Social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn aren’t just tools for personal connection and entertainment. These platforms can also play an important role in your MBA application.
Business school admissions teams may review applicants’ social media pages to determine your suitability for their program. This means that as an applicant, you can use social media strategically to your advantage.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your personal brand or write the best MBA application essay, using social media can make a big difference.
Here are five ways you can use social media in your business school application.
1. Write a great MBA essay
Writing a personal MBA essay is essential to show the admissions team that you are an ideal candidate for the program.
Thoroughly researching the school’s official social media channels can give you valuable insight into the school’s ethos and culture and the qualities the admissions team looks for in applicants. This includes learning about the career paths of alumni, the activities of student organizations, and other important topics related to the school community.
This knowledge will help you clarify how you want to leverage the school’s unique opportunities to advance your career goals. By demonstrating your genuine interest in the program and how your values align with those of the school, you can make a strong case for why you deserve a seat in a business school classroom.
2. Discover virtual and in-person events on social media
As online events have increased since the pandemic, social media platforms have become an important avenue for schools and organizations to promote and live stream both online and in-person events.
Following business schools on social media can keep you up to date on upcoming events and Q&A sessions aimed specifically at business school applicants.
Attending in-person events gives you a unique opportunity to interact with the admissions team, ask questions, and network with potential future classmates. However, if you can’t attend, recorded sessions uploaded to YouTube can be just as useful. These sessions often shed light on the qualities that each school looks for in candidates and provide detailed information about the hiring process.
3. Take advantage of forums for current students and graduates
Forums like MBA Applicant Hub can be a valuable resource for inside information and advice from current students and graduates. This online community for business school applicants provides a friendly space to network, ask questions, and learn from each other throughout the MBA application process.
While social media provides a wealth of information, it’s always important to verify all the details using trusted sources like the business school’s official website. However, forums offer honest, first-hand explanations and advice at every stage of the application process.
Whether you’re interested in the best time to apply or the importance of extracurricular activities, you’ll find someone who has faced similar challenges and can give you helpful advice.
4. Create a strong LinkedIn profile that reflects your personal brand
LinkedIn is an important platform for business school applicants because the admissions team can review your profile and get a more complete picture of your work history.
Direct and concise answers are essential in business school applications. Therefore, you may need to leave out details about some of your work history. This is where a well-developed LinkedIn profile can fill in the gaps that you may not be able to cover in your application. Therefore, you need to make sure that all the information and data in your LinkedIn profile and resume are consistent.
For example, you can only get two letters of recommendation for a business school application, but you can get multiple letters of recommendation on LinkedIn.
Another way to demonstrate your knowledge and passion for the industry is to actively participate in content related to your business interests on LinkedIn. This demonstrates to the admissions team your ability to contribute to enriching classroom discussions.
5. Clean up your digital presence
To maintain a consistent personal brand, you need to make sure your online presence matches the professional image you want to project.
While admissions teams won’t necessarily scrutinize your social media pages, a simple Google search can reveal a lot. If searching your name turns up controversial Facebook posts from several years ago rather than your more recent accomplishments or professional endeavors, it’s a good time to evaluate your digital footprint.
In this case, you may need to adjust your privacy settings to limit who can see your content, or even go through some old social media content you’ve forgotten about.
Keeping your accounts public can help you build your personal brand and increase the overall strength of your application by sharing content about internships, volunteer opportunities, and other important aspects of your application.
Using social media strategically can strengthen your application and make you stand out as a strong, proven business school candidate who knows how to use social media to succeed.