A certain B-School presents the
following Class Profile…
Typical Class Profile for Full-time MBA Programs at XXXX
Male : 63%
Female : 37%
U.S. Citizens : 60%
International Students : 40%
Average Age : 32
Work Experience : 5 yrs
Average GMAT : 650
Average Undergraduate GPA : 3.4
TOEFL Internet
(typical admitted student) : 95+
Who do you think has a better
chance of getting through?
A-GMAT Score 710, Male, 5 years of
work experience in the IT industry
B- GMAT Score 680, Female, 5 years of experience in the Banking industry, 2 years as a manager
Although both their profiles are meeting
to the average class profile, the
Admission Office would look for the candidate with better qualitative experience and has proven managerial capabilities.
MBA
Through with the GMAT...Get ready for the next step…For a start, here’s what you need to know…
The scope of a management degree promises a plethora of forward avenues, allowing management students the liberty to align their training with their ambitions. While you would certainly consider your GMAT score, location, budget and accreditation of the institution you aim to join, yet other lesser-known factors should be paramount in your decision-making process- Considering that an MBA is more about securing a global perspective and experiential learning, studying at one of the world’s top B-Schools would certainly place you in a commanding position in terms of your career goals – wherever in the world your B-School might be located.
We want people to work for several years. They need not only the work experience itself, but the growth and maturity that time brings.
-Judith Goodman, Michigan
There’s no substitute for the time spent in trenches
-Fran Hill, Berkeley
We’re looking for progressively responsible experiences
-Suzanne Cordatos, Lauder (Wharton)
We value bringing in the person from education or the Peace Corps as well as from Wall Street. They’ll work together in groups and learn from each other.
-Judith Goodman, Michigan
We encourage candidates who can benefit from—and contribute to—a transformative education in which students challenge and learn from each other as they test their growing leadership abilities.
-Harvard Business School
As an MBA aspirant you fall into one of the two categories:
Vertical -seeking advancement in your current field
OR
Transitionals-: Seeking a career shift.
Based on widely-published B-School Rankings, how do you make a relative assessment?
While in Europe, London Business School and Insead are considered the ultimate destinations for a management education, it is US-based institutions like – Wharton (University of Pennsylvania), Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Columbia Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management and University of Chicago: Booth - that top most B-School rankings. Besides these, the B-Schools that figure in the US News Top 50 ranking and the FT Top 100 ranking are credible and have a consistent, proven track of producing top-notch managers who find a place in some of the best companies across a range of industries globally.
Follow an accurate Process of Elimination to decide on where to apply… Increase your probability of admission
Since B-school rankings are varied and might be a tad skewed, it would be prudent to consult a range of such data for a 360 -degree analysis.
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Checking the placement records and alumni spread would tell you if companies that recruit from a particular B-School are from the industry you plan to work with will help you narrow down to an appropriate, workable shortlist .
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Key classroom demographics (usually published on B-School websites) will tell you whether or not you fit into a certain class profile - in terms of your general academic profile, work experience or cultural diversity. Excogitate on the past pattern to find a fitment for yourself.
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Studying under the tutelage of management academicians who have been published for their thoughts and observations on management techniques is always a good idea- management educators should constantly be upgrading themselves and must be flexible and adaptable to suit the dynamic corporate cosmos. Check the faculty page and do a quick ‘Google’ search to spot the beacons that would best guide you.
An MBA is an exciting journey and selecting the right B-school can certainly jumpstart your ambitions. Keep walking!!!
ITP speak about the shortlist: Neither follow a friend nor go by a trend. Customize.
Applying to management colleges involves answering a host of questions, presented to you in an essay format, that need to be addressed at the time of application. The idea is to get a complete assessment of the your profile at a qualitative level – what you consider important enough to call an achievement or what you might consider your weakness or your biggest strength, will tell the admissions office a lot about who you are. Besides what you state, they will be reading between the lines – dwelling on aspects like the language, expression and choice of incidents to finally get a hang of your aspirations, conviction, character and mind-set.
Besides asking you to state your career goals, they might ask:
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What interests and occupations do you pursue in your free time?
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What is unique about your background and experience that you would bring to your classmates at XXXX?
Such essay questions need to be answered in theme and spirit after considerable thought.
How to write a winning Essay
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While describing events, lay due emphasis on specifics - solid numbers, percentages and dates speak volumes about the impact of your participation.
•
Introspection and retrospection will take your quality of writing to the next level. While creating your essays drafts go back to your experiences since childhood and beyond – underscore events that have shaped you academically and holistically as a person and professional who can make a viable addition to their challenging classrooms.
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Contemplate on people and places that have influenced and challenged your thoughts and your imagination so far.
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Relate and present them in a manner that strengthens your candidature as a prospective student of management.
•
One of the most common mistakes is to use the Optional Essay to repeat information that has already been presented. This essay must be used to further enhance the application rather than make it redundant. Explain aberrations in your academic or professional background, like a dip in score or a gap in employment. Community work or multi-cultural experience can be highlighted in the optional essay, if explained nowhere else in the application.
Remember, while writing essays:
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Write with color and fervor
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Edit mercilessly -Don’t get emotionally attached to your creation
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Avoid pretentions – Be yourself
•
Manage your ego
•
Enlist the services of a qualified critic to evaluate your inputs
ITP speak about the essay-writing: There is a fine line between being honest and being modest. Find yours right away.
Is it sufficient to ask a major corporate honcho for a recommendation just because he is well-acquainted with your family? Chances are, just this once he would refuse the favor or if he does grant you one, your recommendation will hold no water in the admissions office. Having positioned yourself as someone who is completely adaptable to studying in a foreign country amongst peers who hail from across continents, you are expected to network and gel with people in the echelons of power effectively and this should reflect in your choice of recommenders. You must select recommenders who can provide an objective appraisal of your interaction with them, individuals who can take the time and make the effort to sift through your background and provide evidence of why they consider you worth recommending. Someone who can honestly state a previous faux pas and how you learnt and grew from it will be a better choice than someone who is just acquainted with you at a cursory level.
Rather than going far back to your formative years in the industry, consider individuals who can provide a relevant, candid, current assessment of your abilities.
ITP speak about the Letters of Recommendation: Look for a qualified recommender who can provide your assessment as relative to a peer group
Most interviews are conducted via web-based networks like Skype. Being dressed for the occasion and following basic interview etiquette are golden rules that need to be followed come what may. Reach the location well before time to pace yourself out and take a breather before facing the interview.
Some of the most common questions they may throw at you include,
•
Run me through your resume
•
Why do you want to join XXXX
•
Why MBA and Why MBA now?
•
Why Marketing/ Finance/ HR?
•
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Such questions are just the tip of the iceberg and it is expected that you are well-versed with appropriate answers. Read your essays before the interview so that your answers are in sync with what you have mentioned earlier in your application.
A more devious interviewer will put you through a stressful session by asking you to answer bouncers like –
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When was the last time you had your foot in your mouth
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What situations make you socially uncomfortable
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What do you do besides work and why
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Name one subject that you never liked and why
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Name a role model/ favorite book/ most recently read book, etc
Confounded? You bet. Because that’s exactly what these questions are shot at you – to assess your potential in high pressure situations and of course, to test the validity of your previous statements by cross-questioning you on the more difficult ones. Prepare well in advance by doing extensive research on the types of questions put forward during interviews. Solicit the help of friends and acquaintances who can advise you not only on the quality of your answers on factors like your body language and facial expressions while answering the questions.
If you thought that B-Schools provide few and restricted means of Financial Aid, guess again…Since the MBA is a professional course rather than an academic one, it is widely believed that options for financial aid are limited or restricted. This is a myth. In actuality, a range of financial aid options are available to an aspiring MBA applicant:
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Private or Public Research-based Grants, Scholarships and Fellowships
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Course-related Internships
•
Research Assistantships
•
Tuition Waivers (part or full) are also provided by the college/university in the form of Institutional Aid.
ITP speak on the Admission Interview: We have helped students get through B-schools with 50-100% Financial Aid
Although both their profiles are meeting to the average class profile, the Admission Office would look for the candidate with better qualitative experience and has proven managerial capabilities.
