Prospective B-School Students Plan to Apply to More Schools This Year, According to Survey by Stacy Blackman Consulting

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - May 7, 2014) - More than twenty five percent of business school applicants are planning to apply to five schools this year, up from 22.86% that planned to apply to five schools last year, according to a new survey by Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC), a leading B-school admissions consulting firm. At the same time, 10.57% plan to apply to six schools, up from 9.8% last year, the survey found.

"There is a growing awareness of just how competitive b-school admissions are, and an understanding that there are more than one or two terrific schools for any given applicant," said Stacy Blackman, President of Stacy Blackman Consulting. "We find that more applicants are interested in applying to a wider range of schools than in years past."

The survey also reported that:

• Interest in consulting careers post-business school continued with a slight decline from 38.1% last year to 37.72% this year, while interest in jobs in finance increased from 22.4% to 24.4% this year. Entrepreneurship captured 24.75% of career plans last year and 24.72% this year.
  
  
• Reputation is still the most important factor influencing potential students' decision to attend a particular b-school, though it showed a slight decline from 52.4%, ranking it as most important last year compared to 50.87% this year; meanwhile, the importance of the strength of job placement programs and outcomes spiked from 18.8% last year to 21.87% this year.
  
  
• Career advancement continues to be the most important reason to attend business school, with 45.2% ranking it as most important last year and 43.7% ranking it as most important this year, followed by 38.17% of respondents this year who were most motivated by a desire to change careers.
  
  
• Interest in the GRE grew from 3.97% last year to 7.65% this year, while 92.37% plan to take the GMAT this year, compared to 96.3% last year.

The survey was conducted between April 15, 2014 and April 24, 2014, with 675 respondents.

"From year to year, our survey reveals how potential business school students perceive the economic environment, educational landscape and job prospects," said Blackman. "Though applicants' top considerations in selecting schools and motivation for pursuing an advanced business degree may change, the numbers show that students still perceive an MBA as a powerful stepping stone to the next stage of their professional development -- or to a completely new career or entrepreneurial venture."

About Stacy Blackman Consulting
Stacy Blackman Consulting (www.StacyBlackman.com) has helped clients gain admission to every top business school in the world. With a world-class team of consultants, the firm applies a personalized approach to each applicant, based on developing and implementing a winning marketing strategy to make the application process less stressful and more successful.