Dear Applicants,
We get an opportunity to interact with a very diverse applicant
community from India, and the majority starts the discussion
with "HOW TO GET INTO TOP 10 Programs".
Imagine: You are not from IIT, and are targeting a TOP 10-15
Business School in the world/US/Europe. Let us see what
are some of the things you can do to get there. I will take this
opportunity to construct an ideal profile for the US top 10'ish
Programs( I believe there are roughly 15 to 16 programs in the
Top 10).
So, what are some of the things one can do to maximize the
chances of an admit? While some of these suggestions can be
applied instantly, others will require significant time/decision
making and are more long term.
So, what will a strong prospective candidate do/have?
A. This candidate will have a great understanding of the short
term and long term goals. He will have a detailed
understanding of the industry and functions he will be a part
of immediately after MBA. The research will be so
comprehensive that he will even know the positions that his
target recruiters hired for.
B. This candidate will have very strong reasons for joining that
particular program. He will have conducted a great amount
of research by talking to the existing students, and the
alumni body. Simply researching on the website will not
allow you to tell them "Why you want to join TUCK or
Columbia?" He will have created a list of questions that he
plans to ask the alumni body. It is not about conducting
personal interviews. It is all about knowing how that school
will help you in your future.
C. This candidate will have a 730 to 770 GMAT Score ...Higher
the better( For Indian male applicants, high GMAT score is
super-important. If you hate this point, blame your peer
group that has raised this expectation significantly � )
D. This candidate will have great stories in his/her extra-
curricular activities. It is not about stating facts. They are
more interested in learning "Why you performed those
activities and what you learnt out of those? This candidate
will have led many social/cultural activities, and will
showcase a pattern that will add value to the school's alumni
body in the future as well.
E. This candidate will have also worked with one of the feeder
companies. There are many companies that are on the top of
the recruiting charts. While you do not have to necessarily
belong to these companies, it still helps if you have worked in
companies such as Google, Microsoft, McKinsey, Morgan
Stanley, Goldman, MBB, KKR, Facebook, and many more
from the Feeder group. Having been nurtured in the
leadership of these companies, you become a good target for
the top schools. If you look up the hiring patterns at the top
schools, you will notice that many candidates come from
these selected companies.
F. This candidate will have a very candid expression on the
essays. Remember: They are not driven by heavy-weight
vocabulary on your essays. It is more about story telling and
expressing your life. It is more about "Why did you do
whatever you did?". It is about "What matters most to you?".
You will also have very effective letter of recommendations.
PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT WRITE YOUR
RECOMMENDATIONS YOURSELF. Have your bosses write
those for you. Take this SERIOUSLY.
I know that it is not easy to qualify all the parameters described
above. However, since you asked a very subjective question, I
wanted to be unrestrained in my expression.
I wish you an amazing success in whatever matters to you.
Regards,
Jatin Bhandari
PythaGURUS Education
We get an opportunity to interact with a very diverse applicant
community from India, and the majority starts the discussion
with "HOW TO GET INTO TOP 10 Programs".
Imagine: You are not from IIT, and are targeting a TOP 10-15
Business School in the world/US/Europe. Let us see what
are some of the things you can do to get there. I will take this
opportunity to construct an ideal profile for the US top 10'ish
Programs( I believe there are roughly 15 to 16 programs in the
Top 10).
So, what are some of the things one can do to maximize the
chances of an admit? While some of these suggestions can be
applied instantly, others will require significant time/decision
making and are more long term.
So, what will a strong prospective candidate do/have?
A. This candidate will have a great understanding of the short
term and long term goals. He will have a detailed
understanding of the industry and functions he will be a part
of immediately after MBA. The research will be so
comprehensive that he will even know the positions that his
target recruiters hired for.
B. This candidate will have very strong reasons for joining that
particular program. He will have conducted a great amount
of research by talking to the existing students, and the
alumni body. Simply researching on the website will not
allow you to tell them "Why you want to join TUCK or
Columbia?" He will have created a list of questions that he
plans to ask the alumni body. It is not about conducting
personal interviews. It is all about knowing how that school
will help you in your future.
C. This candidate will have a 730 to 770 GMAT Score ...Higher
the better( For Indian male applicants, high GMAT score is
super-important. If you hate this point, blame your peer
group that has raised this expectation significantly � )
D. This candidate will have great stories in his/her extra-
curricular activities. It is not about stating facts. They are
more interested in learning "Why you performed those
activities and what you learnt out of those? This candidate
will have led many social/cultural activities, and will
showcase a pattern that will add value to the school's alumni
body in the future as well.
E. This candidate will have also worked with one of the feeder
companies. There are many companies that are on the top of
the recruiting charts. While you do not have to necessarily
belong to these companies, it still helps if you have worked in
companies such as Google, Microsoft, McKinsey, Morgan
Stanley, Goldman, MBB, KKR, Facebook, and many more
from the Feeder group. Having been nurtured in the
leadership of these companies, you become a good target for
the top schools. If you look up the hiring patterns at the top
schools, you will notice that many candidates come from
these selected companies.
F. This candidate will have a very candid expression on the
essays. Remember: They are not driven by heavy-weight
vocabulary on your essays. It is more about story telling and
expressing your life. It is more about "Why did you do
whatever you did?". It is about "What matters most to you?".
You will also have very effective letter of recommendations.
PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT WRITE YOUR
RECOMMENDATIONS YOURSELF. Have your bosses write
those for you. Take this SERIOUSLY.
I know that it is not easy to qualify all the parameters described
above. However, since you asked a very subjective question, I
wanted to be unrestrained in my expression.
I wish you an amazing success in whatever matters to you.
Regards,
Jatin Bhandari
PythaGURUS Education
