Written by Sameer Kamat

Tarun’s forum pseudonym (MoneyMoney) highlights what he focussed on during the MBA admissions process. His objective was pretty clear. He wanted to minimize not only his admissions costs, but also the cost of attending the MBA program. His strategy paid off.

The Carlson MBA offered by the Carlson School of Management offered him a 100% scholarship (full tuition waiver). The Simon MBA program at the University of Rochester gave him a 45 percent MBA scholarship.
Out of the 14 bschools he applied to (yup, a lot and he admits it), he paid the application fee only for three. We had no clue how he did it. So we asked him to write a post and share his strategies.

Written by Sameer Kamat

What is the average age for MBA in India, USA, UK, Singapore (add your favourite MBA destination here)? Apart from the statistical relevance of the question, there’s also an introspective aspect. The first one is easier to answer as most MBA portals and business school websites list this in the MBA Class profile section along with the other data like average GMAT scores. The other part is what that might mean for you, as an MBA applicant to a specific category of MBA colleges.

Let’s tackle the two separately.

Written by Sameer Kamat

The topic of average GMAT score for ISB Hyderabad (Indian School of Business) gets discussed a lot. We published an article about an MBA applicant who got into ISB with a low GMAT score of 610.

This time we consider another aspect of GMAT scores i.e. the limited utility of a high GMAT score.
Ritesh had an impressive GMAT score of 760. You’d think such a score would make life easy for any MBA applicant at any of the top b-schools.

Far from it, as Ritesh got rejected twice. So what was it that finally got him an admit and a scholarship from the same bschool that had rejected him twice?

Written by Sameer Kamat

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) successfully ventured into the world of GMAT based 1-year programs in India by launching IIMA PGPX (IIM Ahmedabad), IIMB EPGP (IIM Bangalore) & IIMC PGPEX (IIM Calcutta). And soon enough the demand for these shorter duration MBA courses shot up. And so did the confusion about Executive MBA in India vs MBA for Executives.
The average GMAT scores, the average work experience and the overall calibre of students who join these one year IIM MBA programs in India demonstrate the quality of these courses. During IIM placements, the average salaries for graduates after completing the MBA program from these IIMs is significantly higher than the conventional 2-year progams in India.
Like thousands of Indian MBA applicants, Shiv Mallya was one of the hopeful Indian IT Male Engineer candidates who set his eyes on the IIMs. The earlier rejections from top 1 year MBA programs wasn’t exactly the best start he could’ve expected to his MBA admissions journey. But he evaluated and analysed what went wrong and took another shot. This time he got admits from…not one, not two, but all 3 IIMs that he applied to. Here’s how he managed to juggle his day-job, deadlines and diapers.

Written by Sameer Kamat

The University of Oxford has been at the forefront of academics for over eight hundred years. Management education wasn’t on the menu till the Said Business School was established in 1996. Now this 1 year MBA in UK is considered among the best in the world. It has an average GMAT score of 690. At the average age of 29 years, the typical Oxford MBA students has around 6 years of pre-MBA work experience. 93% of the class is from outside the UK.
Earlier we published the story of a million dollar business owner (based outside India) who chose a European bschool (read the story here –> IE Business School MBA Spain). This time we have the story of Pawan Kesarwani, another Indian entrepreneur (based in India) who also decided to put his multi-million dollar business on hold to head off to Europe. He chose the Oxford MBA (Said).

Written by Sameer Kamat

Unlike the general (and incorrect) perception that folks in India have about an Executive MBA, here’s a real Executive MBA from the London Business School. If you are looking for an MBA in the UK, without leaving your job in India, the London Business School (LBS) can be a good option to consider.
As is the case with most top-notch universities offering an Executive MBA in India or UK or anywhere else, it can also be an expensive option. The rationale is, you have no opportunity cost (i.e. your salary doesn’t stop). So you can absorb the higher price tag. Unfair? Probably. But that’s how it works if you are keen on getting the best brand without willing to sacrifice your job and your sky-high salaries.
Folks going for an Executive MBA at the London Business School have thought through the process and narrowed it down to a program that offers the best of both worlds. If you are still unsure whether an Executive MBA in London (LBS) or other similar courses is for you, read Tanvi walks you through her thought process. She is attending the London Business School Executive MBA right now. And she does a good job of highlighting the pros and cons of such an option.

Written by Sameer Kamat

The last time we published an article on the University of Cambridge MBA program was when we interviewed the Admissions Director of the Judge Business School (University of Cambridge).
The last time you heard about Cambridge MBA graduate Neeraj Agarwal was in another article that involved the Indian Prime Minister.

Now that the protagonist and the university have been introduced, we move out of the picture and let Neeraj narrate his story. It starts off from the scenic valleys of Darjeeling and moves to the picturesque locales in Cambridge. But not before tackling the challenges of multiple GMAT attempts, multiple applications and an unconventional profile that Admission Officers at the top bschools aren’t used to evaluating.

Written by Sameer Kamat

If you look at the class profile statistics for ISB Hyderabad, you’ll find an average GMAT score that’s among the highest across all international B-schools. No wonder then that folks get enamoured with that one parameter and put all their energies into getting the highest GMAT score possible.
Sudhir Nemani tried twice to crack the GMAT, and ended up with GMAT scores of 600 and 610. As a senior professional in the investment banking industry, he had worked on a wide variety of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) transactions – managing all responsibilities including valuations, business modeling, negotiations, post merger integration and much more. His profile was solid. But the GMAT score was bringing the morale down.

What would you do if you had your eyes set on the Indian School of Business (ISB Hyderabad) and your GMAT score was more than a 100 points below the average GMAT score for ISB?

Written by Sameer Kamat

IESE Business School in Barcelona (Spain) offers an 18 month program that has been ranked high consistently by Financial Times, Forbes, BusinessWeek and the Economist.
After the first year, students get the opportunity of a corporate internship. The IESE Career Services team plays a key role in helping students.

Students also have the option of taking up international elective offerings in USA, Brazil, China or Kenya. For those keen on a longer stay abroad, the International Exchange Program allows students to complete a whole term at another top MBA program.
In this guest post, IESE MBA student Savita Hinger shares her experience.

Written by Sameer Kamat

The Tepper school of Business attracts many Indian applicants. ‘Don’t they all?’ you might say. Sure they do, but the Tepper MBA is special, because of Carnegie Mellon University. CMU has been an all time favourite with desi techies who’ve been attending CMU for ages in pursuit of a top MS degree and of course for undergrad courses as well. The Tepper School of Business builds upon that legacy.
When folks who’ve not been successful in their earlier attempts approach MBA Crystal Ball for help, just like the candidates, we feel the extra pressure too. We hope applicants see significant value in working with us. And when the admissions journey ends on a good note, it gives us tremendous satisfaction. Ritwik shares one such story and walks us through his emotions as he went through each phase.