Nanyang MBA admit with scholarship for reapplicant with GMAT 710

Singapore is an attractive destination for Indian professionals. Read why it figures in our list of the best countries for Indian MBA students.

Nanyang MBA, offered by Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is among the few popular choices there and ranks high in our list of the most affordable MBA programs in the world.

With a 710 GMAT score and a decent profile, Nitesh Dubey was in a good position when he applied to Nanyang and a few other business schools on his wish-list. But he got rejection letters from all his dream schools. Here’s what he did after that.
 

---

How I got into Nanyang MBA (NTU) as a reapplicant

by Nitesh Dubey

 
I was born in a middle class family. I was a geek from my school days and the only hobby that gave me satisfaction was reading books. I completed my engineering from KIIT, Bhubaneswar.

After working for 4 years in Tata Steel in project management I knew that even though I am happy in my job but in order accelerate my career growth I need to expand my horizon and need to do something new. An MBA at this point seemed the right thing to do since one learns the entire value chain of a business there.

Also the diversity of an international MBA will provide the atmosphere to learn about different cultures which shall be an enriching experience. Thus I started the journey for GMAT. Since I lived in a remote mining location there not many coaching centers or people available to guide me for GMAT.

However sites such as GMAT Club helped me a lot. The OG is called the GMAT Bible and it truly is. I don’t think you can have a good GMAT score without the OG.

Also I along with two of my friends formed a study group to prepare for GMAT and preparation took a full swing. It is very necessary to prepare conducive environment for preparation since the competition helps to maintain the momentum.

The most important part of GMAT is test taking and post-test analysis. Finally I was able to score 710 on GMAT in my first attempt

I was very happy and thought the war is won. The Indian education system had taught me if you score marks you get through.

Little did I know that the weightage of GMAT score is 10-15% and there is long road ahead to secure a seat in your dream MBA college I took help from a consultant framed my essays and applied to my list of colleges high on the confidence of my GMAT score.

I got interview call from 4 colleges (ISB, NUS, NTU and ESMT) and was dinged from each one of them. I was dejected and did not know what is it that I am doing wrong, 4 dings had really struck my confidence down.

I thought that may be MBA is not my cup of tea,meanwhile I got a promotion in my job and was transferred to my hometown. Everything was going smoothly however the MBA bug inside me was not silent. I knew I need to give it one more try.

However this time I wanted to work with the best so I did my due research and zeroed on crystal ball. I approached MG and he was ready to help me out. I wanted to go for the MBA MAP process and told MG about my list of colleges and goals. MG told me that I need not take the MAP and should focus on my essays, that the honesty you get from MBA crystal ball team.

Then I was asked to work with Vibhav since he shared a similar background to mine and the journey of introspection began. Vibhav asked me to start from zero and forget my previous essays.

The best part of working with Crystal Ball is that they do not give you answers directly, they point you in the right direction and see to it that the applicant gets the right answers as a result of which the essays prepared have solid background.

This strategy ensures that the interview is a cake walk and there are no loopholes. Because of the excellent essays I did not require any extra preparation for the interview. The advantage of working with Vibhav was since he understood the manufacturing sector he was able to convert a lot of technical jargon in my essays to simple yet impactful sentences

I applied to ISB, Nanyang (NTU), Fisher and Purdue and was able to convert NTU. NTU was a perfect school for me since it provides one international exposure without burning a hole in your pocket. Also the 10% scholarship was icing on the cake.

Finally a convert one year after so many dings was like a raindrop on barren land. The journey with MBA Crystal Ball made me realize that even very small initiatives can be used to present leadership quality and one does not need to be in a very senior position to show leadership.

Also since I did not have very strong extracurricular I felt that I was at a disadvantage with respect to other applicants. However my interaction with Vibhav gave me an insight that it is not the number of certificates but the quality of work done that matters.

ISB was a ding and got interview calls from Purdue& Fisher. Purdue gave me a waitlist and I decided not to attend Fisher interview. Finally I have decided to go for NTU since it suits my goal to return to India in 4-5 years

My advice to fellow MBA aspirants is not give too much weight age to GMAT. After my dings I was advised many times to give GMAT again, however I knew that my GMAT score for my range of colleges in good.

Also research and research your short term goals, why a certain school, do not fall in the trap ok my friend did this and got selected so let me follow the same path. You are unique and so should be your essay.

Go for quality rather quantity, apply to a selected number of colleges that suit you rather than applying just about everywhere.

Right now I am gearing myself for an MBA and enjoying my time with my friends and family. Hope to achieve my goals through an MBA.
 

---

Also read:
– MBA reapplication strategies that worked
– Rejection analysis and feedback from bschools: What you should know