MBA Journey II

Deciding which MBA Programme to apply for is one part, getting accepted and enrolling is the other part (paying for the tuition fee seems to be the hardest part). To start the process, I narrowed in on a number of schools. A good place to start is by going through the FT Rankings (seems to be one of the most respected out of the loads around now) - http://www.ft.com/businesseducation/mba.

My advice is, pick about 2 schools out of the top 15 based on what you want and where you want. Pick one more that isn’t so competitive to serve as a fail over option (chances are that if you are really determined to go for your MBA, you’d be working hard at getting into the top 15, so you might not need this but it’s still good practice to follow). Please don’t try to apply to more than 3 or 4 schools. The entire application process and especially the essays are designed to drill the heaven out of you. So just focus on the ones you want and go for them.

Your MBA application is your essays, so write them well. Focus on instances where you’ve demonstrated sound judgment, good leadership, community service and/or entrepreneurial skills (be careful not to get caught up in trying to impress the admission committee). Your admission is a combination of a number of factors but from my own perspective, the two most important ones are your GMAT Score and Essays. After writing the essays, give someone else to critique it. It’s a good practice to always give your work to someone you can trust to be objective to critique.

Don’t take the GMAT exam in a hurry. Ensure you consistently practice for about 6 months at least, especially if you have a full time job. If you don’t work full time, it is still good to prepare consistently. And note the word “consistently” prepare. The GMAT is more of a test of speed and analytical skills and my experience is that you need to “think in the GMAT way”. As such, the long preparation is not just to learn a lot of stuff; it’s actually to get you to think in the “GMAT way”.

There are deadlines for most schools, so, it’s good to get the list of schools you wish to apply for and work towards their deadlines. It’s also good to apply within the first 2-3 rounds and not wait till the last round (most schools have four rounds).