What is so special in these B-Schools

Harvard Business School
Harvard is obsessed with leadership, and they are looking for indications of
leadership ability in each of their candidates. This can be in the form of managerial
work experience, extracurricular activities, or initiative taken in other forms. What
is more important than demonstrated leadership is to convince them that you have
the capability for taking on great responsibility and taking charge of a situation in
the future. Harvard is considered the #1 general management school by US News
(and most of the world), so personal well-roundedness is key.

Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Kellogg believes that teamwork is what builds great organizations, and the ability to
work with, and co-exist with others in the business school environment is their
primary screening criterion. Kellogg is ranked as the #1 school for marketing, so
communications ability and softer skills are more valued here – and expected – than
at other top programs. As was mentioned earlier, the interview has a different nature
at Kellogg than at other schools, and they want to see if you are the Kellogg “type”,
and excited about their program specifically.

MIT Sloan School of Management
Sloan wants to admit a class of innovators. What is most important is to convince
the admissions committee that your career will involve having a great impact on
your organization or industry, and that you have the creativity and courage to take it
on great challenges. Sloan is ranked the #1 school for technology, operations
management and quantitative analysis, so strong business analytical skills are
expected, but communications ability is what distinguishes successful applicants.

Stanford Graduate School of Business
With the highest average GMAT score in the world and the lowest acceptance rate,
Stanford is the most difficult business school to gain admission into on the basis of
numbers alone. That being said, they have a very diverse class mix and a balance
curriculum that emphasizes both hard and soft skills. The key to admission is
convincing the committee that you are bringing something unique to the class.
While Stanford is not ranked #1 in any sub-specialty, it is strong in many areas.

Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is ranked as the #1 school in finance and accounting, and their
emphasis is definitely on business fundamentals. Although the class has the same
number of years of work experience as at other top programs, the average age
skews a little higher, and thus maturity is definitely valued by the admissions
committee. The admissions committee at Wharton is looking for talented, hardworking
individuals that have achieved a great deal but are not arrogant about it.