How to strengthen your Bentley application

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What Bentley weights most

Bentley heavily weights demonstrated interest in business/finance and quant aptitude—applicants with strong math grades, finance internships, or investment club leadership significantly outperform those with generic "I want to study business" narratives. They're notably stricter on math coursework (AP Calc, Statistics preferred) than comparable schools and prioritize essays/activities that show understanding of their specific pipelines (Big 4 accounting, Boston-area asset management, corporate finance roles). They're looser on absolute GPA/SAT floors if an applicant shows clear financial literacy or quantitative trajectory, but weak math performance is rarely overcome.

Supplemental essay strategy

Use Bentley's "Why Bentley?" prompt to name specific resources—their trading lab, accounting center, Valuation and Corporate Finance Institute, Boston location for internship proximity—and connect these directly to a concrete career goal (e.g., "I want to recruit for Goldman's FP&A program, and Bentley's alumni network in Boston financial services and your fund management coursework position me to break in"). Avoid generic business school language; instead, demonstrate you've researched their employer pipelines and understand how their curriculum feeds those networks. If you have quant accomplishments or finance experience, lead with that in your essay to reinforce the "right fit" signal.

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Where to focus next

If you only have time for one thing this month, do this:

1. Read 2 admitted-student essays from Bentley (search official admissions site or Reddit r/bentley). Notice the level of specificity — that's the bar.
2. Write the ‘why this school’ supplement first, before anything else. If you can't fill 250 words with school-specific reasons, pick a different school.
3. Find one current student to ask about their experience — admissions offices often connect prospective applicants with current students. The follow-up email becomes specific essay material.