How to handle an MBA fair

Attending an MBA fair before deciding on a business school is a worthwhile effort, recommends an admission consultant. But applicants need to arm themselves with some knowledge before they go to get the most out of it and to leave a good impression that might count when they send their actual application later on.

When Matt Symonds attended his first ever MBA fair 25 years ago, he had to leave in disgrace. “Unruly behaviour” was the term the organisers used to dismiss him. “Standing on the sidewalk on a cold January evening, we decided that if we couldn’t be inside the room we would do better to start our own MBA fair business,” the founder of QS World MBA Tour and one of Fortuna Admissions’ directors writes in a recent Forbes article. “Within five years we were organising events on four continents, welcoming schools and attendees to what had become the World MBA Tour,” says Symonds.

So, no one knows better how to get the most out of the time spent at an MBA Fair. Here are his tips:

Prepare two-to-three thoughtful questions for schools of interest that are not on the school’s website.

Keep an open mind and check out schools which may not have been on your radar initially.

Be able to explain ‘why b-school’ and your post-MBA plans in a minute or two and convey your excitement to be taking the next step in your career.

Switch on your listening skills as information that you receive might help your application in particular your essay.

Write a follow-up thank you note (handwritten is a nice touch) – so ask for a business card.

And as an example, that a visit at an MBA fair can make a difference, he cites his colleague Emma Bond, a former Senior Manager of Admissions at London Business School. “I was at an MBA fair in Seoul where the doors were kept tightly locked until noon, at which point this flash flood of people erupted into the hall and I was mobbed for several hours,” Bond said. “At some point, I met a Japanese-Brazilian working in South Korea with a background in automotive manufacturing. He was professional, engaging and friendly, and had an interesting international profile that was a good LBS fit, but he didn't have great stats. So, when he later applied I actually remembered him and the impression he’d made and was able to say, ‘yes, this guy is great, he'd contribute,’ and he was eventually offered a place.”