MBA Crystal Ball

Jon Frank is the founder of Admissionado (formerly Precision Essay) and a Harvard MBA grad.

He wrote a 5-part series on MBA Crystal Ball focusing on essay writing tips for Indian MBA applicants.

These articles were originally published on our blog and read by thousands of readers. They were recently moved here.

Five (Perhaps Surprising) Things that Indians MUST do in their MBA Applications
by Jon Frank

Tip #1: Undo the adcom’s preconceptions about India
Tip #2: Don’t be so quick to throw away the tech background.
Tip #3: Focus on SOFT skills. Leadership, not tech.
Tip #4: Be creative. Take Risks.
Tip #5: Don’t kid yourself.

Scroll down to continue reading about each of them.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years as CEO of Precision Essay, it’s that Indians face some unique challenges when applying to US business schools. Things like cultural differences, standing out from the crowded pack, proving you’ve got what it takes to succeed both in b-school and beyond, and many more. These things, if you’re not prepared to overcome them, will leave your applications dead on arrival.

And what’s the best way to prepare? Well, to start, it’s to know what those challenges are.

That’s what I’m here for. My company has done over 10,000 MBA applications over the years, many from India, so we know a thing or 1,000 about helping Indian applicants gain admission to the top b-schools in the world. We know what the adcoms are looking for and we know how to help YOU give it to them.

And I’m going to share some of that insight with you. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be bringing you the 5 things that all Indians MUST do in their MBA applications in order to succeed. So, let’s get to number one, shall we?

#1: Undo the adcom’s preconceptions about India

The following may not be true. I don’t believe them. You don’t believe them. But oftentimes, the adcoms DO believe them. And for the sake of your MBA applications, that’s all that matters. So it’s your job to make sure that whatever you write in your essays or bake into your resume, it proves these things to be false:

– Outsourcing: “Indians are not high-level thinkers.” They’re not creative, and they’re more eager to follow than to lead creatively.

– Very local perspective, not international. “Indians are not exposed to the kinds of things they might see at an elite MBA program.” There is the fear that when Indians arrive on campus, they will not fit in, will not integrate well, etc.

– Very DIFFERENT from what we have in the US. Very foreign, and very different. And that scares people. So make the adcom believe that you can see the world from a WESTERN perspective!

You must work to UNDO these pre-and mis-conceptions! That’s the first and maybe even the most important step in your application process.

Come back next week for the second thing all Indians must do in their MBA applications.

- Jon Frank

Indian applicants have a unique set of hurdles to overcome when they’re applying to business school. And to do so, there are some things you can (and must) do.

Last week, I shared the first of many: Undoing the adcom’s preconceptions (and misconceptions) about India.

Today, I’d like to talk about another biggie. And that is:

#2: Don’t be so quick to throw away the tech background.

Why?

Well, conventional wisdom tells us that “IT is the toughest background to get into schools with.” After all, there are MANY IT candidates from India and it’s impossible to set yourself apart. The obvious answer would be to forget about IT and move into something else.

And that is the wrong answer.

The one thing you DON’T wanna do is throw your background away and say, “I have no experience outside of IT, but my dream is to get into finance.” Sure, you wanna get away from IT, but if you have NO background in finance, how would you argue effectively that you can get into that field?

Instead, you gotta work with what you have. Don’t ignore your background — BUILD on it. From IT, you can easily make a compelling case for getting into product management, sales, general management, consulting…there are plenty of logical fields that you can focus on to stand out.

Don’t fall into the trap of throwing away your STRONG background in IT just because you heard that “there are too many IT applicants from India.” You’ll make a much stronger case using what you’ve got, than ignoring it.

Next up, we’ll be talking about leadership and how you need to incorporate it into your apps.

- Jon Frank

By now you know that applying for business school is a uniquely challenging process for applicants from India for a variety of reasons. In the past few weeks, I’ve discussed two (the adcom’s misconceptions and the abundance of applicants with a tech background), and offered some strategy for success.

And now it’s time for another must-do for Indian applicants:

#3: Focus on SOFT skills. Leadership, not tech.

OK, so it sounds like it might contradict with my last piece of advice, but let me explain. Yes, you have this tech background, and it can be GREAT. Like I said before, don’t throw it away.

That being said, there are some rules.

When you DO talk about your great tech background, focus on the LEADERSHIP aspects of it. And there are plenty of ‘em. How so? Well you didn’t just sit in a room, alone, coding, right? You managed a small team, even if only briefly. You led some people. You worked, and, this may even be a bit of a stretch, you led people from different COUNTRIES!
You did stuff, great stuff, and that’s the stuff adcoms need to see.

So don’t just make it seem as though you just sat in your room all day alone. Make it clear that to you, tech isn’t about code; it’s about inspiring others to help you to achieve the BIG picture.

Use your experience in tech only as a backdrop. You worked in tech, sure, but you used that role to prove your leadership. Your tech position contributed to other valuable skills: inspirational, public speaking; creative skills; your ability to make important decisions with little information.

See where I’m going with this? Your job is more than just the technical stuff… at least it has to be if you want to stand out. So dig deep and pull that stuff out. Think outside the box a bit.

Sure, on the surface you worked in technology, but what’s UNDER the surface? That’s what will set you apart. That’s what will get you into b-school.

* Next week, it’s all about the importance of creativity. And, yes, it’s verrrry important.

- Jon Frank

Hello again, friends. It’s me, Jon Frank, bringing you the fourth thing every Indian applicant must do in order to successfully navigate the MBA admissions process. For those of you that have been following this series, you already know about changing the adcom’s misconceptions, standing out from the abundance of applicants with a tech background, and framing that tech background in a different way.

And if you haven’t been following, well, you can read all about those here, here and here.

So now, let’s get to Essay tip number 4:

#4. Be creative. Take Risks.

What does that mean?

Well, there are simply too many people who are applying to schools in the US from India. How do you set yourself apart and stand out from the crowd? Don’t make up strange career goals, as we have already explained. Instead, stick with your strengths.

But…that still may not be enough. So, what’s next?

Get creative and take some risks! I know it seems scary to take a risk when there’s something SO important on the line, but it’s the only way.

Your first sentences need to sing. Your conclusions need to SHINE. And everything in the middle needs to crackle. Let me give you an example. Last year, we worked with a woman from China. She started her Booth PPT with, “I am from Sichuan, therefore, I am unusual and spicy.” Ha! Now THAT girl will stick out.

Needless to say, she got in. Why? She took a RISK. She didn’t start her essay off with a quote (boring), or by introducing herself (a major no-no). She stepped out of the box and said something… different. And intriguing. And you have to also. Pick unusual topics, unusual formats, even unusual intros and conclusions. GRAB the reader’s attention and don’t let go.

This is something that is important for all applicants, but even more so for your over-represented and oftentimes homogenous demographic. I mean, think about it – how many applications does the adcom read? Answer: lots. And how many applications from India does the adcome read? Answer: LOTS. After awhile, everything starts to blend together into one blurry mess, and it’s hard for the adcom to differentiate one application from the next. Your essays need to wake them from their slumber with a BANG. You need to grip them from the start and hold them until the end so they keep thinking about you looong after they’ve moved on to other applications.

And to do that, you’ve gotta get creative… and take some risks.

* Only one more tip to go, friends. We’ll see ya back here next week to talk about getting (and keeping it) real.

- Jon Frank

It’s been quite a journey, folks. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing the unique struggles facing Indian MBA applicants and the strategies to overcome ‘em. And there’s just one left to cover. And it’s a biggie.

MBA Essay Tip #5: Don’t kid yourself.

I’m gonna give it to you straight: The numbers are NOT in your favor. Let’s get real here: after the US and China, India has the most MBA applicants every year. That’s a LOT of competition coming from the same demographic. And there are only so many b-school seats to go around, especially in the top-10. You wanna get into b-school? You have to be realistic.

The best piece of advice I can give you is this: Apply to a smart range of schools. No matter how different you think you are, and no matter how strong you think your profile is, you have to give yourself a range. There isn’t space for everyone at the top programs and you gotta give yourself some choices.

If your GMAT score is well below the average at the school you are targeting, pick a different school.
If your work experience is not impressive enough, or if you don’t have ANY leadership background, pick your schools wisely.

Remember, options are aaalways better than NO options. By adding a safety school or two to your list, you aren’t saying that you WILL go to one of those places; you’re only saying that “faced with the reality of going NOWHERE, you would rather at least have the choice to go to one of these places.”

Should you apply to your dream programs? YES. We always tell people to apply to some reach schools. After all, you’re only gonna go to b-school once, so you should 100% aim high. But you should also be strategic, smart and realistic. (After all, you’re applying to business school and those are all qualities of smart business people!) Throw some other schools on that list and give yourself some options.

Applying to business school is a challenge for EVERYONE. Unfortunately, it’s more of a challenge for you. But if you know what you’re doing, and you do it well, you’ll stand out from the crowd and find success.

As I’ve said before, the first step is knowing what you’re facing… and then developing a plan of attack. And it’s never too early to start. MBA applications are a LOT of work and building a strong personal brand takes time.

- Jon Frank