The process of organizing your application to a top business schools for an MBA or an MiM program is exhausting and long to say the least! Applicants think through every single point in their resume to make sure they are positioning themselves in a way that can set their profile apart from other applicants. 

If you have been engaging in leadership roles at different organizations or volunteered for non-profits and charities, you will want to use that in wisely in your application to make a good impression on the person you truly are and your view on certain issues. 

However, not all applicants have decided to volunteer for a nonprofit in the past. Not all applicants engaged in extra curricular activities outside of work and school. Some of us are just living a plain boring life! 

Admission committees understand that not everyone can afford to volunteer or work for free. Some applicants don’t have the time to engage in extra curricular activities because they are both working and studying at the same time. The good news is that many of these applicants get accepted to some of the best business graduate programs even though they lack extra curricula activities and experience. 

However, it is still considered a red flag when an admission committee notice that an applicant did not get involved in any activities outside of class during their undergraduate studies specifically. The goal behind pursuing an MBA is to basically use the knowledge you have gained both in class and outside, and that includes extracurricular activities. That knowledge and experience can help you classmates get perspective on certain issues that they were not aware of. The committee wants to know what kind of added value your previous experiences can bring to the table. How can you the community be better? An applicant can think about travels, and cultural experiences as a substitute to extra curricular activities. You can point that you are passionate about certain issues and activities. Cultures perhaps? It does not have to be your own culture, it can be some culture you got to learn about while traveling. 

It can be a little bit suspicious to the admission committee if the applicant decided to join a bunch of non profits 4 months or even a year before he or she decided to apply to graduate school. Maybe you can even volunteer to help with the corona virus pandemic and the efforts to help the community around you. That could show the adcom that you truly care about people and the community you live in. 

The main thing from this article is to point that the admission committee are always looking for a well rounded applicant, someone that can bring values and ideals to the school. Try to showcase your ideals!