the way you can contribute. We're looking for a well-rounded profile. In top business schools, and certainly at IESE, our job is to compare different applications. We base this decision on the information [with which we are provided]. We're trying to learn how different applicants are from one another and how each will contribute to the class. What makes you different could be a great achievement in sports or music, some sort of international experience, or something else.

Who would fit in well?

We want a little bit of everything. People with a willingness to change and to share their differences and learn from the differences of others from all over the world [would fit in at IESE]. They should be open-minded and have good communication skills.

What is the average GMAT of incoming students?

The average for the 2008-2009 incoming class is 673. At IESE, we take 17 parameters into consideration when assessing applications. The GMAT is just one. It's probably the entrance test to presenting a good application. But after we see that your GMAT score is sufficient, we're going to take into account the other things I've already mentioned.

What tips do you have for applicants working on your essays?

My recommendation is to think about how we make admissions decisions. We're comparing very good people. You must think carefully about what makes you different and what you can say that won't be commonly found among applicants. For instance, we might ask about your experience in communication. If you tell me about presenting a consulting project to a client, you won't add value to your application. Many others applying will have done the same. If you tell me about giving a speech in front of a great audience, that's something few people will have done. You have to reflect on your whole life to try to find things that make you different. That's the key as we're comparing candidates.