MBA School Research Log Template

MBA School Research Log: [Your name, programmes researched]

A structured log for researching MBA programmes first-hand: information sessions, class visits, conversations with current students and alumni, admissions events and online channels, with a note structure that turns each touchpoint into evidence you can score and later use in essays and interviews. It is for applicants from the long list stage until they decide which admit to accept. Source basis: structured note-taking and interviewing practice (the Cornell note format, Pauk 1962; open-question interviewing as used in customer discovery) and public descriptions of admissions events on school pages, written in our own words. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. This is a planning aid, not admissions advice. No school endorses or is affiliated with this template; School A, B and C in the examples are invented, as are the people.

Document control

Contents: 1. Purpose and when to use it; 2. Research channels; 3. Process and timeline; 4. Note structure; 5. Question bank; 6. Touchpoint log; 7. School evidence summary; 8. From notes to essays and interviews; 9. Etiquette and privacy; 10. Quality checklist; 11. Common mistakes; 12. Workbook; Sources and further reading; Revision history; Standard and licence note.

1. Purpose and when to use it

Brochures and rankings tell you what every school says about itself. First-hand research tells you what it is like to be a student there, what the school is actually strong at for your goals, and whether you would thrive in its culture. It also produces the specific, verifiable details that separate a convincing "why this school" answer from a generic one.

Research serves three purposes, and the log is designed for all of them:

1. Decision. Evidence for the scores in mba/mba-program-comparison and later for mba/mba-admit-decision.
2. Essays. Specific courses, labs, clubs, professors' fields and student experiences you can connect to your goals (mba/mba-why-school-essay).
3. Interviews. Informed questions to ask, and evidence that you have engaged seriously with the school (mba/mba-interview-prep).

Start at the long list stage (about 10 to 12 months before your first deadline) and continue through admit weekends. Admissions committees do not usually require visits or contact, and many say that attending events does not affect decisions; check each school's statement. Research is for you, not to be seen.

2. Research channels

3. Process and timeline

4. Note structure

Every touchpoint entry has six parts. The design follows the Cornell format: notes on one side, cues and a summary written afterwards.

Template for a single entry (copy for each touchpoint):

5. Question bank

Good research questions are open, specific to the person, and not answered on the website. Ask for examples ("tell me about a time...") rather than opinions ("is it good?").

Avoid questions about your own chances, rankings, or anything you could read in five minutes on the website.

6. Touchpoint log

7. School evidence summary

Group provisional scores into four evidence areas and weight them, as a check on the full matrix in mba/mba-program-comparison. Fictional applicant Lucia Fernandes, weights fixed before research: curriculum fit 30, career fit 25, culture 25, practicalities 20. Weighted average, =SUMPRODUCT($B$2:$B$5,C2:C5)/100:

The touchpoint count matters: School C's culture score of 5 rests on two contacts, so it is weaker evidence than School A's. Before deciding, plan at least one more conversation for any school whose summary depends on fewer than three touchpoints.

Summary sentence per school (write one, in plain words, after the table):

• School A Example: strongest pipeline into operations consulting; case-heavy and intense; culture felt more competitive than I want.
• [School]: [ ]

8. From notes to essays and interviews

Your research becomes useful in applications when it connects a specific feature of the school to a specific need in your plan. A simple test: if you could swap the school's name for another and the sentence would still be true, it is not specific enough.

Rules for using research in applications:

1. Cite courses, programmes and clubs by their public names, and check that they still exist this year.
2. Mention a person you spoke to only if it adds something and you would be comfortable if they read it; many schools say name-dropping does not help.
3. Use the log's question gaps to prepare questions for your interviewer (mba/mba-interview-prep, section on questions to ask).
4. Do not let research replace reflection: essays are about your goals first, the school second.

9. Etiquette and privacy

• Request conversations politely, with a short note on who you are and two or three specific questions.
• Keep to the agreed time (20 to 30 minutes is common) and end on time.
• Send a short thank-you within 24 hours; follow up only if they offered.
• Store names only with consent and keep the log private; it contains other people's views.
• Do not record calls unless the person agrees explicitly.
• Do not ask students or alumni to review your essays unless they offer, and never ask for anything that could breach the school's rules on applicant contact.
• If you use AI tools to summarise your own notes, do not paste in other people's personal information.

10. Quality checklist

• At least three channels per shortlisted school, including one live conversation.
• Each entry logged within 24 hours, with facts and impressions separated.
• Each fact used in an essay checked against the current official page.
• Every conversation has a thank-you recorded.
• Each school has an evidence summary and a one-sentence conclusion.
• Schools with fewer than three touchpoints are flagged for more research.
• Questions for interviewers are drawn from real gaps in the log.
• Personal data in the log is kept private and limited to what people agreed to.

11. Common mistakes

1. Asking what the website answers. It signals no preparation and wastes the person's time.
2. Treating one student as the school. One enthusiastic or unhappy person is an anecdote; look for patterns.
3. Mixing facts and impressions. Months later you cannot tell what you heard from what you felt.
4. Logging too late. Details fade within days; the specifics are what essays need.
5. Researching only reaches. Likely schools deserve research too: you may attend one.
6. Name-dropping in essays. A list of people you met is not evidence of fit.
7. Relying on forums. Anxious, anonymous posts are a poor basis for decisions.
8. Researching to be seen. Most schools do not track contact as a factor; research for your own decision.
9. No follow-up. A missing thank-you can close a door you will need later in recruiting.
10. Outdated facts. Courses, clubs and policies change; check the current page before you cite them.

12. Workbook

1. What I most need to learn about each school to decide (one question per school): [ ]
2. Which people in my network can connect me to students or alumni in my target role: [ ]
3. The class visits I will book, with dates: [ ]
4. Three facts per school that I could not have learnt from the website: [ ]
5. One specific feature per school that connects to my goals, in one sentence: [ ]
6. Where my impressions and the facts disagree, and what I will do to resolve it: [ ]
7. Questions I still have, to ask at interviews or admit weekends: [ ]
8. What changed in my comparison scores because of this research: [ ]

Sources and further reading

• Pauk, W. (1962). How to Study in College. Houghton Mifflin. (Origin of the Cornell note-taking format.)
• Fitzpatrick, R. (2013). The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers and Learn If Your Business Is a Good Idea When Everyone Is Lying to You. CreateSpace. (Open, past-behaviour questions; applies equally to school research.)
• GMAC, mba.com, guidance for prospective students on researching programmes (checked 2026-10-28): https://www.mba.com
• [School A admissions events page, checked YYYY-MM-DD]
• Related templates in this library: mba/mba-program-comparison, mba/mba-why-school-essay, mba/mba-interview-prep, education/cornell-notes.

Revision history

Standard and licence note

Based on established note-taking and interviewing practice and on public descriptions of admissions events on school websites, checked in October 2026. The text, question bank, examples and fictional schools and people are original; no school's material is reproduced, and this template is not affiliated with or endorsed by any school. Event formats and policies change: check each school's official page before you rely on them. Template licence: MIT.