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LEADERSHIP | 5/31/2013 @ 10:27AM | 1,094 views
5 Essential MBA Admissions TipsFor Indian And Indian-American
pplicants
Indian Flag (Photo credit: rednivaram)
As I have witnessed as the Founder and
CEO ofStratus Prep, over the last decade,
there has been a dramatic increase in the
number of Indian and Indian-American
applicants to American business schools.
According to the Graduate Management
Admission Councils 2012 Asian
Geographic Trend Report, the number of
Indians taking the GMAT increased by
nearly 20% from just 2010 to 2012, and
over 50% of GMAT score reports taken by
Indians in 2012 were sent to American business schools. In comparison, just
over 18% of score reports were sent to Indian MBA programs and just under
8% were sent to United Kingdom institutions.
Many Indians seek MBAs due to the countrys rapid growth, demand for
skilled managers, and out of a desire to grow beyond more technical, often
career-limiting positions in engineering. Countless Indian young
professionals apply to programs in the U.S. to obtain highly-regarded
American degrees even if they already possess an MBA or comparable degree
from an Indian institution. As you may know, global diversity is a key criteria
in MBA admissions, so as the pool of Indian applicants grows, the competition
within this subsegment of the application pool also rises dramatically. Due to
the surge of Indian and Indian-American applicants to American business
schools, applicants from these backgrounds must differentiate themselves
from their peers if they are to be successful in reaching the school of their
dreams.
While many Indian-Americans, who attended college in the US, have a clear
grasp of the MBA admissions process, this process often represents more of a
mystery to those applying directly from India or those who have been working
internationally for just a few years. My firm, Stratus Prep, has distinguished
itself as the leader in helping Indian and Indian-American applicants into top
U.S. business schools such as HBS, Wharton, MIT, Chicago Booth, and
Columbia, among others. After collaborating with Indian and Indian-
American applicants for nearly a decade, I have identified the following five
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strategies that help ensure the success of Indian and Indian-American
applicants seeking admission to top American MBA programs. These
strategies can help you stand out from the thousands of similar applicants in a
way that takes into account the manner in which American business schools
evaluate applications.
1. Go beyond your numbers
Given the highly quantitative nature of admissions
in India, many applicants believe that theirGMAT/GRE score and GPA are also paramount in
the American admissions process. However, at most
American business schools, such numbers are the
third or fourth most important components of your
application. Other highly important factors include
where you attended university and your work
experience, but first and foremost, admissions
committee members will carefully examine your
essays and recommendations. Admissions Directors
recognize that raw numbers alone cannot indicate if
an applicant is the right fit for their school, which is
why they turn to the qualitative aspects of your
application before reaching a decision. When
applicants focus solely on numbers, they will not
demonstrate their full potential or resonate with the
admissions readers. My colleagues at Stratus Prep
and I have helped Indian applicants demonstrate
their authentic narratives throughout their
applications. This has allowed us to help Indian and
Indian-American applicants with GMATs under 600 win admission to MIT
and Chicago Booth and others with GPAs at or below 3.0 (when converted to
the American system) enter Wharton, MIT, and Chicago Booth.
2. Focus on the Personal and not just the Professional
American Admissions Committees want to understand you as an individual
and as a potential future leader. This requires getting to know you personally
as well as professionally; therefore, you should not be afraid to discuss
personal challenges you have faced. For example, in the last couple of years,
we have had a number of students write very compelling essays about the
challenges and rewards of their love and arranged marriages. Such
authentic, personal narratives often resonate more with an Admissions
Committee than a professional anecdote on a technical topic about which they
have likely already read in numerous other applications.
3. Recognize that giving back to your community is about more
than demonstrating generosity
Many Indian applicants come to Stratus Prep with a laundry list of one-off
volunteer experiences in which they have participated, from working
sporadically at soup kitchens to helping to run the occasional blood drive.
MBA Admissions Committees in the U.S. want to see a sustained
commitment to one or two volunteer organizations, preferably non-profit
groups that are either internationally-recognized or that you have helped
found. They will use these experiences to assess your leadership potential; as
such, they will be looking for the strategic, long-term impact that you have
M O R E F R O M S H A W N O ' C O NNO R
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www.forbes.com/si tes/shawnoconnor/2013/05/31/5-essential-mba-admissions-tips- for-indian-and- indian-american-appl icants/
had on your community rather than simply ensuring that you have checked
the box when it comes to volunteering.
4. Expand on areas other than your technical or quantitative
background
American MBA Admissions Committees are looking for well-rounded
students, not simply the most proficient IT professional or financial engineer.
Since you will be competing most directly with other Indian or Indian-
American applicants with backgrounds similar to your own, distinguishyourself by, for example, emphasizing your team leadership skills and creative
pursuits. We recently had an Indian student with a highly technical
professional background win a full scholarship to Yale School of Management
by emphasizing his creative pursuits outside of work. Not only does this help
you share your personal experiences (as suggested in tip 2), but it also
ensures that you are more likely to be remembered by an admissions reader
who will be reviewing thousands of applications from the region. Your IT
and/or financial expertise will likely be apparent in your work experience;
however, essays are an opportunity to go beyond and show Admissions
Committees other distinctive skills, leadership experiences, and creative
pursuits that the readers otherwise would not have known about you.
5. Search globally for the most qualified Admissions Consultant to
aid you in this journey
While American admissions counseling firms are typically more expensive
than admissions counseling firms based in India, if you work with a U.S.-
based firm that has demonstrated significant success coaching Indian
applicants, this additional investment is one well worth making. American
admissions consultants possess the most up-to-date information on what top
MBA programs are looking for, as we are constantly visiting the top schools
and interacting with students, faculty, and admissions officers. For example, I
have been to HBS and Yale twice each in just the last couple of weeks.
However, it is absolutely essential that you work with an American firm that
has served at least a few hundred Indian and Indian-American applicants,
since many US-based firms are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Indian
educational system and unique challenges faced by Indian and Indian-
American applicants. A firm that has worked with Indian applicants
extensively will be able to advise you on distinct obstacles (such as loan
guarantees for foreign applicants) that would not arise for American
applicants. For example, I discourage most of my Indian clients at Stratus
Prep from considering Columbia since, at the moment, the school is unable to
guarantee student loans for foreign students. This represents a significant
impediment for many applicants from emerging markets, including India.
Such foresight can save applicants a lot of time and money. Investing in a US-based admissions consultant who truly understands the Indian market (I
travel a number of times per year to India to meet with clients and prospective
clients) will help you craft the most compelling essays and allow you to
demonstrate your unique capabilities and personal attributes so that you to
stand out from other applicants. With this investment, you very likely could
be studying at HBS, Stanford, Wharton, MIT or Chicago next fall.
If you are based in India and would like to learn more about applying to
American business schools, I will be in Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai from
June 24-29, 2013. Email me at shawn.oconnor@stratusprep.com for more
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