As prospective students, and especially international students looking into an unknown territory, it is essential for you to understand the college, university, or program, you are about to commit to, not just the few years of tutelage, but the future of your career.
A survey, conducted by the American based research company, Gallup, and the Strada Education Network, found that 51% of the nearly 90k respondents regretted making uninformed decision for their college education. 36% regretted their choice of major in their undergraduate program, 28% wished they had chosen a different institution, and 12% wanted to do-over their level of degree.
This dissatisfaction is almost homogeneously distributed throughout the spectrum of either college degree holders (52% dissatisfied) or college-dropouts (59% dissatisfied).
According to the report, the reasons, behind the regret, are driven from making the decision to join a college, or program, without sufficient information of the impact of said degree on employment opportunities, lack of knowledge of the returns of the education investment, or the assumptions that students make about their prospective institutions.
So, researching your school, and program, is at the heart of removing misconceptions and understanding your needs against what the schools have to offer. Talking to alumni and scouring the internet are great ways to get to know more information.
However, sometimes it is easier to directly communicate with their admissions team or university representatives. Most aspiring international students can avail the opportunity to explore the wonders of the various available options through education fairs.
For instance, in India, the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) organizes US University Fairs where a large number of prospective higher education students gather to meet various university representatives who are happy to guide them and entertain their questions.
To make the process effective, the questions should be able to gather the most pertinent information, enabling an informed comparison between all schools of your choice. From the survey above, it is clear that the questions should focus on three major areas,
So, here we are, with a list of questions that should cover all the related information necessary to shortlist your school and program.
To me, and speaking for my entire team, there is nothing more energizing than connecting with an MBA candidate who exudes energy and drive, can passionately envision their future and confidently articulate their plan for getting there.
When we think about it, those actually represent some of the key qualities of strong leadership.
These candidates come prepared and can quickly demonstrate a comparatively deeper knowledge than most when it comes to MBA program attributes. They’ll tend to ask questions which delve just a little deeper into curriculum, experiential learning and career outcomes.
At Maryland Smith, our MBA is specifically designed to help students develop sophisticated analytical skills and an integrative systems understanding of how business functions interact. We know this is critical for anyone who wishes to lead people and support them to deliver innovative solutions.”
We asked Cliff about the big mistakes candidates make while interacting with university officials. Here’s his list of the top 4 turn-offs:
1. One-way Communication
The best kind of communication employs balance between or among its members; appropriate amounts of “give” and “take.” Sometimes candidates may feel constrained with time causing them to take a unidirectional approach to aggressively sell themselves at a rapid pace. My advice is to take a deep breath, slow down and let the conversation develop from both sides.
2. Interrupting Others
I have been to plenty of MBA fairs and events in my tenure, and I fully understand the urge to capture quality one-on-one time. That said, behaving in a courteous fashion and waiting patiently in the queue is still the “golden rule.”
3. Attire
Admittedly, I have loosened up a little in my latter years, and while I don’t expect everyone to come to an MBA fair in strict business formal attire, I do expect business casual at a minimum. For evaluative interviews, business formal attire is still preferred and expected.
4. Collateral Collectors
Some candidates may desire to simply collect brochures or other collateral rather than engaging with the b-school representative. My advice is to take the time to introduce yourself and ask a question or two. It is great practice and you just may be surprised to learn something.
A word of caution before we get to the question list. Many colleges have comprehensive, well-designed websites. Make sure you’ve visited them to see what information is available and what isn’t. Filter your question list for the college representative accordingly. Read MBA Fair Tips: Questions to avoid at information sessions
Apart from getting answers which are specific and not already addressed in their official documentation, you’ll also make a better impression on them. Read this: What admissions officers expect from you during education fairs and admissions events.
The questions can, quite obviously, target more appropriate queries corresponding to the program in consideration. For instance, MBA aspirants can enquire after expected/average age of work experience required to apply, specific details of companies that are known to hire graduates from the university, what kind of class profile has the school typically possessed, and more.
The concept is closely related to interrogating your way into familiarity. Don’t shy away from getting your queries answered. The representatives are there for just that – to offer you their knowledge in exchange for peeking your interest. So, carry on and let us know what other questions, you think, should present themselves in this most opportune situation, short of having the means to visit every school there is.
Meanwhile, a few links to keep churning more thoughts on college applications.
Start here | Success stories | Reality check | Knowledgebase | Scholarships | Services
5 Comments
I am very much intrested in HR field in MBA, i dont have intrest in any other field other than HR, but i heard from many people saying “Hey! you are a male, how can you opt HR?, thats a study only for females”. This badly discourages me, as im not intrested in Marketing and sales field at all like other boys. Can anyone please give me any professional advice? because if i take any other stream of MBA, my entire career will change, neither i will have any intrest in subjects. also i will land in that particular job field in which i wont be intrested at all. and offcourse i wont have job satisfaction to and so i wont be able to perform well. I have always been passionated for this particular stream in MBA. So is it true that HR is only for females and Marketing & sales only for Males? And if i do MBA HR being Male, i have less chance or no chance at all for a good job in future?
Hi…Sir…I am 33 years old and i am mba (marketing) graduate and working in a public sector bank as a Branch manager and i have managerial experiance of 7 years.I want to move to USA or UK… It doesnt seems easy…. Was contemplating…if i may consider a second MBA in some top 5 schools in USA or UK…is age is any factor for selection in top b school….as i am over 33….My qulification-
MBA-65%
BSC(BIOTECH)-62%
HSC- 58%
10TH-76%
WORK EXP-7 YRS
I will be appearing for GMAT and expecting 600 -650 score
Please advise…..
Hi,
I have a total of 7 years of experience in retail and manufacturing as store manager-2 years,cluster manager-2 years,floor manager-1.5 years,marketing Executive in manufacturing-1.5 years.currently I am working as a cluster manager in a retail company.i have also studied mba from a small mba School and my scores for 10th,12th,graduation,mba are-50%,54%,54%&6.61 CGPA.
Now my career growth is slow as if I compare with my friends who had studied from top b Schools. I am getting Rs.6 lakhs per year as a cluster manager and there is no hope to get good designation in company and monetary growth.
Please suggest which mba program should I go with.
Hello sir,
I am Karishma Saxena and i am 26 years old. I have done B.Com(Open School Learning) from Delhi University. I have been working in gurgaon in Concentrix Daksh( BPO industry) for 4 years and recently i was promoted to SME( Subject Matter Expert) position having package 4.2 Lacs pa. I was handling calls for the last 3.5 years but now as i have promoted, my responsibilities has got changed to manage team and making reports. So, my problem is that I don’t see my good future in BPO industry. Earlier i took this career because there was some family crises. But now i want to change my career in the related field. And one thing also that I am the only one who is looking after my family, so i cannot afford to have a big decline in my salary. I want to pursue a career where my BPO experience would be an advantage. I have good communication skills also. I was thinking of doing MBA but i am clueless that in which field should i pursue my MBA qualification. Kidly suggest something.
Thanking You.
@Ali: Don’t believe what others say. There is no truth in the assumption that HR is only for females. Go ahead if you like the field, and you’ll find plenty of opportunities to shine.
@Shashi: A second MBA should be ok as long as you understand the pros and cons of going down that path. Also keep in mind that your age will put you towards the higher end of the average age bracket in US bschools. Read more here: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2017/02/15/second-mba-abroad-after-iim-isb/
@Nilesh: Check the link I shared with Shashi above.
@Karishma: We’ve shared details on how to select an MBA specialisation in this article:
https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2016/08/01/mba-specializations-list/