International Bschools - Things to know before applying – Part I

This is first in a planned series of posts that will give nuggets of information about some International Bschools, a few in each post, to help applicants in their short-listing process


CMU Tepper
Aptitude for mathematics/quantitative/analytical is an important factor of success, when getting in and also for staying in Tepper! While at Tepper, students have a choice of taking 'non-MBA' courses at the Carnegie Mellon University; So, if you are looking to augment your skills in computer science while doing your MBA, Tepper is a good place to be. About half of the class at Tepper comes from a technical background, so techies with a good GMAT score stand a good chance at Tepper.


Thunderbird, US
The school has focus on International Business. If you are looking for a global business position, this is the school to be in. The career cell is working hard to place its students in global positions as not many companies view International Business as a value add. There is no McKinsey and BCG on campus. However, Booze, ATK etc visit.


AIM Manila
Conducts its own set of exams. So even if you have not appeared for GMAT, you can apply to AIM Manila. Very affordable; The total program costs around $20,000 (about INR 9 lakhs). The city of Manila also has a very affordable cost of living. Has a rigorous academic schedule compared to some other Asian schools. If you are expecting individual hostel rooms, you might be disappointed as AIM has a dormitory system. Married people can easily get affordable housing in the city.


NUS, Singapore
Though Singapore is a hub for a lot of global companies, most of the recruitment is for BBAs rather than MBAs. Most MBAs need to persevere to get their dream jobs. Career shift is difficult but not impossible. The companies look at your background prior to MBA. About 50% of the class constitutes of Indians who come from interesting backgrounds, domains and geographies. The school has tied up with more than 40 exchange schools. This gives an opportunity for students to experience another school/place at no additional tuition fee.


Looking for information on any specific Bschool? Write to us at info@bschool-admit.com

Beyond ISB....

I believe there are always options in life, for everything …and everything happens for a reason. There are some things that we really cant do much about but we definitely have an option to choose how to deal with it..to fret about something that was not meant to be OR to move ahead and make something else happen ! And all those fighters out there who unfortunately couldn’t make it to ISB – we believe that you all fall in the second category and wont give up.

So lets get into action and see what we can do now..
First lets take a step back and think..do you..

a. ..still want to get into a B-school. Was your aim to get an MBA from any good school or was ISB the school you wanted to go to
b. ..want to dump the idea of getting into B-school because there are many examples of people who have made it big in life without being an "embeeya" 

Well, both the options are fair. But in this article lets assume that you are the one who chooses option a, now again think over the following

1. An Indian B-school is where you want to go – Because of personal, financial reasons etc
2. You are open to any school worldwide

If you chose option 1, your choices could be:

Re-apply to ISB : Yes, there are re-applicants to ISB every year! And a good number of them do get into ISB. In this case make sure you get appropriate feedback from ISB this year so that you know what to work upon for the next year. ISB does give feedback, if only asked for


IIMA PGPEX – But remember applicants need to be of age 27 years or above at the start of the program. If you want to give this a decent shot -you need to get prepared soon as the application forms will be available from March 2007 (not much time left). Start you research asap..

IIMC PGPEX - Needs 5 year of work-ex. Application forms should be available in Jan ’07 – hmmmm…dude …no time left at all

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai – A new kid in the block. This years admissions still going on - last date for submission of Applications: January 20th 2007. 2 years work-ex desired; also admits people with less work-ex. If you want to try this – HURRY UP!!!

SP Jain Dubai/Singapore (not exactly in India, but of Indian origin …) - Very focused specializations on offer (Wealth Management, Retail Management, etc.) So if you know what you want to specialize in, you can give this school a shot. A small percentage of the batch is reserved for those with a family business or who desire to become an entrepreneur

If you chose option 2, you might have to weigh the following factors before selecting the schools to apply for (since they charge in $$, it’s good to do your homework)

- Is your GMAT score good enuf? Do you have the will to better it or would you rather apply with the existing score.

- What is your budget like for MBA fees? Can you afford a US MBA (if you do not get loans) or would you rather stick closer home (Australia, Singapore, etc.) Are you willing to stay and work in the foreign country where you do your MBA, to pay back the loans, or would you rather be working in India? Alternately, for those who have their family businesses, you might want to come back to India to join your family business …

- How are you placed personally – For some people this is a huge constraint while moving out of the country.

- Since there are so many more schools there and if you apply to all you probably wont have any money left ! So choose your schools carefully – be practical and choose a school where you think you have a decent chance and match if against something that suits you (location, concentration, mode of education wise).

- Some schools in US and UK still have deadlines pending in the next few weeks (till mid jan). Give those a shot but don’t do it in a hurry – if you think you cannot do justice to them now – wait. Gather some more exp this year, better your profile and score if required and come back next year better prepared..and go for the kill !!!!

Now that we have given you a structure – work towards it..choose your options..move on..because there is always life beyond ………………

ISB results out - the class of 2008 has started forming up!

Yes. ISB R1 results are out and its beautiful to see the class of 2008 shaping up :). Its a wonderful every year this time - to see a new set of folks come and take up the ISB dream. I think this is the biggest advantage of being in a new school. You feel a part of it - you treat it like a baby of your own and love to see it grow :)! This is something coming straight from the heart of an alum !

So guys, congratulations and THANKS A TON for the numerous calls we are getting from the folks who used our services and called up soon after they got the admit (thats how we came to know :)). We are glad and feel immensely satisfied that we could be of help. Each one of you had become so much a part of the Bschool Admit family that we were all in this together and believe me even we are going to PARTY tonight :)

For those who did not make it ...TRUST ME...there is definitely something in store. So chin up and start looking out for that one thing that is in store for you....

Post CAT Syndrome

Will I get calls from all 6 IIMs, 2, at least 1? My quant went better than verbal, so maybe IIMC and L will surely oblige …

The Day of the CAT. Not an easy one to pass … whether you think you have cracked it (believe me, very few are in this category) or otherwise. You’ll go through your coaching institute’s site for section cut-off marks; compare with other comments from coaching institutes across the country, and wrack your brains on online forums looking for solace. You’ll probably find some … or not.

But will you think about back-ups? What’s your Plan B in case you don’t get calls from any of the six IIMs? I did.

Maybe having advise from a close friend who had gone through a similar experience helped me. She was pursuing her MBA at LBS when I appeared for CAT. When she had appeared for CAT exactly a year ago, she was going through the same feelings. Being a pragmatic person she is, she prepared for GMAT in the months following CAT and appeared for it in Jan end. By the time calls from IIMs started coming in, and she found out that she had no calls, she was ready with a back-up: applying to international bschools and ISB. In the subsequent months she worked through her apps for schools of her choice and secured a seat at the LBS in the following year.

What worked for her? The clarity about when she wanted to do MBA in her career and what were the steps to achieve that objective.

Convinced, I made up my mind and started preparing for a shot at GMAT. Knowing that quant was the easy part as I had already slogged for CAT over the past 6 months, I concentrated on verbal. I also spent a good amount of time, post CAT, to find schools that would suit my profile and that I would apply to if I did not get through an IIM. I started collecting information about the application process for international bschools and what it takes to write those essays.

This exercise helped me in two ways; I had a Plan B in place and didn’t feel threatened at the prospect of not making through an IIM; writing my essays for IIM Bangalore, after I did get my call J

Another thing that is important to start working on is a preparation towards GD/PI. Take my word, you sure don’t know how you did at the CAT till you get those calls. And you don’t want to be caught unprepared when the calls do come in and you have very little time to catch up on myriad current affair topics under the sun. So, read read read to be prepared for GDs. Know thyself and your reasons for doing MBA so that you are prepared for interviews.

Also, cross your fingers and wait for your calls/CAT percentile.

5 Myths of Bschool Admission Applications

- I NEED to have a social service experience to get into a bschool

- Now that I did not apply in the first round, my chances are greatly reduced

- What means most to the adcom is my work experience, so I need to talk about it the most in my essays, applications and interviews

- If I put something extra (that i did not do) in my CV or copy an extract from somewhere for the essay, it wont harm - after all who checks!

- With every incremental gmat score value of 10, my chances of getting through increases irrespective of how my rest of the application is!

GMAT scores - how much is too much ??

' How important is GMAT score for ISB'
Thanks Vinit Garg for suggesting this topic to us - here you go..

First, some facts:

• The average score of students at ISB is almost always greater than 700
• The indian applicant pool generally has a higher average GMAT score (mostly skewed by the fact that a lot of engineers make up this pool)
• The breakup in the gmat score for indians is mostly skewed towards quant rather than verbal...

If you go by the above facts, they obviously point towards the fact that DON'T take GMAT lightly...and especially your verbal section because a good verbal score definitely can make you stand out. And hey I am stating the obvious here - 'a good score is a good thing' is a complete no brainer!

That said, here are some things to remember and some points to consider when applying with your gmat scores

a.) less than 640 - There is no question about it. Give it another shot. Go back, prepare, do whatever it takes - maybe just a lil more prep or who knows a better day or mood - but try again. Not that with a score in this band you CANNOT get through ISB - last year we did help a few folks with scores less than 640 and they DID get through ISB - just that it is so much more difficult and needs so much more hardwork on the rest of the application. And if you do get shortlisted - the added pressure of justifying your score in the interview and yet missing out the edge when someone of the same callibre and background came in with a better score. Trust me - you would be better off without that pressure.

b.) 640 -670- I would still try again. This range puts you in the 'borderline' where the evaluators would still be a little critical about your application, both while evaluating the essays and application AS well as when you enter for the interview. But just in case you are already running late for the admissions or if you have already given it two shots or think that it is not worthwhile going for another attempt, here is what you need to do - you HAVE to do a kickass job of your essays and interviews. There is JUST NO OTHER way out. Your essays have to be so good and compelling that the evaluators cannot resist meeting you - remember you have so many ways of impressing them once you are in front of them, you get a chance to justify your score. So we just cannot emphasize enough, the importance of your essays if you are in this band.

c.) 670 and above - Don't worry about your score as far as your application goes now. Don't bother giving it another shot - you could put that time to better use. You have done a good job and that part of your application is taken care of and wont be a negative in any way. Obviously the greater it is the more positive it is ( especially if you have passed the 700 psychologically). But it is not THAT important that you need to fret about it - definitely NOT. What you now need to worry about is the rest of the application. Remember, a good score is just 25% of the battle won - there is your profile, your essays, recos and then the interview. ALL of them are important or I would say even more. We know of people (infact many of them) who got rejected even after a heavenly score of 780!! For simple reasons like too much of attitude in interview, callousness shown in the essays etc etc. So watch out!!

..So go there crack the GMAT if you haven't done it as yet..and if you have ..the fun has just begun, enjoy the process of app'ing..its one of the better experiences of your life!!

Recomendation Letters - a checklist

Getting recomendation letters is an important part of the overall application process. Here are a few things to remember

- Dont just go for the titles. So what if the title says 'Managing Director' ..wont impress too much if he doesnt have much to say about you, because he doesnt know you too well or doesnt have the time to write.

- Always go for someone who has worked with you, knows you well (both your positives and negatives) and supports and wishes well for you ( heck - its not always easy to find someone like that) - but try ... Be sure he/she understands the importance of their feedback and is committed emough to take out time for writing it out (remember its a time consuming thing, not something they can scribble in 5 mins)

- Give them enough time and notice. Dont walk up to them 2 days prior to submitting your app. Hurrying them would be disastrous..remember its you who needs a good reco ..

- And please please please dont fake, dont write your own recos and get it signed by them (I know alot of the busy bosses suggest this) but its a NO No, of course dont ever fake signatures - its a sacrilege (the adcom guys read thousands of recos, they read your essays - its their job boss..trust me ..it just takes seconds for them to figure it out). I have taken many interviews for ISB and we almost always knew and at times made applicants admit that they have faked the recos - not a very happy situation to be in. Remember ethics is something they just WONT compromise on ..

- Even if your boss hands over the reco letter to you after writing and signing it..take this tip - DONT read it. You wont be doing anything wrong by doing so - might just do it out of curiosity . But it just might happen that because you have something at the back of your mind , it might just get expressed in some way or the other during the interview. Can again be disastrous - you dont want the Adcom to have even the slightest doubt in their minds...be safe than sorry!

Remember ISB wants to know you - the real you..and would be happy to accept an honest applicant who has his share of negatives as well as positives..