Transcription
50 MBA TipsTo Get Into The BestInternational B-schools
Clear Your MindTip 1. Take a stock of yourcareer progressionTip 4. Bring The MBA intothe pictureWhat are the interesting, exciting,frustrating parts of your job? What haveyou done so far that you are proud of?Rather than waiting for the right opportunityto come knocking on your door, evaluatewhether an additional degree will help youmore. Or does that create a bigger risk?Tip 2. Create a career planThink of what you want to do in 5-10 years.Focus on an industry / role / geography.Have a sense of general direction for yourcareer. More on this later.Tip 5. Create a backup planRemember that your plans may not work asexpected. If you decide to take up the MBAroute, think about the worst that canhappen & how you will handle that scenario.Tip 3. Look for alternativesto get thereExplore options within your currentcompany. Talk to your boss, your HR dept,your colleagues to see if you findopportunities to reach your career goals.- Free Career Counseling- Career MAP (Mock Appraisal Process)- Beyond The MBA Hype (Book)
Crack The GMATTip 6. Become familiar withthe test formatTip 9. Take offline / onlineassistance if neededThe test is more predictable than youthink. Well, at least when it comes toquestion types, and in fact, many of theanswer options as well.A little structure & discipline can go a longway in getting a strong GMAT score. Ratherthan re-inventing the wheel, see if takingprofessional help can help speed up things.Tip 7. Start with the basicGMAT booksThe Official Guide is the bare minimumthat you will need. Add the other books ona need basis and based on the specific helpyou need.Tip 10. Re-take the test if itcan make a big differenceMultiple attempts are allowed & highlyrecommended if your first score issignificantly lower than you expected.Tip 8. Take a few free GMATpractice testsApart from the smaller practice sessions toclear the concepts, try out a few freeGMAT tests too. It’ll help you build up thestamina to deal with the real test.- Free GMAT Practice Test- Free GMAT Preparation Articles- Best GMAT Books
Application StrategyTip 11. Understand howapplication timelines workTip 14. Identify gaps in yourstorylineMBA application processes can take morethan a year. Start preparing early & have anidea of the various milestones involved –from GMAT prep to essays to interviews.No story is perfect. There are bound to belogical, credibility, consistency andpracticality related questions. Fix as many asyou can before writing essays.Tip 12. Get an MBA profileevaluation doneTip 15. Spread out yourapplicationsProfile evaluations are like a general healthcheck-up. They’ll highlight your strengths &weaknesses. The approach & overall valuediffers for free & paid versions.Most B-schools have multiple admissionsrounds. Learn about the implications ofapplying in Round 1 vs Round 2.Tip 13. Create a single,solid, basic 'storyline'Many think they can have different careeraspirations for different schools, just to fitinto the general brand perception for thatMBA program. Bad idea!- Free MBA Profile Evaluation- MBA MAP (Mock Application Process)
B-School ResearchTip 16. Start with thepopular MBA rankingsTip 19. Attend B-schooleventsThe problem is, there are too many ofthem and the ranking methodology varies.Financial Times, BusinessWeek have beendoing MBA Rankings for a long time.Many schools try to reach out to theapplicant community through MBA Fairs,online chats & other events. Attend those& ask questions.Tip 17. Create your own listTip 20. Read interviews withadmissions officersYour expectations from the MBA aredifferent from everyone else. List down thecriteria that’s important for you. Knock offb-schools that don’t satisfy them.Many admissions officers provide usefulinformation about their MBA programs ininterviews on popular websites.Tip 18. Dig deeperWith a smaller set of schools on your radar,you can dive in to find out more abouteach school. Check the official websites forthe basic data – class profile, placementstatistics- Most popular B-schools- Admission Officer Interviews
Connect With StudentsTip 21. Interact online withb-school students / alumniCurrent students & alumni are active onvarious MBA & B-school forums. Join theseforums and start interacting with them.Tip 22. Create a list ofquestions for each b-schoolA lot of data is already available on theofficial b-school websites. Create a list ofpoints that are not addressed there.Tip 24. Read the earlierresponses before postingResist the urge to ask questions that theb-school representative has alreadyaddressed. It shows that you haven’t doneyour homework before posting.Tip 25. Follow student blogsApart from the Q&A on forums, manystudents share their admission stories ontheir blogs or on other MBA websites.These can provide good perspectives ontheir challenges and strategies.Tip 23. Identify the rightforum & discussion threadGMAT Club, Beat The GMAT, Pagalguy arethe big ones. Plus there are a whole lot ofsmaller forums (like MBA Crystal Ball) aswell. Target a few.- MBA & GMAT Forum- MBA Admission Stories – Student blogs- Ask B-school students / alumni
Gain Industry InsightsTip 26. Start planning foryour post-MBA careerTip 29. Become familiar withjobs in these domainsYour essays will delve into your aspirationsand motivations for pursuing an MBA.Adcoms want to know what career you areaiming for. And they want to know now.Like you did with your b-school research,it’s important to learn more about yourtarget job and company. Where do theyrecruit? What do they look for?Tip 27. Target the rightindustryTip 30. Contact real peopleto know moreManagement consulting and Investmentbanking are the most popular post-MBAindustries. But you may have otherpreferences – Technology, Retail, Media etcReading up general information is fine. Abetter way to gain insights is to locate folksworking in your target industry & talk.Tip 28. Target the right roleDecide whether you want to be in anoperational, financial, strategic, managerialrole. More importantly, why?- Free Career Counselling- MBA Jobs & Careers Forum- Consulting Jobs Training
Jazz up your EssaysTip 31. Understand whyessays are so crucialThis is the single most important piece thatcan make or break your chances. Evenmore so for competitive applicant pools(like tech / engineer / male).Tip 32. Know what essaysare supposed to doYou get 3-4 essays on an average to narrateyour story, highlight your potential andeffectively make the Adcoms go – ‘Wow!’Tip 34. Keep it real & honestDon't think you can fool admission officerswith cooked up stories and aspirations.Think about facts, figures & generalevidence that you can share when asked.Tip 35. Get an externalperspective to fix flawsAn essay is a business sales pitch.Ask a knowledgeable & trustworthy friend,relative, colleague or consultant to do abrutal review and uncover your blind spots.Tip 33. And what they areNOT supposed to doThough language is important, this is not atest of your literary prowess & yourimpressive vocabulary. Focus on content.- Free MBA essay writing tips- Professional essay editing- Success stories
Rocking Recos / ResumeTip 36. Don’t submit generalrecommendationsTip 39. Don’t submit your jobMBA recos aren’t the same as the generalones you might be familiar with at work.They need to be customized for eachschool & be aligned with your essays.MBA resumes differ from job CVs. Findout the difference between the two andmake the appropriate changes before yousubmit it.Tip 37. Choose the rightrecommendersTip 40. Aim for a 1-pagewell-presented resumeFolks with impressive designations aren’talways the best choice for recos. So don’tblindly head to the office of your CEO orCFO to get a superficial sounding reco.Whether you have spent 3 years or 10 inyour company, you can still fit it all in asingle page. You will need to prioritize &present it to maximize the impact.resumeTip 38. Educate therecommenderYour recommenders may not be fullyaware of how an MBA reco works. Helpthem understand the nuances. Share yourmain storyline & aspirations with them.- General resume writing tips- Tips for Recommendations
Polish your InterviewsTip 41. Be aware of themost likely questionsTip 44. Focus on your voice,diction, accent & speedUnless the admissions officer is feelingadventurous or creative, most of thequestions will revolve around your profile,aspirations and career.You will be talking to a complete strangerwho knows nothing about you apart fromthe basic application. Don’t let poorcommunication skills spoil the party.Tip 42. Know your resumelike the back of your handTip 45. Practice, & thenpractice some moreFor most b-schools, what you have alreadydone is a better predictor of what you cando in your post-MBA career. That’s the realproof of your capabilities.All the brilliant answers in your head meannothing if they cannot be articulated in 3-4minutes per topic. Don’t assume you’ll getit right the first time .Tip 43. Be ready to defendyour claimsIn the essays, you got away with amonologue of all that you’ve achieved. Inthe interview, you could get counterqueries on your essay & resume content.- MBA Interview tips- Situational Interviews- Interview experiences of applicants
Admission ConsultantsTip 46. There are pros tohiring consultantsTip 49. Prepare for a longerprocess, not shorterIn any super-competitive race (MBAadmissions are no different), the rightcoaching can be the key difference betweena good attempt and a successful one.Working with a consulting team will increasethe total time. So if you want to hire aconsultant, start early and include the rightbuffers to avoid last minute chaos.Tip 47. And yup, there arecons as wellCredibility, track record , capability, pricing,working styles can vary quite a bit acrossconsulting teams. Searching for the rightconsultant can be a mini-project in itself.Tip 50. Stick to your story &retain your voiceB-schools want to know YOU better. If youdecide to get some support, ensure thatyour application projects the real you.Tip 48. Don’t ‘outsource’ yourwork to consultantsDon’t ask others to write your essays foryou. It’s unethical. Use consultants tovalidate your story and identify gaps & areasof improvement.- Admissions consulting articles- MBA Consultant Profiles (MCB)- MBA Consulting reviews (MCB)
Free MBA ResourcesGMATCareer--GMAT Quantitative lessonsGMAT Verbal lessonsGMAT Helpdesk for your queriesGMAT success storiesAverage GMAT scores admission chancesInteract with B-school RepsISB MIT Sloan INSEAD Tepper MaysW.P. Carey NUS Singapore IMD NYUStern IIMB EPGP Kelley IIMC PGPexIE Spain Manchester More B-schoolsMBA Financing-Non co-signer students loansMBA scholarships from organizationsGMAT Scholarships from B-schoolsGraduate assistantshipsMid-life career crisisFree career counsellingNon-MBA Jobs & CareersManagement consulting profile evaluationConsulting case interview preparationAdmission Officers Q&AISB Hyderabad MIT Sloan DardenNUS Singapore Georgetown CambridgeIvey CanadaGeneral- MBA Humour Achamba Super MBA- MS, MFE, MPhil, PhD courses- Free MBA Networking
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applicant community through MBA Fairs, online chats & other events. Attend those & ask questions. Tip 20. Read interviews with admissions officers Many admissions officers provide useful information about their MBA programs in interviews on popular websites
