Stanford GSB is as elite as they come, in the realm of business education. Topping almost all the ranking charts including Financial Times 2018 Global MBA, US News, Bloomberg Businessweek, and countless more, Stanford GSB has secured its honourable place. It helps that its MBA graduates receive some of the best job placements with the … Read more
We get many applicants asking if a 3-year bachelors degree in science / commerce / arts (i.e. 15 years of education) will put them at a disadvantage, since they are competing with engineers wielding a degree that’s generally kept on a higher pedestal compared to B.Com, B.A or B.Sc degree. Vikramjeet Bhatt’s story proves that … Read more
Applicants to an MBA / MS program surely have their work cut out for them. Whether it’s about acing the GMAT / GRE or coming up with that perfectly-crafted essay / SOP or following up with recommenders, they have enough on their plate. Coming up with an impressive application would definitely be a priority at … Read more
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi may shine a ray of hope for many young girls aspiring to reach for the business stars. However, the reality, at the ground level is still shaky. According to Catalyst, a non-profit organization with a mission to help women achieve workplace inclusion, the share of women, in senior … Read more
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