How are MBA applicant profiles evaluated?
Posted: September 8th, 2014, 10:29 pm
[This is an article that we wrote for Pagalguy]
We get several queries from MBA applicants on financing and scholarships. It’s true that these are important aspects specially for Indians earning in Rupees.
But before we move to those points it is also important to understand how Admission officers review and analyse profiles. Apart from offering admits based on the strength of the applicant’s profile, merit-based scholarship decisions depend on many of the same elements.
So let’s spend some time understanding it, even if it might seem too basic. The response is long, so we are taking only one reader’s question this time, broken up into two parts.
Q1. saurabhnitt asked - Hi Sameer, I get into a B-school and switch my field. Currently I’m working in operations, but want to go for an MBA in finance. What do Adcoms look for in a candidate in the selection process. How can we utilise this year for strengthening one’s profile?
Almost all the good bschools consider the following components in each application
GMAT score: We covered this in the first post. Indian candidates focus too much on this. Why? Because we are (expected to be) good at it and the pressure comes from two sides – the admissions teams and an extremely competitive peer group. The stereotypical profile of an Indian engineer with a high GMAT score isn’t going away anything soon. So polish up on your quant and verbal gyan.
English proficiency: Some schools insist on a TOEFL or IELTS score to test how comfortable you would be in the class and while interacting with other classmates from multiple (English and non-English speaking) countries. Others skip this requirement if you can prove to them that the medium of education was English and you wouldn’t be bringing your English speaking course material or interpreters to class.
Academics (Transcripts): The MBA course will include academic and practical content that would test your analytical skills, problem solving abilities, the potential to grasp new concepts. Superior performance in your acads is a good way to demonstrate that you were comfortable tackling cerebral challenges in your undergrad degree, and handling it again (albeit at a different level) would not be a problem.
Resume: Good and quick way to show what you’ve accomplished professionally. You could include extra-curriculars, acads and anything else that you are proud of in this document. There are some do’s and don’ts of creating a strong resume that we’ll cover later, if there is interest. As a familiar face on TV, maintaining her pleasant smile amidst chaotic proceedings around her, says - Those in favour may say Aye.
MBA Essays: This is the BIG one that can make or break an application when all other things like GMAT score, professional background and experience levels appearing more or less the same for an Indian applicant.
Essays are the only place where an Admission Officer can gain insights into how you think and behave when put in certain situations. Well, recos are similar to some extent but the essays set the basic tone. Neither the GMAT, nor your resume, nor your TOEFL score can fix a badly written essay.
MBA Recommendations: You’d need to get two recommendations from current or former managers that can supplement what you’ve claimed in your essays. Sometimes, instead of a manager’s recommendation, the applicant may choose to get one from a client, a peer or even a professor.
MBA Interview: This is usually delinked from the rest of the application process and forms part 2 of the application process. It usually happens by invitation only.
After reviewing the essays, GMAT score & academic performance, Adcoms invite a subset of applicants for a final validation of the candidates fit and potential for their program.
None of these, if taken individually, may take you out of the game. But like in a team game, you’d need the support from all quarters to stay in.
Q1. saurabhnitt went on to ask - How can we utilise this year for strengthening our profile?
There are certain things that you can influence and others that you can’t. To keep the complexity of this post within control, it would be safe to assume that an applicant’s qualification, industry and (hopefully) gender are cast in stone, even if they don’t really give him a competitive edge.
But there are others that can be influenced. If you have enough time, see how you can get a mix of professional responsibilities that will fill in the gaps in your profile (for this you’d first need to be aware of those gaps).
Any spikes that you can show – a promotion, a big achievement, a project turnaround story, an international stint, an extra-curricular accomplishment that made you proud – are all excellent ways to demonstrate the richness of your profile.
There are also a few things that you should NOT do – like wasting 3 additional months to get your GMAT score up by 10-20 points, joining an NGO just to get a bullet point on your CV or showing too many abnormal developments at the last stage.
We get several queries from MBA applicants on financing and scholarships. It’s true that these are important aspects specially for Indians earning in Rupees.
But before we move to those points it is also important to understand how Admission officers review and analyse profiles. Apart from offering admits based on the strength of the applicant’s profile, merit-based scholarship decisions depend on many of the same elements.
So let’s spend some time understanding it, even if it might seem too basic. The response is long, so we are taking only one reader’s question this time, broken up into two parts.
Q1. saurabhnitt asked - Hi Sameer, I get into a B-school and switch my field. Currently I’m working in operations, but want to go for an MBA in finance. What do Adcoms look for in a candidate in the selection process. How can we utilise this year for strengthening one’s profile?
Almost all the good bschools consider the following components in each application
GMAT score: We covered this in the first post. Indian candidates focus too much on this. Why? Because we are (expected to be) good at it and the pressure comes from two sides – the admissions teams and an extremely competitive peer group. The stereotypical profile of an Indian engineer with a high GMAT score isn’t going away anything soon. So polish up on your quant and verbal gyan.
English proficiency: Some schools insist on a TOEFL or IELTS score to test how comfortable you would be in the class and while interacting with other classmates from multiple (English and non-English speaking) countries. Others skip this requirement if you can prove to them that the medium of education was English and you wouldn’t be bringing your English speaking course material or interpreters to class.
Academics (Transcripts): The MBA course will include academic and practical content that would test your analytical skills, problem solving abilities, the potential to grasp new concepts. Superior performance in your acads is a good way to demonstrate that you were comfortable tackling cerebral challenges in your undergrad degree, and handling it again (albeit at a different level) would not be a problem.
Resume: Good and quick way to show what you’ve accomplished professionally. You could include extra-curriculars, acads and anything else that you are proud of in this document. There are some do’s and don’ts of creating a strong resume that we’ll cover later, if there is interest. As a familiar face on TV, maintaining her pleasant smile amidst chaotic proceedings around her, says - Those in favour may say Aye.
MBA Essays: This is the BIG one that can make or break an application when all other things like GMAT score, professional background and experience levels appearing more or less the same for an Indian applicant.
Essays are the only place where an Admission Officer can gain insights into how you think and behave when put in certain situations. Well, recos are similar to some extent but the essays set the basic tone. Neither the GMAT, nor your resume, nor your TOEFL score can fix a badly written essay.
MBA Recommendations: You’d need to get two recommendations from current or former managers that can supplement what you’ve claimed in your essays. Sometimes, instead of a manager’s recommendation, the applicant may choose to get one from a client, a peer or even a professor.
MBA Interview: This is usually delinked from the rest of the application process and forms part 2 of the application process. It usually happens by invitation only.
After reviewing the essays, GMAT score & academic performance, Adcoms invite a subset of applicants for a final validation of the candidates fit and potential for their program.
None of these, if taken individually, may take you out of the game. But like in a team game, you’d need the support from all quarters to stay in.
Q1. saurabhnitt went on to ask - How can we utilise this year for strengthening our profile?
There are certain things that you can influence and others that you can’t. To keep the complexity of this post within control, it would be safe to assume that an applicant’s qualification, industry and (hopefully) gender are cast in stone, even if they don’t really give him a competitive edge.
But there are others that can be influenced. If you have enough time, see how you can get a mix of professional responsibilities that will fill in the gaps in your profile (for this you’d first need to be aware of those gaps).
Any spikes that you can show – a promotion, a big achievement, a project turnaround story, an international stint, an extra-curricular accomplishment that made you proud – are all excellent ways to demonstrate the richness of your profile.
There are also a few things that you should NOT do – like wasting 3 additional months to get your GMAT score up by 10-20 points, joining an NGO just to get a bullet point on your CV or showing too many abnormal developments at the last stage.