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The art of the Indian MBA application
Thousands of Indians apply through the GMAT route to top MBA programs in the US, Europe, and Asia every year. While many make it, there are also many others who have nothing to show for their efforts but their disappointment. The MBA application process is not always easy, and sometimes it can be plain brutal for those who are not prepared. Taking the GMAT and doing well on it, preparing insightful and interesting essays, and doing well on the interviews are obvious common denominators. Indian applicants, especially those from over-represented backgrounds like IT services, need to focus on a number of factors to create a differentiated and winning application. GyanOne lists some of these factors below..MBA Admission Consultants India
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FPM programme ISB FPM Admissions process: what you must know
We have written about Akshay Gupta earlier. A former GyanOne client, he worked with us on his applications to top MBA programs in Asia, finally choosing to attend ISB. Akshay excelled at the ISB program, finishing just below the top 10% (Dean’s list) of the class, and achieving a very high GPA on Finance courses. ISB fascinated and excited Akshay, and he even wrote a guest post for us on life at ISB. Simultaneously, though, Akshay felt a longing to go deeper into his chosen area of study – Accounting – than an MBA would allow. He longed not just to study and apply, but also research in the area. He therefore set his sights on the ISB Fellow Program in Management (FPM), targeting admissions immediately after completing his ISB MBA, and contacted GyanOne for admissions consulting on this.. ISB FPM Admissions
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A PhD in Management in India is not an option that most people who wanted to teach/research in India took even a decade back. A PhD from a top school abroad was considered to be the holy grail of academic excellence which would help top professionals find the best teaching opportunities in India. Further, not many institutions in India really offered true research opportunities, leading many to believe that the best opportunities for professional growth after a PhD in Management lay outside India.
Over the last decade, things began to change. A lot many more professionals began to realize the value offered by top programs for PhD in Management in India.. PhD in Management in India
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Consulting after MBA seems to be the preferred career choice for the vast majority of MBA applicants today. For some, it is an escape from the comparatively monotonous corporate life they have had so far. For others, it is a dream that involves getting the chance to work on new projects frequently, travelling, and helping clients fix their companies. Whatever the allure, the fact is that consulting after MBA forms the predominant career choice for B-school applicants when they apply.. Consulting After MBA
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1 on 1 GMAT coaching
A lot of potential GMAT test-takers sometimes ask us about the benefits of one-on-one private GMAT tutoring over the other, more traditional methods. As these questions become more and more frequent, they have outgrown what could have been answered by a simple FAQ. This post helps to highlight what we feel are the advantages of studying in a 1 on 1 GMAT tutoring environment (and a couple of caveats too)..1 on 1 GMAT
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One of the key reasons that the Indian IT male MBA applicants face so much competition is that most applications from this group look the same.
They focus on programming languages, on technologies (SAP/Oracle and the like), or onsite stints, and on creating tools, rather than strategies, that help IT clients achieve beneficial outcomes.
No doubt some of these perspectives are important, but too often they mask the personal aspects of a candidate. What led you to choose Computer Science in the first place? What community and social activities have you bee a part of? Did you pick up a foreign language when you worked in Europe for a few months? All of these are just examples, but they can provide an important edge to your application and help you stand out in a competitive pool of applicants..Indian IT Male MBA
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GyanOne interviewed Schulich School of Business Associate Director, Imran Kanga, to get his perspectives on the India MBA program structure and opportunities available for professionals looking at the India MBA program as an alternative to its Canadian counterpart. This interview provides insight into the MBA program, life at the Schulich School of Business, and career opportunities available to graduates of the program..MBA Admission Committee
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Johnson Cornell MBA admissions team – Christine E. Sneva talks about scholarships, waitlist strategy and changes that can be expected in the Johnson Cornell MBA admissions process in the near future.

GyanOne: What are the overall determinants of scholarship awards at Cornell besides high test scores and work performance? Can applicants submit additional materials to improve their consideration for scholarships, given financial constraints?

Christine: Our scholarship is merit-based so it takes the applicants entire candidacy into consideration
and how they compare with our pool of other admitted students..MBA Admission Committee
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GyanOne Interviews Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, MBA Admissions team. In this interview, Sara Neher, Assistant Dean, MBA Admissions, talks about how Indian applicants can leverage their experience in tech-focussed job profiles, to strengthen their candidature at Darden.
GyanOne: The Darden MBA admissions process looks at experience, insight, a willingness to contribute, and a history of achievement as the minimum common denominators of the distinguished applicants who make it to the school every year.
While academic and professional experience are easy to quantify and discuss, personal characteristics, which can often set outstanding candidates apart from others, are more difficult to explain. What are the key personal qualities that are key for applicants in their Darden MBA applications?.MBA Admission Committee
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The ISB non profit landscape is competitive. This may strike many applicants as surprising, since most people tend to think that it is engineers and techies who dominate the applicant landscape the most. That is true, but people applying with a non profit background don’t have it easy either. Not only must they establish the importance of what they are doing, but they must also clearly demonstrate the need for an MBA, which can be much more difficult to do coming in from a non-corporate background. Ironically, though, Lipika’s journey starts from her corporate IT job.. MBA Success Stories
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Is the Indian male engineer MBA story condemned to eternal disappointment? The truth could not be further from this. In an earlier post on the Indian IT Male’s MBA prospects, and another on the importance of school selection, we have highlighted that IT professionals need not approach the MBA application process defensively. This post is all about the fantastic results achieved by a person who did exactly this, ending up with admits to three of America’s best MBA programs – Tuck, Tepper, and McCombs! This is one of the most positive Indian male engineer MBA success stories you will come across, but this is no longer rare. We have helped create success for multiple people from this over-represented category of capable applicants..Indian IT Male MBA
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The Rotman MBA has been ranked #1 in Canada by the Financial Times Full-Time MBA Ranking for 9 out of the last 10 years. The school is known for its strength in finance and innovative approach to business education. The program’s location in downtown Toronto, the hub of Canada’s business activity, gives the Rotman MBA further leverage with top recruiters. The Rotman MBA Admissions team selects 313 (and growing) students, which makes it larger than most other top Canadian MBA programs..MBA Admission Committee
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For those who still need an introduction to IESE, how about this – ranked 7th in the world (FT Ranking 2013), and third in Europe after LBS and INSEAD. A program that stresses strongly on innovation and diversity as its differentiation, the IESE program is viewed with awe by applicants and recruiters alike. The prevailing economic situation has somewhat dulled the sheen for European program – through not for IESE, whose strong international networks means that its graduates need to worry little about a job, and not at all about their career. GyanOne caught up with Itziar de Ros, the IESE MBA Admissions Director, for her views on the program, admissions, and financial aid. She discusses the humanistic approach of the program, the use of the case method in pedagogy, international exposure, innovation, and important admissions criteria. Her views help to dispel many myths around the IESE MBA, and some around the MBA in general as well. Thank you, Itziar, for your time!.MBA Admission Committee
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While applicants to top US B-schools often look at the Ivy League, those looking at Canada instead compare with the “Ivey League”. The “Ivey League”, as we at GyanOne call it, is the group of top Canadian B-schools, which includes (and gets its name from) the Richard Ivey School of Business. As noted in an earlier post, Ivey is one of Canada’s best B-schools, and is noted for its excellent focus on learning, its 12-month duration, and the high salaries that its graduates command in Canada and even outside.GyanOne caught up with Greg Yantz, Director, MBA Recruiting and Admissions at Ivey Business School (University of Western Ontario), to get his views on the school, admissions and financial aid, and post-MBA careers for Ivey students and graduates. Thanks Greg, for your time and patience, and for your excellent perspectives that will help applicants evaluate the Ivey MBA better..MBA Admission Committee
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Perhaps the best way to define the HKUST MBA program is through the modified tagline of a famous tourism promotion campaign that used to run in the early 2000s: HKUST – truly Asia. Besides the fact that it is Asia’s top ranked MBA program, the HKUST MBA is also known for its strong Asia focus, its top-notch international faculty, and its focus on developing well-rounded business leaders. In this interview with GyanOne, Sherring Ng, Head, Marketing & Admissions, MBA Programs, at HKUST, shares her perspectives on the school’s focus, and the need to know Mandarin (it is not critical!). She also shares her perspectives on the HKUST MBA admissions process. Thanks, Sherring, for your time, patience, and the expertise that you have shared with us through this interview!MBA Admission Committee
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