Your Complete Guide To Applying to Business School as a Couple

UPDATE: This post was originally published on May 23, 2022. It has been updated with new tips and information below.  

We have had numerous clients who are set on pursuing their MBAs with their partners. Getting accepted into your dream program is a challenge all on its own, but situations like you getting accepted and your partner getting rejected can be very difficult and, often, painful experiences. 

Luckily, we have the experience of supporting many of our couple clients towards joint-application success and have just the advice you need to avoid these disappointments and difficulties. 

So, to learn how to get accepted into your top MBA programs alongside your partner, here are our top tips!

 

Find programs that are good fits for both of you

For some couples, especially those with similar career goals and experience, it may be relatively easy to find schools with MBA programs that align with each person’s interests, strengths, and skills. However, for partners that have very different profiles, deciding on what schools to apply to can be quite a bit more complex.

No matter what your situation is, you’ll want to find MBA programs that will be a good fit for both of you – in terms of the specializations that you both require, networks and opportunities that align with your goals, and campus values and location that match your preferences. 

If you have similar career paths, applying to business schools with more focused opportunities, such as UW Foster’s emphasis on tech, can be a beneficial strategy. However, if your and your partner’s careers are more disparate, it is better to apply to schools with a wide range of course offerings, such as Kellogg. 

You may also want to consider which schools have environments that are supportive of couples and/or families. While all top schools have opportunities for MBA students and their partners to get involved in the community, some stand out more than others. For more on this, see our post on the best MBAs for partners!

Tell the admissions committee that you’re applying as a couple

While disclosing to the admissions committee that your partner is applying alongside you may not always bring results, it is worth a try, as long as you have the opportunity to do so (usually in an optional essay). Some (although not all) schools do take relationships into consideration when admitting candidates.

Business schools will likely not admit an applicant that is underqualified regardless of the applicants’ relationship circumstances. However, if one partner has a very strong profile and the adcom sees them as a good fit for the school, this could help push the other partner’s application over the line if their application is not as strong. Although each applicant is evaluated individually, if the school wants the stronger applicant to attend, they know their decision will be impacted by whether or not their partner is also admitted.

In many cases, this is even more true for spouses, as some adcoms view this more seriously than for non-married couples. 

Build strong MBA profiles individually

Although mentioning your partner or spouse in your application is a beneficial strategy, the most important factor in both of you getting accepted is developing strong applications individually. 

One reason for this is that you want to highlight that your main reason for applying is the school and program’s alignment with your goals and values, not that you are simply interested in joining your partner.

Therefore, you must be sure to show clear connections between your professional experience, skillset, and future objectives and the opportunities and culture of the program you’re applying to. This will convince the admissions committee that you will be a valuable asset to the school’s community regardless of your partner’s profile. (This is where an MBA consultant can be particularly helpful – by receiving expert advice on demonstrating a good fit and highlighting your most relevant strengths and motivations, you will be much more likely to receive an offer letter!)

 

Expand your list of schools

While it may be your dream to get admitted to the same school as your partner, if you are really committed to pursuing your MBAs together, it is always a good idea to have a backup plan. In this case, that means applying to multiple schools that are in the same location. 

Cities like Chicago, London, Hong Kong, New York, and Boston are great ideas because they have a number of schools with multiple MBA programs available in case you and your partner don’t get admitted to the exact same school. While it may be disappointing for one of you to get into your dream business school and not the other, having the option to pursue MBA programs in the same city at the same time is still a great fallback option. 

 

Be confident in your collective strength

Don’t assume applying as a couple will make up for a weak joint profile. If possible, when you mention your partnership in your optional essays, try explaining how attending together can not only boost your collective potential in your futures but also how you can jointly enrich the school’s community. 

For example, you may want to mention that you have both developed an exceptional ability to give and receive professional feedback due to your similar ambitions and differences in work approaches. You could elaborate by discussing how pursuing the same MBA will expand upon this development and allow you to share your experience with others. This strategy can help reinforce to the adcom how admitting both of you together will be beneficial in multiple ways!

 

Get admitted to the MBA of your dreams

Our approach here at Ellin Lolis Consulting is centered on the particular situations and objectives of each individual client – or partnership! This means that we are here to help you along the entire MBA application process: from making a decision on the best school for you and your partner to deciding on the best application strategy to get both of you admitted to negotiating scholarships and preparing for interviews.

To take advantage of the Ellin Lolis Advantage for your and your partner’s MBA success, apply to work with us today!