SDA Bocconi MBA Application Insider

Take a walk through Italy’s bustling business epicenter, Milan, and you’ll find one of the world’s elite business institutions. SDA Bocconi School of Management is the fifth best business school in Europe, so landing a place on it’s top-ranked MBA program requires more than just a good GPA. 

If you enroll in the one-year MBA program you’ll be tasked with nine months of intense classroom learning. That’s followed by a practical period engaging you in a hands-on internship, entrepreneurial project, or group business lab where you can put your learning to the test.

Professionals with five to 10 years’ experience in industry use the MBA at SDA Bocconi to make big moves in their career as 84% of graduates change either their country, industry sector, or job role after graduating. 

What’s more, 30% of the MBA cohort are offered financial aid through the school’s merit-based scholarships, with awards ranging from 25% of fees to the full cost of tuition.

So, what’s required to land a place on this top program? Rossana Camera, director of recruiting and admissions at SDA Bocconi, tells us how to stand out in your application.

What do you look for in your MBA applicants? 

At SDA Bocconi, we look for motivated and goal-oriented applicants who aspire to get as much as possible out of the program.

Each year our aim is to build a dynamic cohort, so we look for candidates who have something unique to contribute. New ideas, perspectives, and energy. We want people who are engaged and not afraid to speak up. This makes for the most interesting conversations in class. 

Our cohorts are intimate with around 100 students so it’s great when different cultures and professional backgrounds can interact with and learn from one another. Typically, our classes are very international with students from around 35 nationalities. 

We want to see what impact each individual can make within the upcoming cohort. 

What’s the biggest mistake you can make in your MBA application?

For us, one of the mistakes candidates can make in their application is being inauthentic. 

If you change who you are in your application to match exactly what you think we’re looking for at SDA Bocconi, it will only cause problems further down the line. 

We recognize in an application when students can learn and grow from us, so even if you don’t fit the criteria exactly, still apply and be yourself! 

What questions should candidates expect in their admission interview? 

Our interview process is focused on motivation. We not only want to find out about a candidate’s professional background and success but also their personal successes and what drives them. We may also ask about failures and how they have grown from them.

We ask about their motivation for choosing SDA Bocconi and why they think it is the right business school, program, and location for them. We want to know candidates are joining at the right moment in their professional life and are confident in their decision. That’s very important to us. 

We may ask students about their Plan B if they are not accepted onto the program. This is to understand your long-term career goals and know you have really thought about your journey. 

My favorite thing about working in admissions at SDA Bocconi is meeting people who are passionate and seeing their potential. 

How important is a good GMAT score to making a strong application?

First of all, we look at each application holistically so applicants shouldn’t be deterred from applying if they didn’t score as well as they’d hoped on the GMAT. 

They can boost their application with professional experience, drive, and motivation. The GMAT doesn’t represent a candidate’s personality, which is also very important to us. 

However, in a typical cohort the average GMAT score of our students is around 670.

We also offer our full-tuition scholarships to applicants who score the highest on the exam. If candidates are applying for one of our merit-based scholarships, they should aim to score 700 or above.

What are your top tips for applicants?

Applicants should show us that they are very well-informed about the program and what we offer. This is how we know they are making a considered and proactive decision. 

We want to know it is the perfect moment for you in your life and career, and likewise that the MBA program at SDA Bocconi is the perfect fit for you. 

Take time with your decision and application so you can be prepared for the interview stage. 

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