How to stand out in the Round 1 MBA Applications-Live Chat with ARINGO

Question

How to stand out in the Round 1 MBA Applications - Live chat with ARINGO MBA admissions consultancy

Topic: How to stand out in the Round 1 MBA Applications

Monday, May 18, 2020 8 AM PDT | 8:30 PM IST | 11 AM EST

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The applicant pool for Fall 2021 is going to be very tight and more competitive with up to 1/3 of international students deferring from Fall 2020 as well as more people consider an MBA to get ahead in the workforce during a downward economy. ARINGO MBA Admissions Consulting specializes in working with candidates with low GMATs or GPAs on top MBA programs. Join ARINGO's CEO, Ms. Jenifer Turtschanow, on her tips and tricks on how to compile a winning application

Join the chat here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/mchat.php

Details of Presenters:

Ms. Jenifer Turtschanow, CEO ARINGO

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Here is the chat log from our recent chat session with ARINGO MBA Admission consultancy held on May 18th 8am PDT | 8:30pm IST

Introduction of our guest from ARINGO

Hi everyone. Excited to be here!

My name is Jen Turtschanow, CEO of ARINGO MBA Admission Consulting. I have worked in admissions for the past 8 years and am excited to talk about Round 1 applications for Fall 2021.

Feel free to ask me anything during this chat!

You can also check out our website https://www.ARINGO.com for further information or shoot me an email at [email protected] with your CV, GMAT, school wish list, timeline and questions.

Do failure stories at workplace count against you? Is switching fields (eg from law to management) deemed to stem from confusion?

Failure stories are good as long as you can demonstrate you learned something, did it better next time, and/or it has shaped who you are.

Pivoting into a new function or sector can be good (its many candidates motivation for an MBA), you need to show the adcom how you will leverage your past experience in the new area

So, I recently graduated and because of the coronavirus situation, it’s very difficult to travel and join the job even after having job offers at the moment. How do I explain that in my application in a positive way.

MBA programs will be very cognizant of the struggles of the Class of 2020. While you cannot work, are there any industry certifications that you can obtain, take some pre-MBA coursework or even project management courses.

I will be graduating in 2021 should i apply this year or next year

If you are graduating from your undergrad degree, you should have 2-3 years of work experience at time of application for an MBA. If you are looking for a specialized masters, you can apply earlier.

I have a Bachelor’s in Science, a Master’s in Psychology, and 3 years of Work Ex in Qualitative Market Research with a global market leader in the industry. I want to go into Marketing for CPG. How would my work ex be viewed by Adcom - positively or negatively?

Strong quant background that can translate to easily Marketing, psychology helps with this as well... just need to come up with the right pitch to show how the MBA will take it to the next level and help you move into marketing

Being from India or China whats considered a competitive Gmat score for top 15 schools

So there really isn’t a "Competitive GMAT score" especially for candidates we work with (ARINGO specializes in working with candidates with low GMAT scores)
you can see the school averages (general averages) and if you come from a competitive background, it is obviously, advisable to be above the average. but the GMAT is just one factor out of many...and we have had THIS YEAR an Indian male engineer get into Wharton with a 700 and a Chinese accountant get into INSEAD with 680... so everything is possible with the right application

I am from the maritime industry working on ships engaged in international trade. The work culture and style we have is different and unique compared to people either business background. How can i make my application stand out in this case?

This makes your application stand out, we’ve had great success this season with maritime profiles. Leverage your international experience, working in teams, lot of opportunity for leadership.... and a little danger! Pirates and weather make great essay and interview answers. But you need to know how to translate maritime to your next step - email me and we can chat more - [email protected]

How do admission officers view a failed start up or an start up that I decided to discontinue with?

This is great experience to have coming into an MBA and also for demonstrating the need for an MBA. The most important part is illustrating that you have an understanding of why it failed and what you learned. Adcom’s like to hear where you are going next.

India : For top 3-5 colleges does simply stating that you are from tech background and want to move to product management makes sense or is too weak, hoe else this thing be portrayed? and are there people who state this type of reason and get in

Mansi,
Simply stating you are from a "tech background and want to be a product manager" is not enough. you need to explain what you have done so far, and what you want to do in the future. if you tell that to the schools in a compelling way. how your past experience + the MBA will help you with this. and show them why you want to be, and will be a successful product manager, well, that is a good story...

and yes, we have had many tech people say their short term career goal is product management

If I am stating that I want to start my own venture after 10-15 years and till than work in a tech company to gain that expertise, does it make sense, and if I have not started anything before an MBA or worked in a Startup will it question my intentions to do it afterwards?

it makes total sense to say product management and then entrepreneurship
Naturally, the story has to stick to your CV, LEtters of Recommendation, and the general theme of the application!

I am an older applicant (age: 33) from India, and will have 12 years of WE (initial 2 years as a entrepreneur) at the time of applying in R1. Could you suggest schools that are relatively older applicant friendly from the T15?
There are specialized MBA’s for more seasoned candidates - Sloan Fellows at LBS or MIT, MSx at Stanford, IBEAR at USC - all full-time or some Global Executive MBA’s are full-time - like Foster. Beyond this, European schools are more open to seasoned candidates.... We just need to be able to illustrate you have great experience to bring to the MBA, but not too much.

I am an older applicant (age: 33) from India, and will have 12 years of WE (initial 2 years as a entrepreneur) at the time of applying in R1. Could you suggest schools that are relatively older applicant friendly from the T15?

Check out our page on MBA Over 30: https://www.aringo.com/mba-over-30/

There is some confusion about the level of competition in R1. While some people and articles say that because of deferred Applicants some Seats are already filled up and therefore more competitive, others say that no one knows when all this will end so many might not end up applying and so reduced competition and can get in with lower GMAT. What is the truth?

Coronavirus impact on Sep-2021 admissions:
This is what I think:
A. Many international candidates who were accepted to Sep-2020 studies will ask for a deferral (= next year, there will be fewer seats in the class due to deferred students from this year)
B. Many people are now sitting at home, rethinking their future, thinking of a career change (=next year there will be more candidates)
A + B => next year will be harder to get into top MBA programs.

What does this mean for you? not much.
You can only do what you can do.

My suggestion - continue to improve your profile
Work on your GMAT
write the best possible applications...
and perhaps apply to more schools that you intended to originally, for backup reasons.

Will business schools accept the new online GMAT for their 2022 batch considering most application dead lines for round one is sept 2021?

Yes, you can take the online GMAT exam now and it will be good for 5 years, like the in-person exam. Good news is that if it doesn’t go as well, you have time to retake in the future and aren’t "forced" to take the online exam.

Since the R1 this season is expected to be competitive, should we focus on getting a GMAT score 10-20 points higher than usual ? Also, in terms of profile what should we do to standout ? Take better projects articulate better leadership skills ? Also how can we use leverage the covid situation to create a positive impact in the application? I know these are 3 different questions. Please try to answer as much as possible.

SO, you are bang on...
What can you do? have the best possible application... GMAT, professional, extra-curriculum
How do you stand out - very personal question and that is the answer - > be original, stay away from generic stuff, and describe to the schools your path and attributes...

I am a male civil engineer with 4 years of WE, my profession does not give me any situation where i can prove myself a hero or where i have saved a world.

you don’t need to save the world.
you do need to be impressive, progress in your career, receive ownership on projects, have your recommenders say you are "better" than your peers etc. you can also show how special you are from your academic experience or your hobbies /volunteering...

So now, how is this fair? It’s already bad that the class of 2020 is suffering. This means that all future batches in B school will face higher competition due to a domino effect. Correct? Shouldn’t they ideally increase the number of seats?

ShrutiShivnani1 - life isnt always fair.... schools have seats for good candidates. and will continue to have seats for great candidates. and if next year is harder, then it is harder...
schools cant build classes or hire professors as quickly as you would like them too...

Again, all you can do is focus on your application

For top 3 B schools : In questions like the kind of impact that you want to have? how specific a person should be, should they outline the whole plan or the vague idea of what they want to achieve?

Hi Mansi, well, I am sorry, but I can’t go into detail of what you should write in each of the essays of your application (feel free to check us out at ARINGO.com... happy to work with you on your essays)
This depends on your professional, academic, extra-curricular, family, and other attributes.

There is no right or wrong - the MBA application is a personal story and you should play on YOUR strengths

Is it possible that R1 deadlines will shift? If so, by how many weeks / months ?

Everything is possible but we do not expect R1 deadlines to shift at all

Hi, what happen if I dont have a stellar EC (maybe some scuba diving with people much older than me). I do mentor several underprivileged kid from my hometown, helping them cope with undergraduate, creating cv, really just helping them get a firm ground after they graduate. Theres around 10 kids and the relationship are more of an intimate one as these kids are my parents "foster child", and I love to help and talk to them. Does this count as an volunteering (or is it even worth mentioning?)

Yes, you can use this as your EC! It’s great work, use it!

What I feel is that due to word limit of the essays, to choose between "how well written the essay can be with great premise and all" and "how to cover all the points that you should" becomes difficult. How to go about that ?

Mansi, as I said, I can’t help you in this chat write your essays...
you can view here our prices and packages: https://www.aringo.com/mba-preparation-prices/
We are offering an exclusive deal for GMATClub users:
20% on all our hourly packages and 15% on all our full packages

When applying to universities is it wise to apply to MBA programs with larger number of seats available ? Does it increase your chances to get in? Would it decrease your chances for employment considering that you will be competing with a greater number of students for the same job?

Applying to schools with more seats is statistically safer, but you need to be wise in that decision - you have to show you are a good fit for the program. Employment is competitive no matter the program, so I don’t think it changes the odds.

How do I approach the application for 2 types of schools this year: 1. In 2018, I was interviewed and rejected & 2. In 2018, I was waitlisted and rejected

Reapplication after a ding or WL needs to be strategic. You have to illustrate how you’ve improved your profile/experience. We can discuss your story offline - [email protected]

How should one space out their applications between round 1 and round 2. Is it advisable to apply to all your target schools in the first round? Or should some be left for round 2 ? (as back up)

This is very tricky. Many times R1 decisions won’t be out by time R2 deadlines. You want to apply to stretch and schools highest on your target school list during R1. R2 should be some target and safety.

I am a lawyer by profession and I have been working with the not for profit social sector for a while now, what should I do to align my profile according to B school’s requirements?

This is actually one of our favorite paths - Lawyer to MBA. You have strong skills that can easily translate to the business side, nonprofit Exp is a bonus - let’s chat about it offline – [email protected]

Can we use the same strategy if one is also looking to secure some scholarships? Wouldn’t applying in R2 decrease the chances or percentage of scholarships ?

R1 and R2 are the best rounds for seat availability, scholarship and risk (that a committee will take on a profile). The biggest things you want to look at are deadlines and notification dates - the worst case you get an offer with a scholarship to a school lower on your list and have to make a deposit before you get a decision at a school higher on your list

I’m a journalist and have switched to freelance last year. What is the best way to justify a 8-10 month gap as far as having a full-time position is concerned? Will that put me at a disadvantage? Also, how can journalists stand out in their application from the more-sought after Engineers/Finance personnel?

Is the gap due to going free lance? Then you were running your own business... leverage this in your resume - how many news outlets were you working with? did you increase your efficiency with deadlines - by what %.... you get where I’m going... I’d love to chat about it - send me your profile [email protected] ... I’m curious about your ST and LT goals!

Do schools view your gmat scores as a whole? If you have a good quant score and slightly low verbal making your total less than the median score for the school ,would it still be considered competitive?

They will breakdown the GMAT score, especially for international candidates - yes, quant is important, but verbal will be important for coursework, teamwork and interviews with employers... so don’t forget to focus on verbal..... you can also make up for a slightly lower verbal with a well-written application.

Hi! I will be applying with a little over 2 years of Full Time WE (post-college) this fall. However, while in college I ran a business for over a year that was open 6 days a week. Would this also be considered full-time WE/ or WE at the very least? Thanks!

It won’t count for the schools FT post-grad WE, but it will help you stand out since you are on the lower end of the WE range.

While stating your work experience do you go with what it would be when you are applying or prior to the commencement of MBA?

They are looking for WE at time of application

Can you shed some light on how to approach Stanford Dirubhai Fellowship essay?

The biggest piece of advice is to make your essays personal, show how you will make an impact when you return and how GSB will help you get there.

Thank you everyone for your time and questions. Feel free to send your profile and resume to me if you would like to chat more about how ARINGO can help with your applications – [email protected]. We are offering a 20% discount on packages to GMAT Club members. Visit www.ARINGO.com to explore our resume and essay tips as well as our chances calculator.

That is all from this chat, for more valuable chat sessions please visit the forum again and also you can follow me.

Regards
Sajjad

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