Have you ever wondered what the MBA and Master’s admission process looks like on the inside? What happens when you submit your application package for review and who takes on the responsibility to grant you the much desired “approved” status or to dismiss your submission as insufficient for business school?

In the past few years, the advances in technology and automated services have impacted the higher education industry and the graduate admissions process in particular. Although the human input of admissions directors is still very much in the center of the decision, data-driven and automated technology is making strides in optimizing admissions and enhancing human capabilities.

Helping applicants stand out

Firstly and most importantly for applicants, new admissions software used by international business schools could improve their chances of admission by helping them stand out with their essay responses. According to Emilie Cushman, CEO of the assessment platform Kira Talent, more and more of their clients are saying that applicants who came in “just under the mark” in their admissions tests or GPA scores were actually admitted because the software had introduced new ways of looking at applications.

Check out: 5 Commonly Asked Questions by B-School Applicants

A new algorithm and service developed for the Kira Talent admissions platform in 2017 helps reduce the so-called “reviewer bias” when checking submissions. Members of the admissions committee can rely on a collaborative yet asynchronous process where each reviewer is able to provide their input without being influenced by the opinions of others. Representatives at Kira Talent explain:

The algorithm helps schools see how an applicant performed across different reviewers and on different criteria, leading to fairer decisions.

Introducing video essays and interviews

Nowadays, video essays and pre-recorded statements play an important role in the admissions process of an increasing number of MBA programs. Many universities have opted for substituting the traditional written essay with one that should be recorded in a video format as an attempt to bring out the authenticity and personal qualities of applicants. In some cases, the question or questions that should be answered are provided in advance but a lot of schools actually prefer to generate the essay question once the applicant starts recording. John Byrne, business and admissions expert, pointed out the novelty of this method:

You can tell an awful lot by a spontaneous video question – how it’s answered and how the person shows up, how articulate they are, how they’re dressed. It’s amazing how much you can tell.

Moreover, as MBA admissions consulting firm ARINGO advises, the video interview format is also useful in highlighting the English proficiency and communication skills of foreign applicants. They add:

Applicants are not expected to prepare for the MBA video essays and there is no ‘right’ answer. Instead, schools hope that applicants who may not excel on paper will have a chance to shine and show parts of themselves and their personality that are not seen elsewhere in their traditional application.

Making the admissions process more efficient

Implementing new software solutions brings in more than quality and innovation in current graduate admissions procedures – it also guarantees efficiency. Elite international business schools always stress that they assess MBA and Master’s applications holistically. This means that they look at all the components of the application package and review them in the context of the particular submission. Although holistic assessment does wonders in securing a strong and diverse student cohort, it also requires more effort and time invested. A study by the Council of Graduate Schools reported that 58% of schools that took the survey considered time to be a barrier to conducting a holistic review.

Check out: 6 Hard Questions on Preparing MBA Recommendations

With up-and-coming software solutions in higher education, admissions directors have the flexibility and time to assess Master’s and MBA application submissions in more detail. For example, one school reported that they saved roughly 73 days of their typical admissions cycle, while another school said that they have cut their interview time in half since using the software, said Emilie Cushman from Kira Talent. Of course, balancing efficiency with quality work should be at the center of these innovations in the industry and one should not be sacrificed for the sake of the other.

Decreasing cases of plagiarism

Technological innovations in the graduate admissions process have one more important benefit. New software intends on making it easier for reviewers to detect cases of plagiarism and fraud. While not all prospective applicants take extreme measures to try to get a spot in a top program such as opting for paid essay services or fake transcripts, some of them neglect the importance of sending in an authentic application. With advances in higher education tech, admissions committees are able to see whether you have borrowed text from articles or other external sources without proper citations.

Check out: How to Impress Admissions Officers Digitally – Part 1

Besides Kira Talent, there are other companies which are doing their best to solve this problem. According to some MBA admissions consultants, more and more schools are opting for advanced fraud protection software such as Slate. Nathan Allen, author at Poets&Quants, elaborated further:

A product of Technolutions, Slate was created more than a decade ago exclusively for higher education admissions offices, and a few MBA programs have been using the software for a few years. […] If an applicant wrote his or her recommendation letters and then sent them to their recommenders to submit on their behalf, the software could find statistical similarities in the applicant’s personal essays and recommendation letters — essentially, that they came from the same place.

Whether you have already tried and tested some of these tech trends as a graduate school applicant, the industry is certainly catching up with the times. Let’s see what other innovations will be introduced to make the Master’s and MBA admissions process smoother and more transparent in the upcoming years.

The post Tech Trends in the B-School Admission Process appeared first on PrepAdviser.com.