Selecting schools

Selecting the right school is one of the important things in the application process. I consider the following aspects important in the selection process.

Curriculum and Electives: Check what a school has got to offer as a part of the curriculum. Do the electives offered meet your career goal and aspirations?

Placements: How good is the recruitment in the field of your interest. If you are an international student make sure to know the companies that are willing to sponsor work permits. Not all companies are inclined to recruiting international students.

Teaching style: Teaching methodology is typically a mix of cases and lectures although some schools only practice the lecture based method. Personally, I think cases give a real time experience and schools that promote it are a better choice.

Networking: Know how good are the school's ties with its alumni and the kind of events and fairs arranged. Networking is very important for intern and post-MBA jobs as well. One of your main line professional networks will be through the school you graduate from.

Location: Location can be of concern to many because of family ties, weather or other interests.

Student body: What is the student body composed of? What is the extent of diversity in terms of work-ex, age, nationality etc. How enthusiastic and participating are the students?

Outside classroom: Student organisations and cultural clubs enable you to pursue your interests and develop extra-curricular activities. Learning about the various clubs will help you understand what you get to do outside class.

Hands-on experience: Many schools encourage their students to work for companies even during their course work. That helps you hit the ground running.

The various sources to know about schools would be their students, staff, alumni, websites, MBA fairs and class visits. Class visits are more advisable after an initial shortlisting. They will help you to zero down on your choices.

Recession and MBA

Why an MBA can prove good news in bad times

GIVEN the economic gloom and the good times not expected to return in the immediate future, is it a good or a bad time to study for an MBA?

The trite answer is that it is always a good time to take an MBA. The reality is more complicated. Much depends on how long and how deep the economic trough is likely to be. A full-blown recession in America and possibly in the UK must be bad news for job markets.

More at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/mba/article3446752.ece

Bad times can be good for B-schools.

As concern about a possible recession grows, graduate school typically offers a safe haven—but only up to a point

It may sound counterintuitive, but with the R word—recession—increasingly being bandied about by economic forecasters, business schools could soon be seeing the highest application volume they've seen since the burst of the dot-com bubble. If that happens, it would fit into the counter-cyclical trend of business-school applications, where students initially flock to business schools when the economy shows signs of faltering.

More at:
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/sep2007/bs20070918_413371.htm

Facing the interview beast :)

Typical MBA interview Qs can be found in accepted and mbapodcaster

From my experience I would suggest the following:

• A complete and thorough retrospection of WHY an MBA would help with essays and interviews too. Know very well what you stated in your essays and ensure you reinforce them in the interviews.
  


• WHY MBA, WHY MBA NOW, CAREER GOALS, ABOUT YOURSELF (show a career progression and also showcase outside work activities), WHY XYZ SCHOOL (bring out the match between your goals and what the school has to offer. Also what you can contribute and how you can continue to pursue your other interests) are typical and must be handled VERY VERY well.
  

• These apart, MOST important thing is: Have instances in your professional and personal front illustrating leadership, failures, hurdles, accomplishments, contributions to organisation, team work. You would cover quite a few in the essays. But you would need more for the interview. Have an experience to quote in each of these areas. ALSO if you say abc is your strength, have an example ready wherein you demonstrated that strength. Generally you are asked for 2/ 3 strengths...so as many examples.
  

• Same is the case with weakness. Have an instance and also show how you are working to overcome the same. It is important to mention this.
  

• In your recos ensure that the recommender actually backs whatever you stated in the essays and which you would possibly say in interviews. CONSISTENCY is very important.
  

• In regard to career goals, you are expected to be very focussed and clear. The POSITION you would like to take up post-MBA, 5yrs, 10yrs and 15yrs down the line. The industry and function must be very clearly stated and you must be in a position to say which company you are looking at post-MBA. Even if your essay doesn't require you to cover these, in interviews the adcom (the business lingo for admissions committee ;) ) will delve into depths. They are interested to know if they can help you with your career aspirations.
  

• Due to the heavy global level competition, schools tend to incline towards students who put in efforts to know about the school. Attending MBA events, getting in touch with Alumni, current students and staff and class visits are a plus. There may be a questions in the interview as to how you got to know about that particular school.
  

• Do have questions for the adcom as well. Don't just ask something whose answer can be found right on their school's website.
  All this done, you are all set!
  

Extra curricular activities

Wondering what schools expect when they talk of extra-curricular activities? Well, be it any domain that the school is concerned about, they look for one key trait; leadership! In fact, one need not have held any lead roles in terms of designations in one's work experience. The initiatives you took and your leadership instances count. Anyway, we are deviating. Hm...yeah, extra-curricular activities. So, as said, the admissions committee looks for your commitment and leadership yet again in these activities. It is often misinterpreted that community service alone qualifies for this section. Definitely, not. Do something you are passionate about. That would help you enjoy whatever you do and be sure to bring out instances where you could showcase your leadership. Tell them how you would pursue this interest at school. Your activity could be music, some sports club...just anything. Anything, but you are expected to do something outside work...some for fun and some out of passion and interest. No one out there wants a nerdy bookworm. Try to be the right mix!

Dizzy with rounds?

We have been hearing "It is the best to apply when you and your application are ready" ! But, why not get ready for earlier rounds? Even if your stars don't turn lucky for you, you would still have many doors open if you are an early bird. Yes, people who are not happy with the offers they get in the first round decisions always stand a chance to apply to their next set of schools' second admission round in the very year rather than wait for 365 days!!! This is more appropriate for international students who are typically allowed to apply only to certain rounds of admission, most likely the first couple of them. First round generally spans from Oct to Dec. But certainly, as said, ensure you are all set when you apply. You may go through the checklist post to measure your readiness.

Weighing GMAT

Where to place GMAT in the admission process scale of ten? Hmm... let us first redefine the scale. It is a scale of ten ones rather than a scale from one to ten. Each applicant is evaluated as an individual gauging across various skill sets from aptitude to work-ex to extra-curricular activities to....and the list goes on... essays and recommendations speak of the other faculties...


Now, GMAT is an indicator of your aptitude. It would help in guessing how one would perform in class. It is better to get GMAT out of your way and get onto the other things which would be more demanding in terms of efforts and time. Certainly, GMAT seems as a monster on your journey to secure an MBA. But, trust me, once you get off this hurdle soon will you realise that you are just through the tip of an iceberg...an immensely huge ice berg! Simply blow the GMAT out of your way and swiftly fly past it. Giving one's best to every inch of the admission process is important. No piece weighs more than any other.

Application sequel !!

Sounds weird, eh? Well, the application process is not "complete" with submission of your online application or even after your interview. There is certainly more to it. I agree that after undergoing the gruelling process, it is very tempting to hug your bean bag and slack off. However, it is crucial to stay and also prove competitive in the race you started running. Keep the admissions team posted about all your updates ever since you applied or interviewed. Detail about your latest achievements, activities and how you would add more value to the school community. Add lines that demonstrate your continued interest and do include a thanks note for their time and all opportunities given. Stay connected with the admissions committees.