Researching MBA Programs When You Can’t Visit

A successful MBA application demonstrates your alignment with a specific institution. While official websites provide foundational data, school marketing materials often blur together. Top-tier programs all highlight cutting-edge coursework, acclaimed faculty, and premier corporate recruitment networks. Consequently, researching MBA programs when you can’t visit requires a shift toward subjective metrics: institutional culture and personal compatibility.

This is the time of year when you should be doing this type of analysis:  researching schools, determining which schools you want to apply to, and creating your talking points for how each school is a great fit for you, and you for it. Historically, the best way to assess fit was simply to visit. Sit in a classroom, see how everyone engages, and determine if it’s a place where you’d like to spend two years. You can’t do that right now, but you can still learn about the schools – it may just take a little more effort and creativity.

Here are our suggestions for learning about the MBA programs virtually:

1. Conduct Virtual Information Interviews. Directly engaging with current students and recent alumni offers the most accurate cultural assessment. We recommend scheduling several virtual coffee chats with at least two stakeholders from each target school.

2. Ask the Right Questions. If you ask someone “why did you choose” a particular school, they will likely cite all of the stuff you already know (rankings, location, jobs etc). So we recommend that you ask questions about their experience instead. Here are a few ideas to get you started.  

“What was orientation like?”

“Surprisingly, what part of the MBA experience caught you off guard?”

“What were the most popular activities on campus?”

“Describe the most impactful experience you had in b-school.”

“What did you wish was different about your experience?”

“What would you do differently if you went back?”

“How do you engage with your classmates now (if an alum)?”

“What advice do you have for an applicant to your school?”

“Based on your experience, how would you describe the culture of your program?”

3. Video Content >  Written Content. The schools publish blogs that we find helpful for information and facts. But to get a sense for the culture of the school, the video content and webinars are way more helpful. In lieu of being able to do their usual city tours, schools will being going virtual, so look for these events in the near term. They generally fill up fast when offered live, so we expect the same to be true virtually. 

4. Call Them.  If you don’t know current students or alums, call the schools and ask to be put in touch with a current student. All of the top schools offer something like this and it’s a great way for you to ask your questions and get to know the program. Make sure they take your name when you call the school and ask for this (they might keep track). 

5. Forums & Guides (with a grain of salt). Numerous digital platforms offer crowdsourced MBA advice. While free school guides serve as useful starting points to parse program differences, you must exercise caution. Individual perceptions of institutional culture vary. Use third-party opinions as data points for baseline research, not as definitive classifications for your target list.

In a year where we expect the competition to be high, it’s important to stay focused; and right now is the time to be nailing down your story, resume and of course “fit” with your target schools. If you need a good starting point for your school research, you can take the fit quiz on our site located here: School Selection Quiz. Remember, this is just a starting point.

We hope everyone is staying safe and hanging in there! Reach out if you have any questions.

www.vantagepointmba.com