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The admission decision made by Business Schools is based on your overall academics, GMAT score, letters of recommendations, and Statement of Purpose (SOP). In your SOP, you should clearly outline why you developed interest in doing research.
If you have already chosen any research area, you may want to state that in your SOP, and explain why it excites you.

Where to Apply?

The decision to apply to a particular Ph.D. program depends on certain specific criteria. However, I must state that there are exceptions and these are based on my personal judgments.

i) GMAT Score and Academic Background: If you have a very high GMAT score, and you have strong academic background, then apply for top ranking Ivy League schools like Harvard, MIT, Wharton, Stanford, and Kelloggs. However, remember that the competition to get into these programs is intense. So, a high GMAT and a strong academic background does not guarantee your admission. Your SOP, experience, and Letters of Recommendations will be crucial.

If you have scored less than 700 in GMAT and you have a good academic background, you should avoid applying to Ivy League Schools.

ii) You should also look at your research interests, and find if your school is having qualified faculty in those areas. For example, within MIS discipline, Michigan State University and Ohio State University are popular for their Supply Chain Management. Similarly, Boston University, University of Kentucky, and Morgan State University are popular for their Knowledge Management programs. Further, certain universities excel in inter-disciplinary research. For example, University of Kansas and Morgan State University have faculty doing research on Accounting Information Systems.

The Ivy League Schools usually have adequate faculty members in any area of research. Unless you are very specific about your research problem, it is safe to join any of these schools.

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* Contributed by -
Dr. Partha Mohapatra,
Assistant Professor,
Morgan State University, USA,
The contents of this article reflect author's personal opinions.