10 Books Every MBA Applicant Should Read

Stressed about application deadlines? Want the insider guide to life at business school? If you’re an MBA applicant, here’s 10 books you need to read

Here’s the rub: there are so many books that address virtually any and every topic related to business. You could spend several lifetimes absorbing knowledge without actually ever getting down to the business of doing business.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky suggests that rather than trying to learn everything about a particular topic, it is much more efficient to research and identify the single best source in that field—if you pick the right source, you can fast-forward.

We’ve put together a collection of essential business reading to give prospective students the tools to stand out throughout the MBA application process.

Here’s 10 books every MBA applicant should read:

1. Titan: The life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. (Ron Chernow)

Learn from the masters. Good biographies are like mentors in that they have the uncanny ability to influence behavior. As you read about your heroes, you adopt their habits and hopefully learn from their mistakes. John D. Rockefeller was more than the wealthiest man in history, he was also hard-working, disciplined, and a renowned philanthropist. This book is essential for anyone interested in business.

2. How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)

Master the art of...

ublished in 1926, How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the best-selling books of all time. A huge component of an MBA program is the network students build during their time there. These valuable connections open doors to future opportunities, lucrative ventures, and mentors.

3. Your MBA Game Plan (Omari Bouknight & Scott Shrum)

Develop your application strategy. This book provides a concise overview of the admission process, describing the four key dimensions of an applicant: leadership, innovation, teamwork, and maturity. The book offers a checklist of elements that fall under each dimension. The book includes in-depth profiles of the top 30 schools with a specific application strategy for each, as well as 34 real-life sample essays.

4. The Portable MBA, Fifth Edition (Multiple contributors)

Learn to speak the MBA jargon. This book will help you know the definitions of terms you will use, guiding you through aspects of the MBA curriculum including accounting, risk management, ethics, and so on.

5. The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss)

Find that work-life balance. Innovation in business may mean letting go of the traditional 9-5 long-haul work concept. Tim Ferriss proposes short work bursts and frequent 'mini-retirements.' He also presents unique ideas of how to eliminate clutter and busy work in order to get the most output from your input.

6. Letters to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders (Warren Buffett)

Cultivate your communication skills. A great communicator is someone who can explain complicated concepts in a straightforward and engaging way. Warren Buffet is one of the best. Since 1977, Warren Buffet has written annual letters to his Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders using his trademark wit to explain what performance means for shareholders in layman’s terms. The opening line from the 2001 letter reads, 'I will tell you now that we have embraced the 21st century by entering such cutting-edge industries as brick, carpet, insulation and paint. Try to control your excitement.'

7. The Best Business Schools' Admissions Secrets: A Former Harvard Business School Admissions Board Member Reveals the Insider Keys to Getting In (Chioma Isiadinso)

Learn from insider knowledge. Written by former Harvard Business School MBA Admission Board Member, Chioma Isiadinso’s text centers on how to brand yourself, build your credentials and leadership experience in order to be a compelling candidate.

8. The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)

Trust the process. Featured in many MBA reading lists from top universities, Eric Ries’ book introduces the concept of 'validated learning': a process through which you try out an initial idea, measure it against customers who validate the effect, then fine-tune and adjust the directions and actions based on that finding. Each test of the idea is a single iteration of a larger process or many iterations in which you learn from the tests prior. The process offers entrepreneurs of all types a reasoned way to continuously test, adapt, and improve their startup model.

9. Good to Great (Jim Collins)

Learn what success means. A must-read for any leader, Jim Collins’ book establishes the framework of success through three stages: disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action. He states: 'Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.'

10. The Innovator’s Dilemma (Clayton M. Christensen)

Technology is always in the foreground. Written by an associate professor at Harvard Business School, this book describes the importance of adopting technology for the success of a company. Clayton Christensen notes that many companies fail because of their resistance to embrace change and innovation in a dynamic ever-changing world.

10 books for MBA applicants listed here, but there's many others out there. If there's one we've missed, let us know in the comments box below.