Once you have embraced the task and have mentally prepared yourself to endure the application process, it is very important to plan the details. There is so much to do that one might end up missing out on some of the smaller things like arranging for transcripts well ahead in time or making a booking for the GMAT or the TOEFL exam or at a later date, making an appointment for the visa interview at the local embassy or consulate of the country to which you are headed. The reason is more often than not a lack of updated information and in most cases, poor time management by the applicant. The process of applying to B-schools consumes an extraordinary amount of time and effort, especially if you are in a corporate job that places a high premium on your time. It is important that you plan this process well and start early. This chapter contains essential information to help you do these and come out on top of the entire process, so that you are able to catch the first round’s deadline targets.
As subsequent parts of the application process progressively build on decisions made earlier, it is important that you start the initial preparation seriously. We strongly recommend that, as an international applicant, you start with the research on business schools at least 18 months ahead of the expected commencement of your classes.
For instance, if you intend to apply for the fall 2009 admissions, then you should ideally start the initial preparation in March 2008. The reason for this will become apparent in the following sections.
The initial preparation should cover the following aspects: (The details of some of the following points have been covered earlier in Chapter 3. The others will be covered in detail in Chapter 7):
Write your thoughts down. This will help you later in the process when you begin to look at specializations that schools offer as also in expressing, in your applications, your reasons for doing an MBA. Once you have been through this process, ascertain for yourself that an MBA is indeed what you are looking for. A half-hearted attempt at submitting applications to business schools is bound to betray your inadequate preparation and commitment, and would lead to suboptimal results.
If you are not able to schedule the GMAT early enough, you will at least need to ensure that it is in time for you to catch the application deadlines. Most schools require the official reports to reach them before the deadlines for applications. The GMAT test offers you the facility of sending across the test scores free of charge to any 5 institutions across the world. These need to be specified by you when you take the test. Official reports to other schools can be separately at a later date, by paying a fee per report (USD 28, as of June 2007). It takes 3 to 4 weeks for these reports to reach the schools. This needs to be built into your application timelines (GMAT details have been given in Chapter 7).
Having taken your GMAT and worked your way through the initial stages of compiling information about the schools, you now need to shortlist a set of schools that you will actually apply to.
Your research now needs to move on to the next level where you compare the schools and programmes in a detailed manner. Inputs from alumni and students you asked for help from in your initial round can prove very useful here.
The following need to be covered in this stage of applications:
Tabulating all the data in a format like the one in Table 6.1 is useful for the sake of comparing requirements and arriving at your final list of schools.
The actual selection from this ensemble will depend on the information you have gathered and your ability to do justice to the application requirements of these schools. As you can see, the requirements vary from school to school and if you are hard-pressed for time, you might find the quality of your applications dwindling. Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with jobs where you can take a couple of months off to complete our application process and a trade-off becomes inevitable.
While you apply the criteria listed in Chapter 3 and develop your list of ‘dream’, ‘reach’ and ‘safe’ schools, remember that the way you phase these applications overtime (in case of ‘rolling’ admissions) and across rounds (in case of ‘rounds’ admissions) matters and might impact your eventual results.
Applying early and/or applying in the earliest round is advantageous for a number of reasons. Firstly, the procedure of selection by the admissions committee involves human judgement, which is subjective. A good analogy to this is shopping in a mall with different stores. You enter the first store with a certain set of criteria which the wares at the store should either meet or exceed. In this first store, you tend to pick up many such objects which meet your requirements. But the more you window shop, the more your frame of reference changes and your standards begin to rise. Also, in the second store, you are less likely to buy objects very similar to what you have already bought. You constantly compare items against each other and become more selective in your choice. Add to this a budget constraint (read seats in an MBA classroom), and you have a good idea of how the process pans out. Though choosing a business school class is not as simple as this, the basic psychological factors are the same and the admissions committee is also subject to these constraints. Secondly, the process becomes tougher with each passing round. As the admissions committee reads more and more applications, it becomes increasingly difficult for your application to stand out. Thirdly, applying in the first round shows the school that you are committed to the process and are well organized. Some schools in particular, such as Columbia and Tuck, are favourably disposed towards applicants in the earlier rounds—they even have a special round called the ‘early decision’ or the ‘early action’ round (even before the first round).This is intended to help students with a clear idea of which schools they would like to attend. These rounds normally require a higher deposit to be paid than in the later rounds to secure your place in the class. Some of these schools also require that on being offered the admission, you withdraw your applications from all other business schools that you have applied to. The clear advantage, however, is that you will learn of the decision early in your application process so that you can modify the remaining application process accordingly. Lastly, knowing your admission decision earlier in the application season allows you more time for arranging for financial aid, housing and other requirements related to moving into another country.
Table 6.1 Comparison of Requirements by Different Schools*
* Sample sheet only; data is for Fall admissions 2005
Bearing all of these in mind, we strongly recommend that you apply to as many schools in your shortlist as possible, in the early decision or first round. The key here is the balance between quality and quantity. If this necessarily involves a prioritization among schools, ensure that you have all of your dream schools and at least one safe school covered in this round. The reason for this is that your dream schools are best attempted in the early stages. Later rounds will make it difficult to get in. Also remember that the first one or two applications are the toughest—they demand fresh thought and expression. As you move forward in the process, you would have most of the information penned down and it becomes a question of modifying and adding to the information already available. There is tendency, sometimes, to overestimate the time required for applications based on how long it took to complete the first few applications.
What we have said above is a recommendation, and by no means a gospel. Please recognize that this process can throw surprises at you, both pleasant and unpleasant. You must be willing to acknowledge this and adapt accordingly. This means that if your applications in the first round do not meet with the kind of success you hoped for, you must be willing to use the subsequent rounds to apply to a new list of schools and adjust your application strategy accordingly. On the other hand, if you are lucky enough to have your dream schools admit you in the initial round, you can party your way through the next several months! If there is one unequivocal advice that we would give you if you intend to put in a degree of commitment and hard work, it is this: do it as early as possible.
The only way in which an applicant can benefit by applying in a later round is if it allows a significant change in your qualifications or position at work. For instance, if you are due for a promotion and know that it will happen by the end of the second round, you could hold your application till then so that you can include this in your résumé and highlight it in your essays and achievements.
Once the schools are shortlisted and you have identified which schools you are going to target by which round/month, you then need to sink your teeth into the actual process of writing your applications.
As outlined earlier, the first application is usually the hardest. You will need to get used to the online application concept. Only as you go through it in earnest will you get a clear idea of how your initial preparation including the test scores, transcripts, certificates and résumé fall into place. Thereafter, the other applications will take much less time, unless they involve the writing of unusual essays.
It is best to tackle one set of essays at a time, i.e. one school a time—this will ensure that your story-to-date, your ambitions, your reasons for choosing an MBA and the ‘fit factor’ with the school concerned all paint a coherent picture. Line up some friends and family to read these to ensure that your true personality is reflected through the essays. Remember, sometimes we can see ourselves better from a distance.
Once your first application is ready, set it aside and start work on the next one after a short break of a few days. This will help rejuvenate your creative juices, since the first would have drained you out. On the plus however, your first application acts as an excellent base for the second—you will only need to tweak the essays to bring out the facets of your personality that tie in with what the school stands for and its key focus areas.
You could use the following checklist for each of the schools that you have selected.
Table 6.2 A Technique to Understand Schools’ Needs Better and Plan Essays Accordingly
Harvard Characteristics | Ideas for Essays | |
---|---|---|
Experience at B-School | Transformation; contacts | Goals after MBA; Networking |
Learning | a) As much about yourself as the world b) Not just science but also the art of business |
How 1 discovered that there is so much more to banking than just accounting and finance; banking is more about dealing with people than accounts. |
Relationship with Professors | Work together; learn from each other | Collaboration-examples of learning from work |
Academic Focus | Managerial problems faced by those charged with leading the organization as a whole | Will need this to set up my own business in the future: plans after MBA |
Method of Instructions | Case studies-simulating real-life business situation; problems that stem from many interdependent factors | Learning from one’s job-how it is more relevant and effective than learning from a standard repository of knowledge |
Student Diversity | Common factors: exceptional talent, demonstrated capacity for leadership, desire to learn | Character profiling at career camp -‘learner’ |
Objectives and Values | Values and practices that support personal and organizational excellence; corporate purpose and various approaches to decision making | Self-initiated projects on improvement in customer service levels and banking efficiency |
The ‘when’ of the application procedure is as important as the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. The guidelines given above can help you avoid basic errors on timelines and smoothen out the process of applying. These, thorough as they may be, are not exhaustive. You will need to be cautious about changes in the procedures followed by the schools and incorporate them with the advice given. Planning the process well will release your time and energy for the more creative elements of your application—the real differentiators. And that should be your aim, right from the beginning till the end.