Christine Collins is an Admissions Specialist in the Carroll School Graduate Admissions team and dedicates a significant portion of her time helping prospective students navigate the application process.
In this Q&A, Christine shares insights and answers to some questions that frequently come up during the admissions cycle.
Are there minimum requirements for GPA, GMAT/GRE scores, or work experience for your programs?
While we do not have minimum requirements for GPA, GMAT/GRE scores, or work experience, we encourage you to review the Class Profile sections in individual program pages. This will give you some sense of how your background compares to that of our enrolled students. Within the Class Profile sections will be statistics from the most recent incoming class, including GPAs, test scores, and years of work experience.
What should I write about in my optional essay?
There is a lot of freedom with the optional essay–and we’re not looking for anything particular. For example, we invite you to share something about yourself that isn’t included in your resume. We invite creativity as well. This is an opportunity to let your personality shine through your application. You can learn more about how to answer our essay questions in this blog post.
Who should I ask to write my letter of recommendation?
We accept both professional and academic recommendations. As our programs are professional programs that emphasize career outcomes, we encourage candidates with work experience to get their recommendation from a professional reference. If you have limited work experience, getting an academic reference is completely acceptable.
That being said, we encourage you to get a recommendation from someone that knows you on a personal level. A strong recommender is a person that can authentically speak to not only your professional capacity or academic preparedness, but also your character and future potential.
Should I submit more than one letter of recommendation?
We require only one letter of recommendation for our MBA and MS programs, and two letters of recommendation for our PhD programs. You can request a maximum of three letters of recommendation, but keep in mind that the quality of letters of recommendation is more important than quantity. One strong recommendation is preferable to three mediocre letters. I accordingly suggest that you take the time and effort to find the right recommender.
I am a recent graduate without much work experience. How can I make my application stand out?
While a significant number of our MSA and MSF students present with around one year of work experience, our MBA candidates typically average four years of work experience. Regardless of which program you’re applying to, here are a few ways to make yourself stand out:
1. Provide a clear reason for wanting to pursue a degree at the Carroll School of Management at this point in your life. Elaborate on your short-term and long-term goals, and use the essay to expand the information listed on your resume.
2. Plan to study for and take the GMAT or GRE. These tests demonstrate your ability to pursue our business programs, as well as your aptitude for quantitative concepts (especially if you don’t have work experience in business or a quantitative field).
3. Emphasize internships, leadership activities, or entrepreneurial projects that you pursued during your undergraduate studies. As much as we look for prior experience, we also look at future potential, so make sure to highlight past achievements and initiatives even if they don’t count as full-time work.
4. Connect with us. Signing up for an event such as a coffee chat with a current student is a great way to connect with the Carroll School graduate community from the beginning. Plus, you’ll get a clearer sense of program fit and expectations.
I’m curious about what it’s like to be a student. How can I find out more?
The best way is to connect with a student through MBA and MSF/MSA coffee chats. You can also attend a live MBA class, be in touch with our BC MBA Ambassadors, take a tour of the Carroll School, or check out some student and alumni profiles on our blog.
I still have questions about my application. How can I get them answered?
You can check out our FAQ page, email us at at bcmba@bc.edu, or call us at 617-552-3920. The best way to get all your questions answered is to set up a time to meet with a member of the Graduate Admissions team. We offer Zoom meetings and phone calls almost every day of the week, so sign up now.
Please remember that the Graduate Admissions team is here to help you every step of your graduate business school journey! We look forward to being in touch with you.