Written by Sameer Kamat

The grilling 20 minute phone interview was filled with tough questions. The difference here was it wasn’t the mini mock-interview we do as part of our MBA Mock Application Process. This time we were on the receiving side. An India-based relative of an NRI candidate was on the other side asking the probing questions to ensure his saali-ji wasn’t being taken for a ride

Written by Sameer Kamat

They say that a happy customer stays silent while an unhappy customer tells 10 people. But sometimes it’s also nice to have a happy client tell 100 others. In our case, many of the clients who’ve taken up our MBA Admissions Consulting services have called us up to express their gratitude, but many have chosen to be silent when it comes to posting MBA consultant reviews on public forums. Most of them are modest and don’t like indulging in PDA (Public Display of…umm…Admiration). But occasionally we do get those who don’t mind sharing their thoughts openly, so others looking for similar services can benefit.

Written by Sameer Kamat

For over 10 years, Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) has been helping MBA applicants around the world get into their dream schools. Stacy Sukov Blackman, founder of SBC, has an MBA from Kellogg and a Bachelor of Science from Wharton. We reached out to her to see if she’d be willing to address some questions that most MBA applicants from India have on their minds. So here she is to set the ball rolling.

MBA Crystal Ball (MCB): Pranaam Stacy-ji

Stacy: Namaste Sameer-ji, sab kushal mangal?

Written by Sameer Kamat

If you thought the numerous US University scams and images of students walking around with radio tags around their ankles would have opened up the eyes of Indian applicants, think again. There are a whole lot ‘immigration consultants’ and ‘educational advisors’ still out there selling their wares (and over-hyped dreams) to gullible Indian guys

Written by Sameer Kamat

Déjà vu! It happened last year when we were managing international MBA applications on our own. The demand was too much for us to handle and we couldn’t help out many deserving candidates. So we got into a partnership with one of the best international teams in the business – Precision Essay (founded by our good friend Jon, a Harvard MBA grad).

Written by Sameer Kamat

When your friend proudly announced, ‘I got into Harvard (replace with any other elite business school)’, you along with your wide-eyed friends in India did the ‘Tussi great ho. We are not worthy’ routine. Since then you’ve held Mr HBS in high esteem, some kinda demi-god in the MBA arena. So when it was time for you to start working on your MBA applications, you knew where you’d make that first phone call.

But think about it. Just because Mr HBS was successful in getting in, does it mean he’s qualified to help you get in as well?

Written by Sameer Kamat

Far from it, actually. We are still a CAT obsessed nation (another post coming up on this topic). We are talking about the Common Admission Test for entry into the IIMs. The biggest market for Indian candidates is still the domestic Indian management scene. But the profile of the typical Indian MBA candidate aiming for the top Indian MBA programs is very different from the international MBA aspirant from India. The MBA Mock Application Process parameters considered by the top business schools abroad are also very different. Which in turn means the whole consulting approach needs to be customised for the international business school admissions process.

Written by Sameer Kamat

Life ain’t easy, is it? Like they say…we all come into this world – naked, hungry and crying…and then it gets worse.

The B-school story isn’t too different. It’s a complex decision for most of us coming from middle class backgrounds. For a top-school, you are looking at an outflow of $100K+ (30 – 70 lakhs cost for MBA programs from the top bschools is quite normal). And then there are the costs associated with relocation, visa…and now this growing trend in India - MBA admission consultants for the top ranking MBA programs. When everyone managed their own apps, it was still ok. Now, when my competitor has got a dhinchak MBA consultant helping him out with his apps, you can’t but feel jittery about it.