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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nFor example, a British applicant whose understated style makes her reluctant to boast in the MBA essays, versus an Indian \u2013 for whom tenacious self-promotion was frankly critical to his success, but whose tone could be perceived as arrogant. Or a Japanese candidate who cites \u2018we\u2019 whenever describing an accomplishment, versus the Westerner\u2019s ease of claiming \u2018I\u2019. Then there\u2019s the German recommender who writes in a very neutral, factual style, versus the American who gushes in delight about the candidate they are recommending. Sweeping generalizations aside, I\u2019ve had countless encounters throughout the MBA admissions process that require sensitivity and awareness of cross-cultural differences to help candidates put their best foot forward.<\/p>\n
So whether you’re a US applicant with your eyes on an international MBA program like INSEAD<\/a> or LBS<\/a>, or an international applicant applying to a top US program like HBS<\/a> or Stanford GSB<\/a>, your awareness of cultural norms and nuances matters.<\/p>\n For me, the issue of communicating across cultures is close to home (and work): I\u2019m a Brit married to a Mexican, who directed MBA Admissions based at INSEAD\u2019s campus in France for seven years, before living in India and settling down (for now at least) in San Francisco, California. Like me, much of the Fortuna Admissions team<\/a> has lived and worked in multiple countries, and we always advise our clients to keep cultural differences front of mind throughout the MBA admissions process.<\/p>\n You can expect MBA admissions reviewers to be savvy in discerning cultural differences and accounting for them throughout the evaluation process. At the same time, it\u2019s your responsibility as a candidate to bring both self and situational awareness to the process. If you do, you stand to deliver a more persuasive case for your candidacy as well as avoid unfortunate misperceptions that may undermine it.<\/p>\n First, as any experienced marketer will tell you, it\u2019s vital to keep your audience in mind \u2013 in this case, the MBA Admissions committee \u2013 when you\u2019re trying to capture attention in a crowded marketplace. For the throngs of fast-track overachievers competing for a coveted seat at one of the world\u2019s top business schools, this means having a deep and nuanced understanding of your program\u2019s values and priorities. This allows you to focus your message to connect with what they care about to communicate mutual fit.<\/p>\n \u201cCandidates do well to maintain awareness that the school\u2019s location, even among the top global schools, will be influenced by their \u2018home\u2019 culture,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s Michael Malone<\/a>, former Columbia Business School<\/a> Associate Dean. \u201cDoing your best to communicate in a genuine manner, but also in a way that takes this home culture into account, can positively influence the connection between you and the school. Research the climate and culture of the school and its students to ensure a good understanding of what the potential is for mutual fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Authenticity is absolutely key, but depending on your cultural norms, you may need to stretch yourself to get personal or to be more vulnerable in your storytelling. (Or, alternatively, ground your narrative in confident humility to avoid the perception of arrogance.)<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a topic I\u2019ve been thinking about as I work with a few overseas clients,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s Julia Brady<\/a>, former Kellogg Managing Director. \u201cOne East Asian male works in international business. He has competitive academics\/GMAT and but did not receive any interview invites after applying in round one. Having reviewed those applications and now his initial essay drafts, it\u2019s clear he\u2019s a very factual communicator and struggling with infusing more personality into his essays. A highlights reel of accomplishments won\u2019t give business schools a sense of the person behind the achievements. It\u2019s vital to consider how your values, personality, and passion will translate \u2013 not just success academically, but really contributing to the student community. This is part of the conversation we\u2019re having, and he\u2019s pushing himself into less comfortable territory to create a stronger narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n While understanding what\u2019s important to MBA admissions is an essential part of the strategy, the other is doing the deep introspection required to communicate what\u2019s meaningful and important to you. This is when having a seasoned coach who brings awareness to cross-cultural communication can be incredibly helpful.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the huge volume of applications \u2013 especially from certain highly competitive pools such as India and China \u2013 it\u2019s so<\/em> important that candidates do the work of reflecting on their motivations and values to really convey that more personal side,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s Jessica Chung<\/a>, former UCLA Anderson<\/a> Associate Director of Admissions. \u201cIt can be pretty tough to get this notion through to some candidates, particularly those who come from cultures that are extremely accomplishment-driven and\/or who perceive vulnerability as weakness, which oftentimes translates into difficulty writing reflectively in their essays. Thinking back, I\u2019ve really leaned on the coach\/client relationship in these instances, because the trust and bond we developed facilitated digging deeper to extract these personal stories to create something memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n For a candid assessment of your chances of admission\u00a0success at a top MBA program, sign up for\u00a0<\/strong>a\u00a0<\/strong>free consultation<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The same holds true for preparing for the MBA interview and the very real differences across the M7 interview landscape<\/a><\/strong>. It\u2019s certainly not about fitting a type, but about making sure you maximize the opportunity to make a personal connection, distinguish your uniqueness, and communicate with confident humility.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think interviewing can be potentially challenging given that some top schools rely heavily on alumni interviewers who are trained and strong in their own right but who do not have the background in comparing and contrasting different cultural cues in the same way admissions professionals do,\u201d says Michael. \u201cIn a case where a candidate isn\u2019t sure they are connecting with an alumni interviewer, it becomes increasingly important to develop a relationship with an admissions team member.\u201d<\/p>\n Communication styles, of course, aren\u2019t only influenced by geography \u2013 which can veer into stereotyping \u2013 but by personality and temperament.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to interviews and I have clients who are from a more reserved, modest culture \u2013 or alternatively, someone who is more of an introvert and struggles to put their thoughts across with energy \u2013 I always chat through the fact that they are going up against a pool of candidates who will represent the entire spectrum of cultural and personality nuances,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s Emma Bond<\/a>, former London Business School Senior Manager of MBA Admissions. \u201cThey need to ensure they aren\u2019t outshone by more forceful personalities who are happy to \u2018blow their own trumpet.\u2019 I usually tell them to have a strong coffee and do a bit of exercise jumping round the room or something beforehand! On the flip side, if someone is likely to be overly forceful or energetic, I try and get them used to reining it in a bit. Mock interviews are invaluable for this.\u201d<\/p>\n There are also some elements beyond your control, but careful planning can help you hedge your bets. This means emphasizing to your recommenders, for example, what kind of substance and specificity business schools are seeking in these third-party testimonies of your awesomeness and nudging them to be as descriptive as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve seen, folks in admissions do bring a heightened sense of cultural awareness and understanding that some geographies tend to be either more or less effusive,\u201d says Michael. \u201cThis is especially important in reading recommendations since there is little context given for the recommender and yet their description of the candidate carries a great deal of weight.\u201d<\/p>\n Schedule a conversation with your recommenders, walking them through your resume and refreshing them on your accomplishments and successes (don\u2019t assume these will be fresh in their mind). Brainstorm your strengths and weaknesses with them, as they may have a different perspective than you.<\/p>\n \u201cYour recommenders may be accomplished professionals, but don\u2019t make the mistake of assuming they know exactly what they\u2019re supposed to do,\u201d writes Jessica in her article, How to Secure the Best Letters of Recommendation<\/a><\/strong>. \u201cSet them up for success by walking them through the process, emphasizing the importance of depth, details, and anecdotes to address your contributions and cite specific situations. This doesn\u2019t mean scripting them on what to write \u2013 you want your recommenders\u2019 authentic voices to come through in their responses. But you also don\u2019t want them to dive in without context.\u201d<\/p>\n As much as it\u2019s valuable to bring awareness to cultural differences, remember that it\u2019s your differences that also stand to be the greatest source of strength and uniqueness.<\/p>\n \u201cI encourage clients to think about the ways in which their cultural background and upbringing make them unique\/who they are \u2013 what they see as advantages, not hurdles to surmount,\u201d says Fortuna\u2019s Brittany Maschal<\/a>, former member of Wharton\u2019s Admissions team. \u201cI try not to get too far into the whole \u2018you must break the stereotype\u2019 zone, because AdComs will think what they think, and can spot a faker a mile away. Also, people tend to not be great at faking, which can get them in trouble in the interview when the essay vibe and the in-person them vibe don\u2019t jibe.\u201d<\/p>\n To underscore Brittany\u2019s point, there\u2019s a fine line between stretching beyond your comfort zone to communicate across cultural differences in a genuine way and trying to project an image of the \u2018ideal\u2019 candidate, and admissions reviewers are seasoned at sussing out the difference. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge error to style yourself to what you assume a program is searching for,\u201d writes Fortuna\u2019s Curtis Johnson<\/a> in his essential article on Storytelling for the MBA<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cBeyond introspection, authenticity takes fortitude and commitment. Admissions committees want to see that you maintain the humility and honesty to investigate your authentic self and the confidence to embrace it.\u201d<\/p>\n Fortuna Admissions Co-Director Caroline Diarte Edwards<\/a>\u00a0is the former INSEAD director of admissions, marketing and financial aid. She is also an alumnae of INSEAD\u2019s MBA program.\u00a0For a candid assessment of your chances of admission\u00a0success at a top MBA program, sign up for\u00a0<\/strong>a\u00a0<\/strong>free consultation<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post 7 Tips for Global MBA Applicants<\/a> first appeared on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How we present ourselves and others is influenced by our culture, and these differences invariably impact your MBA candidacy. For example, a British applicant whose understated style makes her reluctant…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1831,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-fortuna-admissions","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54021\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}7 tips for navigating cross-cultural differences in your MBA application<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Know your audience & your school\u2019s \u201chome culture.\u201d <\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Push yourself to get personal. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Get introspective to convey a deeper level of insight. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n4. Understand the MBA interview landscape. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Know yourself (and your personality type) and prepare accordingly. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. Coach your recommenders.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
7. Consider how your differences are a source of strength and uniqueness. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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