{"id":54698,"date":"2022-05-02T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=54698"},"modified":"2022-04-28T10:05:19","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T17:05:19","slug":"applying-to-u-s-business-schools-from-europe-asia-the-middle-east-podcast-episode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/applying-to-u-s-business-schools-from-europe-asia-the-middle-east-podcast-episode\/","title":{"rendered":"Applying to U.S. Business Schools from Europe, Asia, the Middle East [Podcast Episode]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"michelle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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What international applicants to U.S. business schools need to know [Show Summary]<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michelle Stockman has a Master\u2019s in Journalism, 15 years of experience as\u00a0an Accepted admissions consultant<\/a>, and has lived all around the world. Bridging all of these experiences, Michelle gives her tips for international students applying to U.S. MBA programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview with Michelle Stockman, Accepted MBA admissions consultant [Show Notes]<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hello, and welcome to the 467th episode of Admissions Straight Talk<\/em>. Thanks for joining me today and whenever you can tune in. The featured resource for today\u2019s show is Accepted\u2019s MBA Admissions Quiz. Are you ready to apply to your dream MBA program? Are you competitive at your target schools? Accepted\u2019s MBA Admissions Quiz<\/a> can give you a quick reality check. Just go to accepted.com\/mba-quiz<\/a>, complete the quiz, and you\u2019ll not only get an assessment but also tips on how to improve your qualifications. Plus, it\u2019s all free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gives me great pleasure to introduce Michelle Stockman.<\/a> Michelle earned her Master\u2019s in Journalism from Columbia University. While studying there, she worked in Columbia Business School\u2019s admissions office and got a real insider perspective on the MBA admissions process. She reached out to me way back in 2007 and has been an MBA admissions consultant ever since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also pursued her career in journalism and has lived in different parts of the U.S. as well as different parts of the globe. For the last six years, she has lived in Berlin, Germany, and assisted many of our European, Asian, and Middle Eastern clients, and even a few located in the U.S., to gain admission to U.S. and European MBA programs, and occasionally, journalism school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get to MBA admissions, can you please tell us a few of the places that you have lived? [2:18]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely. I grew up in Rochester, New York, which is near Niagara Falls. As an adult, I moved to New York City, where I lived for about five years, and I loved it. I was a journalist there. I went to journalism school there. I worked in the Columbia Business School<\/a> admissions office and felt like I was entering a movie every day, helping people achieve their dreams as well as pursuing my dream. Then I moved to Washington D.C. and got to experience living in the city that\u2019s the seat of government and watching U.S. politics up close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I moved to Islamabad, Pakistan, where I also worked as a journalist and admissions consultant. It\u2019s a beautiful city. It\u2019s right in the foothills of the Himalayas. I had a wonderful time there, and that\u2019s where I started my family. After that, I lived in Qatar for a little while. Family had brought me there, and I worked from there as well. That was a really interesting experience. I found it to be incredibly diverse. I met people from all over the world who had come to work there, and did a lot of hanging out in mall food courts so we could have some yummy meals while staying out of the heat, and just made some wonderful friendships. Then I moved from there to Berlin, Germany, and I love it here. We\u2019ve lived here for six years, and it\u2019s just been an incredible, wonderful, international experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you ready to apply?
Take the MBA Admissions Quiz >><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you see as the main challenges faced by international applicants to U.S. MBA programs? [4:15]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The easy answer is that it\u2019s hard to get to know the schools that they are applying to because of distance, because of perhaps the inability to travel and visit campuses<\/a>. We also have COVID, which absolutely made that impossible even for domestic candidates. I\u2019m going to go a little deeper than that because there are a lot of resources that schools give you to get to know their programs. The reason why they want you to get to know their programs is so that you can make the most of your time when you\u2019re there. They also want to make sure that you are a good match and that you can actually pursue and achieve your goals with the resources that are available through their programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But again, as I said, I\u2019m going to go deeper. I think an issue that I\u2019ve seen a lot when I\u2019m dealing with international students is when they write their \u201cWhy this particular program?\u201d essay. A lot of people say, \u201cI want to follow this concentration and it\u2019ll give me some really good insight into the future. It\u2019ll be a wonderful opportunity to be a part of that network,\u201d and they leave it at that kind of level of detail. That\u2019s just not enough<\/a>, because you are competing with people who have really done their research. They may have been able to go to campus and meet people in the admissions office or professors or current students and really get that insider perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are not able to do that, you need to create opportunities for yourself to get that insider knowledge. Think, \u201cIf this is my goal I\u2019m already thinking about it, what are some challenges that I foresee that I might like to engage with other students about to kind of get some ideas to solve this? Maybe one of these professors at this particular program is an expert in this. If I could have a one-on-one conversation with him, what is the question that I\u2019m just dying to ask him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the kind of information that really excites people when they\u2019re reading your essay because they know you\u2019ve really done your homework, and you\u2019re really going to make the most of your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what I would say is, dig into your network, and dig into social media networks to start making connections<\/a> to current students or alumni who you can get these insider tips from. Who\u2019s a great professor? If you want to pursue something, what\u2019s a good aspect of the program that will help you get there? Where could you meet other students, professors, or alumni who could engage with you and find answers or leads to the next step? Who can help you solve this challenge that\u2019s going to be essential for your next career step?https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8D6oVZSuaP0?feature=oembed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think that part of the challenge might be the focus on stats in many other cultures? [7:07]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I think it is a different perspective. It\u2019s a perspective shift that often I talk to my clients about. I have lived in India, I\u2019ve lived in Pakistan, and other countries where the test is it. You got a high score on this test, and you\u2019ve kind of got your life made. It is so competitive so achieving that is wonderful and masterful. It\u2019s something to brag about, but it\u2019s not always going to be understood outside of the culture or country that you have achieved so much in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s wonderful that you have reached that level, but now you are competing on a global level, and what is really valued is you being able to show you\u2019ve got a certain level of aptitude and academic skill, but also that ability to create new things, to have ideas that you take and you execute and you make a reality, and to show leadership. We have to dig even further, and we have to challenge ourselves. You\u2019ve reached this level but thinking global, you need to go to the next level and we\u2019ve got to dig deep to get there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you are constructing your goals essay<\/a>, you want to have a believable goal and you want to have a concrete goal a lot of times. You want to be able to say, I see myself in this position at \u201cxyz\u201d company. That\u2019s a really, good concrete goal because people can understand and grasp onto it, but again, it\u2019s not just about saying, \u201cI\u2019m going to achieve that and my life is made and I\u2019m going to be the bee\u2019s knees to everybody.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are you going to do in that position? How are you going to make an impact? Why are you the right person at the right time to go in and have this kind of, again, impact that\u2019s going to make this company want to hire you and will be another springboard to your goals? It\u2019s not just the title, it\u2019s thinking about what you can do in that role and how you can lift the people around you and make the world a better place by working towards your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the main challenges facing applicants from South Asia, especially India and Pakistan? [10:49]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely. I forgot to mention that I lived in India as well. I lived there for around eight months before I lived in Pakistan, so I have experience on both sides of South Asia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to speak first about India. There are some really structured ways to move ahead academically and then careerwise. A lot of it has to do with exams and scoring well on these national exams to then get into top universities. That kind of idea of a very structured advancement also exists within corporate structures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when you talk about activities with Indian applicants, it actually often has to do with work. It\u2019s a structure within the corporation that says, \u201cOkay, you\u2019re volunteering with this organization and this is the social initiative that is sponsored by the corporation that you might have helped spearhead and you\u2019re really working hard within.\u201d But to an outside perspective and to U.S. schools, it starts to sound very similar. A lot of applicants say, \u201cI was part of this initiative through my corporation.\u201d It doesn\u2019t quite come off as really authentic volunteer work or authentic ideas that you\u2019ve tried to make into reality and have an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we come up with ideas for essays, we\u2019re not looking just at scores to define who you are. You\u2019re a mosaic to an admissions committee. There are so many different parts of you that they are going to look at to see the big picture. We want to talk about things outside of work that you\u2019ve done<\/a>, or things that mean a lot to you that you\u2019ve acted upon to try and have an impact on other people\u2019s lives in a positive way. Oftentimes I\u2019m working with Indian applicants who don\u2019t really have that. They\u2019ve got something that existed within the corporate structure that they participated in but not something that they may have started on their own and pursued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think applicants are getting smarter over the years and I\u2019ve seen more applicants doing things like that. But some don\u2019t because they are so busy and they have such high demands on their work hours. What I try to do with my applicants is make it really micro. Let\u2019s think about one person that you may have worked with to help improve their life, where you took time out of your busy schedule to say, \u201cI see that I can help this person with my skill set and I\u2019m going to nurture and help them. Or you might say, \u201cSomething is happening that I don\u2019t agree with and I\u2019m going to stick my neck out and I\u2019m going to say, \u201cNo, we\u2019re going to change this,\u201d and you take a risk to change something that you think isn\u2019t working right or isn\u2019t ethical and make a difference in one person\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have had success with candidates who take that micro perspective rather than try and say, \u201cI did all these things.\u201d It\u2019s not nearly as impactful or impressive as if you can show some bravery, sticking your neck out or really figuring out how you can help one person who might be in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not impressive if you\u2019re a member of all these things and can\u2019t really talk about how you participated and made an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would you say to applicants from Pakistan? [15:20]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I would say that we are talking about demands on people\u2019s time. When you reach a certain level of success and when you\u2019re hired to certain roles, there are just huge demands on your time. I would say there are just different ways that people might watch out for each other or get involved that don\u2019t always translate easily to what a U.S. or European way of approaching that would be. Again, we have to find those micro-stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I said, over the years that I\u2019ve done this, I\u2019ve seen more and more applicants really hearing, \u201cI\u2019ve got to do something,\u201d and maybe getting something started that\u2019s more structured. But again, if you don\u2019t have time, if that\u2019s something that you weren\u2019t aware of, that doesn\u2019t mean you didn\u2019t do it. It means you just need to look for that in your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the most common mistake you see applicants making, whether they are from India, Pakistan, Europe, or the U.S.? [16:32]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Again, it is that failure to really dig into the program that you\u2019re going to apply to, having very superficial reasons for why you want to attend the program, and not really thinking about how you\u2019re going to make the most of your time there. That\u2019s by having some idea of the classes you want to take and the clubs you want to be in. It\u2019s not just listing the clubs but showing that you\u2019re going to be an active member. Put your neck out. Propose some ideas for something that you might like to start as part of the club or a seminar that you might like to organize. Come and show that you\u2019re going to make an impact<\/a>. I think that\u2019s a huge thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thing that I see as a mistake across the board is, again, we are so used to in a job interview, showing our resume and showing what we\u2019ve done. A huge part of the MBA application is to show you thought about the future. I often see slim pickings when it comes to justifications for the goals that people want to pursue and not so much research done in terms of why this is a good move or why you\u2019re the right person at the right place and the right time. Help me learn something that I think would be cool. I think those are some of the most exciting essays that I read, saying, \u201cWow, this could be possible? You want to make this change. That\u2019s so great. Let\u2019s do that.\u201d Oftentimes it takes some digging with my clients to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you approach advising reapplicants? [18:49]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The advice I have for reapplicants is, first, to be open to feedback. I\u2019m going to read your application, I\u2019m going to see what you submitted to the school, and\u00a0I am going to find what\u2019s missing in that mosaic that they want to see from you<\/a>. That\u2019s where we have to fill in the blanks. It\u2019s interesting for reapplicants because there might not be a lot of time. Let\u2019s say you applied in Round 2 and you want to apply in Round 1, that really means you only have about six months to show the admissions committee the things that you\u2019ve tried to improve about your application. If you applied in Round 3, it really shortens that period. Sometimes we can fix what\u2019s missing because you didn\u2019t quite tell your story right. Your goals weren\u2019t really well-defined. You didn\u2019t really convince the school about why that program is just so great for you. But they always want to know what you\u2019re trying to do to improve yourself. So think about that as you are applying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a time to think, \u201cOkay, how can I have an impact at my job where I can update the admissions committee on a milestone that I\u2019ve reached?\u201d This can be both professionally or personally. You want to make sure that if you have an issue you\u2019re trying to make a difference in, that you volunteer in that. Keep trying to make something happen within that sphere so you can update the admissions committee. If you think that your GMAT score was a little low<\/a>, enroll yourself in a quant course that you can show that you\u2019re working to improve that aspect of your application. It is a constant process that you need to be thinking about. We want to have things that we can periodically update the admissions committee so they know you\u2019re still trying, it still means a lot to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every so often I\u2019ll talk to somebody who says, \u201cWell, my test score was low last time. I\u2019ve retaken it and raised it but I thought my essays were pretty good so I\u2019m not going to change them.\u201d What would you say to that person? [21:03]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is a great New Yorker article I read not too long ago, and it was written by a surgeon. And he said, \u201cI decided that even though I\u2019m at the top of my field, I still wanted a coach to see what I can improve.\u201d So he hired a retired surgeon to come in and observe him while he was doing the surgery, and that surgeon gave him some really useful tips because he was an expert he could observe, and the author of the article trusted him because he knew he was experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what I would say.\u00a0We are skilled surgeons who are just going to make you better.<\/a>\u00a0All of us can use a little bit of coaching. That\u2019s what we bring to you. We just want to help you and make you shine. We\u2019re experts in this. We\u2019re not trying to tear you down, we\u2019re trying to make you the very best you can be. So absolutely, we can always do some revision and receive coaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, if you basically submit the same essays with just an improved test score, you\u2019re not really showing any growth. [22:50]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No, you\u2019re not. That\u2019s what you do when you\u2019re on the waitlist. That\u2019s when you show, \u201cOh, I have retaken the GMAT and I got a better score. I just got a promotion.\u201d Those are little updates when you already kind of have a foot in the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a new application when you\u2019re a reapplicant. You are still competing against people who are submitting something fresh against other reapplicants too, so think about that. You have to be the very best of the reapplicants, and that includes showing advancement. It includes showing introspection and maturation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a very experienced journalist, how do you recommend applicants approach telling their story via essays? [24:15]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What I often do when I\u2019m first brainstorming with my clients is that I tell them, \u201cYou know, the moments of growth usually come to us at some of the hardest moments in our lives. I want you to think back to some of those moments and write them down, and then think about what you learned from that experience and how it changed the way you see the world.\u201d That often leads to stories that we will include in our essays, because often when we achieve something we have to overcome hurdles<\/a> to get there. If we experience something that\u2019s difficult, we learn what\u2019s most important to ourselves and our lives and it changes how we live our lives and the choices we make for our future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I generally say, let\u2019s come up with about five stories. See if you can find five hard moments in your life or five things that were hard to do. They can be a mixture of professional or personal, and then let\u2019s talk them through. We find out deeper what was learned and how that has influenced the person to be more effective in the roles they take on.https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ogFO9Em_UdQ?feature=oembed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What tips do you have for applicants who need to submit a short video response or video essay as part of their application? [26:24]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s talk about showing it. We think of the rule of thirds. There should be one-third of the screen that is blank space, your head should be in the second third, and then your body is down below. And then I\u2019m centered. I\u2019m right in the middle and I\u2019m looking straight ahead. I\u2019m not looking to the side, I\u2019m not looking to another side. I\u2019m looking straight ahead, so it\u2019s like the audience sees me and I\u2019m talking to them. It\u2019s so important, and it shows care and consideration when you think about your background and you try and make it attractive. It\u2019s the first thing people notice on video. Having a good frame is half the battle done. That\u2019s my first tip. I think also because I\u2019m a video journalist it bugs me when it\u2019s not quite right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second thing I would say is you don\u2019t have a lot of time to attract a person\u2019s attention. Most of these video essays are about a minute long. It\u2019s good to have in your head, \u201cI\u2019m going to say three things.\u201d Have a topic sentence, say something to support it, and then move on to the next idea, say something short, and then the next idea. You will know that you\u2019ve got this right because you\u2019re going to practice, and you\u2019re going to practice a lot. I\u2019m saying maybe 10 times a day leading up to when you\u2019re going to record your video. Practice makes perfect. It\u2019s exposure therapy, almost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And another tip I have is to put a sticker right next to that little green light on your computer so you\u2019re looking at that, and you\u2019re not looking down or to the side, because people might think you\u2019re reading notes and that looks really bad on an MBA application essay. You do not want to read from notes. It just looks bad. Practice being able to speak spontaneously. If you mess up, own it. Say, \u201cOops. That\u2019s not what I meant to say but let\u2019s keep going.\u201d Show you can get over trying to be perfect and show that you\u2019ve got a good attitude and you can manage the hurdles that are thrown at you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A format I like to try and do and give to my clients is S-O-A-R. So if you\u2019re asked a question, think of the Situation, what the Obstacles were, what the Actions you took, and what the Results were. If you have time, you can mention what you learned. That\u2019s a great way to answer any question that might be thrown at you because it tells a story, it tells a process, and it allows you to give a little brag about yourself but also show how you achieved what you have achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should applicants planning for a summer or fall application be doing right now? [32:01]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I would say they need to be having conversations with their network. Reach out to people you know who have attended business school. Ask them questions about the program so you can learn as much as you can so that you can talk authoritatively about how it matches your aspirations. If you don\u2019t know anyone in your network, get on LinkedIn. Start trying to connect with people. See if you can say, \u201cHey, can I have five minutes during your coffee hour? Or, \u201cDo you mind answering these questions via email or WhatsApp?\u201d Do what you can, be creative, to get to know an insider perspective of the programs that you\u2019re interested in. That is a great use of your time leading up to the application period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And also, think about your goals. Thinking about, \u201cIf I was on the stage in a TED Talk, what would I say is the future of the industry that I want to get into that is so cool?\u201d Learn something about it so that you can wow me in your application so I say, \u201cWow, that\u2019s such a cool idea. That\u2019s an exciting thing that I want to help you be a part of.\u201d Do some deep thinking, have lots of conversations, build your network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would you have liked me to ask you that I haven\u2019t asked? [34:05]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s lingering in my mind is one of the most delightful applicants I was able to work with who was accepted to Berkeley and that process of settling in on his goals. He had really high aspirations for himself. He had an entrepreneurial mindset, and he came up with a goal that unfortunately I picked holes in right from the start. I said, \u201cWell, how are you going to do that. This doesn\u2019t seem convincing.\u201d We went through several iterations until he got into something that he said, \u201cYes,\u201d and I said, \u201cYes.\u201d It made sense, and it was impressive. It linked to his past. He had the expertise for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So again, I would say, get out of your own head. Talk these things through with experts, with coaches who can help you express them in an expert way as well. That is going to be one of the best preparations you can have as you approach the application cycle because you will have this wealth of knowledge and experience but only if you\u2019ve done your homework and if you\u2019ve had these conversations. These things will serve you as you sit down to write these essays, which can be a daunting experience, but\u00a0when you have someone to help you organize those thoughts<\/a>, and then you have the actual good thoughts, it can be a really pleasurable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would say one of the most exciting things about working with my clients is that I feel like they learn a lot about themselves. Through this process, they have more clarity as they are moving forward, and I think they are stronger professionals. One of the things that can be rare to find, as you were mentioning in some of these more technical fields, is the ability to express your ideas. It\u2019s so powerful when you can do that. Really, it makes you a leader when you are skilled at doing that. If I can help someone who doesn\u2019t have a lot of experience doing that in learning the tools to do that, I feel like I\u2019m setting them up not only to get into the MBA program that they want to attend but for a long successful professional career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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