Sandeep Sharma likes running long distance, writing long articles (and MBA essays!) and planning for the long term. After completing 5 half-marathons, 2 marathons and a 2-year MBA from XLRI, this human resources professional still had enough energy left to contemplate a second MBA from a top-notch international business school (Why a second European MBA … Read more
Here’s a philosophical question: Consider someone who has cleared all 3 levels of the Chartered Accountancy course (hailed by many as the toughest exam in the world) in the first attempt and done well in the professional world. When such a person fails to get a competitive score on the GMAT, is that a reflection … Read more
Second MBA applicant, Abhinav Gupta, got admits from 3 good schools with varying amounts of MBA scholarships. He took the unusual decision to leave close to $100,000 (~ 65 Lakhs in Indian Rupees) in free money on the table and choose a program where he saw a better fit with his profile and career aspirations. … Read more
When you ask most applicants about the top MBA programs in France, apart from INSEAD and HEC Paris, another name that may come up is EDHEC. However, in comparison to the other 2 names, not much is known about the EDHEC. EDHEC MBA student, Dipti Verma (name changed), was offered a 40% MBA scholarship by … Read more
Differentiation can be a big problem for many MBA applicants from over-represented countries like India. However, being too different from the crowd can actually be a bigger challenge to overcome, as Kashmira (name changed) discovered in her first year of applying independently. She got rejections from 10 business schools. As a freelance marketing professional who … Read more
It’s a tough road to become a Chartered Accountant. Ranked among the most difficult exams in the world, the passing percentage for all 3 CA exams is in the low single digits. If you considered folks clearing all three exams in the first attempt it drops to a shocking 1%. That explains why many drop … Read more
When applicants ask us how many schools they should apply to, we suggest having enough on the list to manage the quality (of each application) as well as the risk (of not getting into their top choice). Most candidates follow our advice, but occasionally we come across a few who’ve pretty much made up their … Read more
Computer Engineer, Rishika Karnani (name changed), had a profile that was not too different from the thousands of Indian MBA applicants. And her goal to get out of the technology industry into a business role wasn’t too different either. But she was able to crack into 5 top ranking business schools in USA, Canada and … Read more
When MBA applicants apply to a business school, they usually play it safe. So, in addition to schools which may seem ambitious, they may also apply to schools where they have a better chance of being accepted. Now, let’s consider a hypothetical situation. Assume that you’ve got admits from two schools, you get a generous … Read more
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 … Read more
You may have read why differentiation is a big problem for Indian MBA applicants. Coneenika Choudhuri chose to tackle the challenge in style. While other applicants grappled with their profiles to show a spike, What helped Coneenika go full-throttle, was inspiration from her bike. With MBA applications focussed on the when, the how and the … Read more
This post was triggered by a recent meeting I had with a school friend. I met him after almost 30 years and he was narrating his story. Like many, he was forced to take up an engineering line (civil engineering) based on his entrance exam marks. He took up a tough field job in a … Read more