Admitted to Stanford GSB and CBS. With 730. Without a consultant.

Hi to all MBA aspirants! Since my admission to 2 good B-schools, I have been contacted by a number of people to seek guidance on the procedure and to get some sense of direction to navigate this seemingly never ending journey. I am no “Crack the GMAT/ Ivy League colleges expert”. I was in your position just a few months back. I am simply sharing my experiences to help others take informed decisions and to collate all advice in one place for anyone to refer to. (Pheww, disclaimers are so important nowadays!).

A little bit about my background. Engineer (NSIT, ECE batch of 2014)-> Nomura Indian (Jul 14-Dec15)->Started my own niche, Colence International, within my family business (Jan15-Present). After scoring a 690 in my first attempt, I managed a 730 in second (which by Indian standards in not the most competitive score frankly). Also, this was my first MBA applications attempt. I was unsure how to proceed from here. I learnt that there are consultants who give 30 minutes free counselling and help you answer any MBA specific questions. I scheduled calls with both Indian and International consultants. There was a sharp contrast on the feedback I got from the two set of consultants (Indian vs International). The Indian consultants gave a very negative feedback – “You are not a top 5 B schools candidate according to our experience. Maybe you should apply for masters instead of an MBA. Why don’t you apply next year?” The International consultants were mostly quite positive and encouraged me to apply to absolutely any school that I wish to. Fearing that all the negativity of the Indian consultants will discourage me more than helping me and that the International consultants might not be fully experienced with handling Indian students (plus the baniya in me did not permit me to hire such expensive consultants!), I decided to embark on this journey without a consultant. I seeked the blessings of the Almighty to be my consultant on this journey - Sorry for being a bit dramatic here! Also, I could take this decision because I had a big support from my elder brother who had stayed in the States for 6 years (Engineering and 2-years work ex; not an MBA) and who guided me as and when needed. Below are some general points that I feel are worth mentioning -

1. Does the GMAT score matter? It definitely does. To what extent? No one really knows. To gain an understanding on what GMAT score is good enough for a particular college, look at the average GMAT score of the incoming class of your target colleges. It will give you some sense on colleges’ expectation of the GMAT score. Additionally, it is believed that a higher GMAT score attracts college scholarships. There is a good logic to it – colleges want to retain candidates with high GMAT scores. Why? Because, the average GMAT score of the incoming class is an important indicator used to rank colleges worldwide. And trust me, colleges are extremely cautious about their rankings! Do I have any data to support this? Dude no, you do the research!

2. Apply to the schools that matter the most to you, in Round 1. Simple logic here- all the seats are available and fewer people are able to wind up their essays, recommendation etc till the Round 1 deadlines. That should give you some advantage. Additionally, most colleges have country quotas to maintain diversity. For example, if a substantial number of Indians have been admitted in Round 1, chances of an Indian applicant in Round 2 will most likely be affected. Moreover, Round 2 can be a fall back option to apply to more colleges in case you do not get interview invites to your dream colleges in Round 1.

3. Apply to only those colleges where you’ll absolutely go, if admitted. I find it amusing when people say “I am applying to ABC, but I am sure that I don’t want to go there. I am just keeping this as an option!” Let’s be truthful – each application is a lengthy exhaustive procedure. You might want to focus on quality rather than quantity (I got selected to 2/4 colleges that I applied to). Don’t be unrealistic in your expectations, but at the same time, don’t shy away from aiming high.

4. Attend admissions events organised by colleges that you are keen on attending. These are not only an excellent opportunity to learn more about what matters most to the colleges and about the admissions procedure, but also a way to display your commitment and interest in a college during your interviews. (just like a job interview - the interviewer is always happy to see a candidate who has done sufficient company and industry research)

5. I can’t stress enough on the need for extensive school specific research. Literally dig deep enough to be able to relate to specific courses, professors, clubs etc in a particular college. You absolutely have to convey, via your essays, why XYZ is your dream college and how it will help you achieve your goals. College websites are the best source for any information that you seek. Spend as much time as possible on the websites.

6. DON’T refer to an admitted students’ essay before writing at least 8-10 drafts of your own essay. This is essential because once you read an admitted students’ essay, you frame an image of an ideal essay and invariably get influenced by the same. This jeopardises your originality. Moreover, several times, the essay might not even be the reason for a student’s admission to a particular college. The colleges look at the application in a holistic manner – they will not accept or reject a student only on the basis of his/her essay.

7. Write, rewrite your essays several times. Spend a lot of time introspecting and discovering YOUR unique story. Who is the real you? Try to answer questions such as “Why an MBA”, “Why an MBA at this stage of career”, “Post MBA goals”, “How will an MBA bring you closer to your long-term goals”, “How have you been working towards your long-term goals”. Always convey the true YOU. Copying someone, aping someone will be of little to no help.

8. Get your essays reviewed by multiple people (especially those who have themselves cracked the college you are most interested in). Again, follow your instincts and accept only the feedback that truly convinces you. There is never a right or wrong. Different people perceive the same data differently. Hence, have the courage to trust your judgement.

9. Spend a substantial amount of time cleaning up your resume. It’s that single page that speaks on your behalf to the admissions team. I will share the links in the comments as I am not allowed to share URLs until I have 5 posts.

Lastly, through this article, I am not trying to discourage you from hiring a consultant. NO. Consultants have helped thousands of students achieve their MBA dreams. They can be of good help to someone who has no fall back option and needs an experienced set of eyes to review his/her essays. I am simply cautioning you to not listen to everything they say. Additionally, I am cautioning you from charlatans who exploit naïve individuals and charge hefty fees despite 0 knowledge. If you hire a consultant, don’t forget to ask the below essential questions to check the credibility of the consultant –
1. Does the consultant hold an MBA degree? If yes, from which college?
2. Does the team have any person who previously served on admissions board of a reputed college?
3. What is the mode of communication with the assigned consultant? Is he available on call/ skype/email etc? Is he available on weekdays/ weekends?
4. How many students are typically assigned to a consultant?
5. Are the employees of a particular consultancy full time employees or part time employees? You don’t want a part-time employee to disappear in the middle of your application.
6. How many people will typically work with you on your application?

I hope this helps some MBA applicants in their journey. I will soon try to pen down my interview experience. Feel free to ask any follow up questions. I will try to answer as many as I can. All the best. Believe in your ability to achieve! Once you reach your destination, it's worth all the time and effort.


Adding the link to another article that I wrote recently https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2017 ... ent-979271