One thing that gets me nervous as a consultant every time is an MBA aspirant seeking permission to quit their job and prepare for GMAT. The reason it scares me is that I know they are gambling with their career. There are three common reasons they are set on quitting their job. They are not getting good GMAT scores currently because they can’t dedicate enough time for prep. They are frustrated with their job and believe life after an MBA is a rosy one enjoyed by the likes of Harvey Specter and Mike Ross on famous TV Show Suits. Their boss was born in the wrong era and would have had a ..read more

You finally have an acceptance letter from your dream college. Your parents can’t be prouder. You head out with your family to celebrate. You come home and go through the letter again and realize you have to apply for F-1. Not sure why the admission committee would like you to participate in an elite car racing event you read on. It gets even more confusing. It says you need to provide documents so that they can ship the i-20. Why you would import an i-20 when you could buy the car domestically. More importantly, what does it have to do with studying abroad? Welcome to the arcane world of US S ..read more

There are only two types of applicants who bring up undergraduate grades. – Ones who have low grades and are worried it will ruin their MBA chances. – Ones who have high grades and are only interested in Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. Both groups suffer from the same challenge – they are placing too much importance on undergrad scores. The good news for the people in the former group is that while grades are a very important part of MBA candidacy, they can be compensated for, to a certain extent. Importance of GPA Before we get started, let’s understand just how important GPA s ..read more

Debanjan Choudhuri is an Indian IT professional who beat all odds to get into one of the top MBAs in Germany – HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. In this post, he tells us about this feat and his experience at HHL Leipzig. Like many of my engineering batch-mates, I realized that if I was to fulfill my dream of creating and leading organizations, I would need to develop the necessary skills and knowledge. Personally, an international MBA was always more attractive alternative over continuing my studies in India. After graduating from National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur with an ..read more

Given the Interdisciplinary nature of MPH, there are several reasons for considering an MPH. I come from a family filled with doctors. Most of my uncles and aunts on both sides of the family are doctors. My grandfather, a surgeon, took it to extremes by getting an Master of Public Health Degree (MPH) from University of Michigan backing in the ‘60s. As such, if someone in my family said they were going to get an MPH , it would be considered as mundane as declaring you were going to the grocery market to buy vegetables (actually my family would be quite surprised if I declared my intent to ..read more

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com One of the most important reasons for getting a Masters is the myriad of career opportunities post-graduation. It makes sense. You put in years of hard work, move a to a different country and spend thousands of dollars while pursuing your passion (hopefully). Now you want to reap the rewards! However, it can be a heartbreaking situation to have to head back to your home country with little ROI (believe me I speak from experience) due to lack of work permit. In this post, we take a look at the visa situation at the top Master’s destination for international studen ..read more

Of all the MBA essays, I like the Why MBA essay the most. Being able to answer why you need a particular schools MBA is not an easy task. You will need to do a deep introspection of your motivations, carefully evaluate your career so far, do your due diligence on the school and think about future goals. In a way, it is like a roadmap of your present and future career. Answering the question brings you clarity on your life so far and your aspirations. This post takes a look at essential sections of great Why MBA essay and how you can craft them. 1. Introduction It is always to the ..read more

I was sitting with my parents in the living room watching TV. I was barely paying attention though, I was distracted. Wharton MBA admits were supposed to get calls that day. I hadn’t told my parents about the call to spare them the anxiety. Suddenly the phone rang, I quickly rushed to my room to take the call. The admission committee member informed me that I have been selected to Wharton. With that call, my journey as a Wharton MBA candidate had officially begun. Over the duration of the next few weeks, I received admit from Kellogg (with scholarship) and Tepper. After considerable deli ..read more

MBA essays can often be the most daunting part of B-School application. This is due to the open-ended nature of the essays. While the lack of detailed instruction allows for a great deal of creativity it can also be a source of uncertainty and anxiety. Candidates are often left wondering if the essay is “good enough”. Once an ISB alum admitted to writing 50 versions of his essay in search of perfection. This post can serve as a guiding post when writing essays and reduce the number of iterations needed. Here is a look at 4 essential tips to keep in mind when drafting MBA essays. Answers the ..read more