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Top 5 Factors To Consider When Deciding Between a One-Year Vs Two-Year MBA



Are you planning on attending a top MBA program in Fall 2017? As the first step in your business school search process, how do you decide between applying for a one year or two year MBA program?

Here are some of the critical factors to consider to make sure you find the right fit:

1. Your Profile. How much professional experience do you have thus far? Are you certain of what you want to do once you complete the MBA? If you have had more than four to five years of experience, plan to remain in your current industry, sponsoring company or family business, and are looking at the MBA to be the yeast that helps the dough rise, the one-year program is probably a better option for you. If, however, you are unsure of your post-MBA career trajectory or looking to switch industries, the two-year program is a better bet. You will, as a result, not be overwhelmed with a simultaneous high-octane job search and the intensive commitments of a full-time MBA program.

2. Summer Internship. If you are interested in switching careers or looking for a different role within the same industry, the summer internship between the first and second years of a two-year MBA is a critical foot-in-the-door, and can lead to your first full-time job in the industry post-MBA. However, if you have already established your professional prowess in the industry you hope to build a career in, the summer internship becomes less critical. For both programs, if you are considering a pre-MBA internship, do so wisely – have a crystal clear idea of what you are planning on getting out of it. Otherwise, spend the summer as downtime with family and friends, or travel to your dream destination, so that you are ready for the programs’ intensity.

3. Experiences, Extracurriculars and Exchange Programs. Both programs offer a wide range of opportunities to participate beyond the classroom. If you have a clearer career focus, you will be able to maximize your engagement with real-world projects and competitions that are most relevant to you. In the two-year program, you get to do so at a less intensive pace. You get to network for longer, dabble with your interests more, cross-register for classes across campuses, and work on your passion-startup, simply because you have more time. You also get more bandwidth for MBA exchange programs with other top schools globally, often resulting in access to alumni networks and job prospects from multiple schools.

4. Subject Specializations. Passionate about finding business solutions to global problems like urban sanitation or access to primary care in developing countries? You may want to consider subject specializations which many schools offer, from finance and analytics to healthcare and sustainability. If you are interested in a specialization, the two-year program is a better option because you have the time to delve deeper into this subject, engage in research projects or write cases with Professors in your second year.

5. Cost, Opportunity Cost and Jobs. The one-year MBA is definitely cheaper, both in terms of how much it would cost, as well in terms of the amount of time you are spending outside the workforce generating an income. However, you are saddled with job searching while trying to maximize your MBA experience, which can be overwhelming. So if your fit is better aligned with the two-year program, do not opt for the one-year program solely because of this factor. It is important to note here that your recruiting potential as an alumnus – that is, your potential to find not just gainful, but also high-quality, employment within six months of graduation and a subsequently strong career trajectory – matters to a number of top business schools. Research your schools thoroughly to see how much this factor weighs in their application evaluation process.

The verdict: One year programs are better for boosting or fast-tracking your current career path. Two year programs are better if you have less/non-traditional work experience, or are looking to switch roles or industries altogether. However, it is important to contextualize these factors and assess how your specific needs/path fit with the one- or two-year program.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Top Research Tips When Thinking About College Selection



Finding the right colleges to apply to is an overwhelming process. This is one of the most critical life decisions that you are going to make. At the same time, there is a smorgasbord of options, a wide range of factors that you need to consider, and an even larger array of online and community sources that will give you conflicting advice.

How do you drown out the noise and build a path that is best for YOU? The best way to optimize the college search process is to build a structure that works best for your specific style of consuming and processing large amounts of information. Think about how you currently carve up sizeable portions to study for a marathon board examination, and apply a similar philosophy here.

Here are a few tips on how to best organize your research and selection process:

1. Set aside time each week. Have an unconditional block of time on your calendar, with an agenda of specific outputs for what you need to accomplish for each chunk of time. If you don’t have a structured work plan, the chances for procrastination get a lot higher. Specific outputs could be: online research, identifying and prioritizing factors to narrow your search, conversations with mentors or current students, etc.

2. Create a list of factors that are most important to you before you start your search. Are you a city mouse or country mouse? Do you want a school with a strong liberal arts curriculum or a strong engineering program? Do you have the grades and profile to get to this school? Think through all the factors that matter most and you will automatically be able to narrow in on a shorter list of well-suited options.

3. Speak to your family. Seriously consider their insights into where they think you will thrive. Have a frank discussion about the financial implications of applying and enrolling in a college abroad. But remember that although they know you best, they cannot solely determine what is best for you. You have to introspect heavily and narrow down on your options honestly and independently.

4. Scour college websites. To learn more about the school’s curriculum, pedagogy and academic rigor, you must research department webpages, core curricula, and the university news pages to discover timely advancements in faculty and student research and achievements. To imbibe a campus vibe, take a virtual tour, understand the university’s mission statement, read the campus newspaper, and look into career and academic advising support for international students.

5. Speak to current students, alumni and professors. How much faculty support would you get on expanding your pet renewable energy project? What career opportunities do you have as an international student abroad or upon returning to India? How active is the a cappella group on campus? The best insights you are going to get into answering such questions that matter the most is through the college’s student body and faculty.

6. Get a mentor. Research the different options on how to choose a mentor to guide you through this spidery process. Pepper your shortlist with questions on their style of working, and ensure that they are the right fit for you. The right guidance can tip the scales in favor of an admittance to your dream school.

7. Attend college fairs in your city, or better yet, visit a set of shortlisted colleges. Ideally, the best way to get insight into a college is to visit its campus, engage directly with not just admissions committee, but also students and faculty. If you are time or resource constrained, attend information sessions and college fairs in your city to get an understanding of the college directly from its admissions team.

8.Start early, and keep track of deadlines. Ideally, you should start your college search process at least 2-3 years before applying to college. Application deadlines do not vary significantly, so keeping track from a few years in advance will help you better plan: (a) getting your standardized tests out of the way (b) your finances, and (c) managing your academic and extracurricular load, and (d) a grueling application process.

Remember to keep an open mind through this process. You might be surprised by the schools you end up choosing. You can thrive across a well-curated set of colleges. The curation, like asking the right question, is half the battle.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

David Brooks on The Secret to Happiness



I had the opportunity to hear David Brooks speak at one of the plenary sessions at NAFSA 2016. I was also lucky enough to meet him after the session to get a signed copy of his book, A Road to Character. As a longstanding fan, I gushed with excitement to tell him that my favorite NY Times Op Ed article is still The Humble Hound. His head was buried in signing as many books as he could to make it through the long line of fans-in-waiting, but he paused, to look up at me. He had a big, pleasantly surprised smile, saying how this article, written in 2010, was the initial inspiration for the 2015 book. The article focuses on how to lead with humility and incredible professional will by conquering your weaknesses, and the book relates this to making and fulfilling promises to achieve the highest level of happiness.

Here were the key takeaways that push me past complacency and toward greater unease, but also towards attempting to achieve greater character:

1. The importance of virtue in defining yourself. Brooks spoke about two sets of virtues that a person has – your “resume virtues” and your “eulogy virtues”. “Resume virtues are the things that make you good at your job and eulogy virtues are the things they say about you after you are dead”, like whether you were honest, courageous or bold. He talks about how education systems are focused on building our resume virtues, and how we need to be focused on developing our eulogy virtues to define ourselves instead.

2. Finding purpose. Brooks talks about how students are insecure about their careers, so their friendships, relationships, and spiritual lives get neglected, and “the great yearning to do good in the world, which they have, is inarticulate because nobody has given them the vocabulary on how to realize it.” So, instead of only focusing on using college to develop instruments of reason, he asks you to look at the “soul behind the curtain”, to confront who you actually are as a person, and to find a definition for your life’s purpose.
He says studying abroad is the best way to find purpose, where you are far removed from your school’s academic reputation, your family, your friends, and where you are “stuck in some place, totally unprepared”. You now learn everything you ever knew is wrong, you learn to “endure and cultivate solitude”, and become aware of cavities in yourself that you didn’t know existed.

3. Defining happiness as transcendence. Brooks outlines four different types of happiness: Level 1 is “material pleasure”, which is finding happiness in your material belongings. Level 2 is “ego and comparative happiness”, where you measure your happiness in comparison to others. Level 3 is “generativity”, which focuses on finding happiness in giving back to your communities. Level 4 is “transcendence”, which is finding an unadulterated connection to love, truth, goodness and beauty. Brooks talks about how society is good at achieving Levels 1 and 2, but not focused nearly enough on levels 3 and 4.

4. Making and fulfilling commitments to achieve the highest level of happiness. Brooks spoke about how the people who lead level 4 lives have succeeded and made good choices, but more importantly, about how they have executed on these choices by making 4 large commitments in their lives.
The first commitment is to your spouse and family. He speaks of the importance of falling in love unconditionally, without hedging your bets, so you are “falling in love with something, and then building a structure or behavior around it for those moments when the love falters.” This love is humbling, makes you vulnerable to greater pain, but also to greater joy.
The second commitment is to your vocation, which should have a sense of meaning, and be propelled by a desire to do good. Once you have defined your desire, it is about developing a craft by being disciplined, and developing behavioral structures. Like doctors lay out tools before a surgery, or musicians playing scales, find a behavioral structure that helps you find discipline in your vocation, so when your commitment falters, you can rely on your structure to bolster you.
The third commitment is to philosophy or faith, which helps you develop your ability to see and articulate your truths in a simple way. He says, “Hundreds of people can talk for one that can think, but thousands of people can think for one who can see.” Expose yourself to as many different philosophies from as many different cultures as you can to understand the truths you hold dearest. Exploring liberal arts subjects like literature help as well, because great literature describes emotional states with such specificity that it teaches you empathy, which is at the core of how you can successfully relate to a colleague, family member or friend.
The fourth commitment is the value of community. Brooks talks about how you cannot make and uphold your commitments alone. The standards for your commitments are held up by your community. In addition to strengthening your academic and professional skills, how are you touching your community? How are you developing your cross-cultural learning to scaffold around the weaknesses of your community? If you are inherently cognitive, learn more about human sentience. If you are individualistic, focus more on building a community. If you are utilitarian, develop a moral lens. If you enjoy materialism, find a way to live a life that is spiritually alive.

“Begin your journey as a student with a deep sense of gratitude and joy.” By finding purpose and identifying the virtues that you hold dearest, and by making and fulfilling your promises, you are on your way to transcendent happiness!

This post is written by Gaargi Ramakrishnan, who is a Counsellor with ReachIvy.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

What to look for in a summer internship?



Its summer time and all the colleges have announced a two month long vacation. Temperatures are soaring in some places (hint: National capital) while some places are still blessed with pleasant weather (hint: Indian Silicon Valley). Many students are eager to dig their shorts and sunglasses out of their closets and enjoy the weather. But while you are doing that, I’m sure you are looking for a summer internship to make the best of your break!
Internships are a tried and tested way of gaining knowledge, skills and experience, relevant to your interest. It is a great opportunity for building connections and getting your feet wet to find out if a specific field is something that you could pursue in future. This highlights the importance of taking a step forward towards your dream career through internships.
I have been in that position and therefore, I know how difficult this ‘figuring out what to do during summer’ can get. There are many different options and each one has their own pros and cons. So what points should you keep in mind while choosing your summer role so that you can make this experience count?

* Relevant Experience: Identify the appropriate company/role. Get a fair idea about your responsibilities during the internship. Gaining relevant experience is extremely important as it will help you identify your future career path. Therefore, make sure the roles that you are offered match your interests and skill set. This will be the first step towards your dream career, so put a lot of thought into it and make certain that it is aligned with your strengths and goals.

* Work culture: A positive and motivational work environment can get the best out of you. While interviewing for a firm, ask them questions about the work environment, watch their recruitment videos and if possible, connect with the existing employees of the company over LinkedIn and ask for their opinion, they will be able to give you the best insight. Also connect with the past interns, to see how to get the most out of a short term engagement.

* Networking: Summer internships are an excellent opportunity to do some networking; so once you’re there, make sure you interact with as many coworkers as possible. A friendly chat over the coffee machine and a mere ‘Good Morning’ will take you a long way. It is not a one way street though, try to help your colleagues if they need anything, and you can build a good work environment of your own!

* Money. While most summer internships are unpaid, some companies have started paid internship programs to attract more applicants. Money or no money, this is going to be your call really. All I can suggest is don’t contemplate money as a major pro; you want to put this as ‘one’ of the advantages and then see which internship has more plus points. For the money that you’ll make in these two months will be spent before you know, but the experience you get will be there for life.

* Visit a new place. This can’t be a major factor while deciding your summer job, but this could be one of the final filters. Always try to opt for a new city when applying for an internship, it exposes you to a different culture altogether, enhances your experience and keeps you happy and motivated. A coffee at the best cafe in the city or a new native cuisine in a famous restaurant will brighten your mood even on the worst days at work!

* Make friends. Follow this advice religiously once you’ve gone through the above drill, landed a perfect internship and have started your work. Don’t confuse this with networking though, these friends will be there on weekend trips and will be your mentor to guide you in the right direction!

* Start early. Lastly, I would advise you to start exploring your options at least 2-3 months in advance, so that you can get options you are most interested in. Many companies do an on campus recruitment in the fall for summer internships, so make sure to look out for that too. Starting early will give you enough time to weigh the pros and cons of various internship opportunities and find your best match.

Summer internships will be one of the best experiences of your life; for this is the only time when you can work without worrying about rent or groceries or taxes, and a bad decision while choosing your internship will take this experience away from you! So keep the above points in mind, get yourself a worthwhile summer job and make the most of it. Signing off with wishes of a fun filled and fruitful summer ahead!


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Does startup experience help with admission to a top global MBA program?



Many of the top global MBA programs are trying to diversify their class profiles, moving away from solely admitting students with traditional finance, banking and consulting backgrounds. Professional profiles that have startup experience give admissions committees significant insight into the problems that you are truly passionate about solving, your creativity and penchant for risk-taking, and your gravitas in tough real-life situations.

The conversation around how beneficial startup experience is for admission to a top MBA program has gained significant traction in public debate. In a recent article in the Economic Times, Vibha Kagzi, ReachIvy’s CEO, speaks about how not only has the number of students applying with startup experiences doubled, but also how these students have gained admission to top MBA programs like Kellogg, Cornell and Stanford.

How does startup experience help?

1. Build contextual intelligence. By tackling a larger problem with leaner resources, you are forced to not only quickly understand huge amounts of information, but also find creative ways to leverage this understanding to build competitive advantage. These buckets of information include how trends in labor, globalization, technology, government regulations, demography and social mores affect your business.

2. Become more adaptable. You are at ground zero. You are setting up systems, working with little data and resources, and are forced to consistently adapt to the market while maintaining the core integrity of your brand.

3. Be different. Working at a startup means you are trying to disrupt the current status quo in the market. It compels you to be innovative, and gives you unique experience and perspective, which differentiates you from cookie cutter applicants from cookie cutter organizations.

Here are a few parameters to keep in mind while trying to choose whether the startup route is best for you, and how to position the experience in your business school application:

1. What is your growth trajectory within your current role and organization?
If you are in a large company where there is little room for upward growth, and even lateral shifts are not on the horizon, taking a risk and switching to a leadership position in a startup is probably a good idea. You are likely to have a young, diverse set of co-workers, and will be operating in much more collaborative and leaner working conditions. The environment is fast-paced and high-pressure, but promises a steeper learning curve and there is a chance for greater reward.

2. What is your impact?
Admissions committees want to know about how you have contributed to the organization, and how it has impacted the organization as well as your personal and professional growth. They gauge your management and leadership skills through the impact of your contributions. They gauge your management and leadership potential through your ability to articulate your decision-making processes, as well as learnings from your successes and failures.

3. Does your startup experience align with your career goals?
Startup experience for the sake of getting startup experience will not help with admission. You need to be able to clearly articulate how this experience influences your career goals and what you want to get out of the MBA. You should also be able to articulate how you will leverage this experience in and outside class, whether it is towards case discussions or through mentoring at the campus entrepreneurship lab. To build the best story arc, start thinking about your short- and long-term career goals at least two years before you think of applying to business school.

4. Does startup experience help even if your startup fails?
Even a failed startup experience can be a strength, as long as you can show how you learned from it. You must be able to articulate your maturity and heightened perspective gained through learning from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. According to Ms. Kagzi, “B-schools realise that regardless of whether the startups failed or survived, the candidates are rich in experience, knowledge and bring tremendous learnings to their classroom.”


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

How to choose a mentor when applying for a Study Abroad program?



“Applying for Study Abroad programs is a nightmare! Not only is the application process an uphill battle, but it is extremely difficult to find trustworthy advice. I have spoken to many consultants that provide help while filling out my applications, and I have realized that many of them are ready to offer biased information based on their ‘deals’ with Universities.”

These are the words of a friend who is applying for an MBA abroad. And as appalling as this sounds, it is true. According to a recent study*, with rising interest of students in college and graduate programs outside India, we have witnessed a remarkable increase of over 35% in the number of educational advisories in the past six years. You have probably seen so many advertisements for agencies prompting you to seek help with critical life decisions, whether it is to make a tough choice between applying to Study in USA or UK or whether it is to take the GMAT or GRE. While I am not accusing all the forums of being spurious, there are still a large percentage of them that are misguiding students in the interest of filling their own pockets. A number of friends have applied for degrees at universities abroad, and they have had a range of positive and negative experiences, depending on the consultants that they have worked with. While a few of them had the most streamlined experience when working with impartial organizations, others had an unpleasant experience as their mentors misguided them by giving inaccurate and biased advice. So what should an applicant do in such a situation?

As you prepare to apply abroad, work hard on topping your exams and not just participating, but also leading activities outside of the classroom. I would also advise you to give a lot of thought before you choose a mentor for this journey. Here are few ways that can help you find the admissions consultancy that works best for you:

* Research. Explore your options. Ask your friends, relatives, college seniors and all those that you trust and who have utilized their services, and make an exhaustive list of all the companies that can help you reach your dream university. Read about every organization that you are considering. Go through their websites, social media pages, and testimonials and get an idea about all the services that they offer and see if they are relevant to your objectives.

* Probe. Look into the educational and professional background of the counselors and mentors of each organization. This is extremely important as these people are going to guide you towards your dream, so you better not take this step lightly!

* Ask questions. Once you have a broad idea about these organizations, shortlist the one you identify with the best and write to them. Ask them questions about their services and get a clear idea of how they are offering to help you. This will help you understand which of these organizations are active and responsive, which are essential qualities of a good advisory. Do not look at how kind they are in their responses but pay heed to who would be able to get the best out of you; you want someone to take you to task and hold you to your highest standards of performance. Therefore, ask them questions about how they would do that.

Mentors or educational coaches are one of the most valuable resources a student has. Preparing for a study abroad program should not be a scary or daunting experience; all you have to do is opt for the right guidance. Keep the points above in mind when starting your journey and you are good to go!


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

ReachIvy Exclusive Sneak Peak: Top College Series – An Interview with Director of Admissions, MBA at Yale School of Management



Name: Melissa Fogerty

Designation: Director of Admissions

School Name: Yale School of Management

1. Being able to pick the right program is crucial given the number of options available in the market. At ReachIvy, we meet a lot of students who face this decision. Who should ideally be applying for the Yale School of Management MBA program?

I’m glad that students are looking critically at their MBA program options to find the right fit. Even though it’s hard to imagine at the application stage, I often tell prospective students that the hard part comes later – when they are choosing among the many attractive admissions offers they will have.

Yale SOM is a mission-driven institution, which means that students thinking about attending SOM should feel that our mission, to educate leaders for business and society, resonates with them. Students who are attracted to our program are interested in the decisions that leaders make and how those decisions should be about more than a narrow conception of profit and loss. Our students are looking to create value for a wide set of stakeholders. You’ll see that reflected in SOM academically, socially, and in the career paths of our alumni.

Students looking at our program should be interested in taking advantage of the broader Yale community – from taking courses at other Yale schools, engaging with Yale graduate peers through conferences and clubs, to learning from world renowned faculty across disciplines. Students should also be looking at Yale SOM as a place to launch a startup, make a career switch, engage with peers through the Global Network for Advanced Management, work alongside faculty who are experts in their fields, and make lifelong connections through a globally recognized brand that will stay with them throughout their career.

2. Can you share with us what background / profile / traits you are looking for in your incoming class?

Yes, and I’ll also address some common admissions-related misconceptions I’ve heard in the past from Indian applicants. First, prospective students should know that we read applications holistically, to gain an overall view of a candidate’s academic preparation, work experience, and goals. This means that there are no minimum or cut-off scores or grades in our review – we’re reviewing all applications because we know that the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Along that same vein, I often get the question of how the different parts of the application are weighted in our review and the answer to that is that we don’t use a formula. We are truly looking at the complete picture of a candidate, and all of the pieces of the application process speak together to inform that picture.

So who are we looking for? At Yale SOM, we are looking for broadminded, intellectually curious leaders who will thrive in our MBA program. We want to bring diverse perspectives into our classroom so that we can challenge our students to engage critically with the complex problems facing leaders today, and that will face leaders tomorrow. Our students are global across many dimensions – they are citizens of countries all over the world, they have worked and studied in many geographies, many of them speak multiple languages, they have worked on globally diverse teams, and they are interested in expanding their international skillset. I’m often asked if we only have a specific number of seats available in the class for Indian students, and that isn’t the case. There are no citizenship quotas in admissions.

Another dimension across which our students are quite diverse is their academics and work experience prior to entering our MBA program. From their undergraduate majors to their career experiences, you’ll see in our incoming class former titles like 6Sigma Black Belt & Project Leader, VP of Finance, Food Technologist, and Designer for Swarovski. Our students have worked in technology, engineering, retail, and energy, for example, and for organizations like Bain, Schlumberger, Oracle, and Teach for India (*note that we waive our application fee for Teach for India alums). Many students are interested in pursuing joint degrees with other Yale programs, such as Yale Law School, Yale Medical School, and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science. When looking at our prospective students’ career backgrounds, we are looking for quality over quantity, and true impact a candidate has had on the organization. We’re also looking for passion and commitment to their goals.

As an Admissions team, we’re pretty forthcoming about giving tips for the application process. We have a webinar coming up on August 16 that will be focused on going through each section of the application and talking about what we’d like to see in each area. I know the timing of that webinar isn’t convenient for those in India, but I encourage you to register even if you can’t participate live because we usually send out a recording of the webinar to registrants so you’ll be able to watch it later at your convenience.

3. Can you tell us about your most interesting classes and professors?

I’d like to highlight one of our popular experiential learning opportunities, the Yale Center for Customer Insights (YCCI)’s MGT 650: Customer Insights and Applications, Discovery Projects. Working with notable marketing faculty Ravi Dhar and Nathan Novemsky, this course allows students to work on projects for real world clients and make meaningful contributions while gaining marketable experience. With faculty guidance, students work in teams and apply critical thinking skills, quantitative research methodologies, and innovation to advise companies like American Express, Visa, IBM, PepsiCo, and Procter & Gamble on their customer-related questions. Students have said that this course was directly relevant to their future career goals and gave them great talking points for their internship interviews with recruiters. You can watch a video to learn more about this course from one of our current students here.

In addition, 65% of our students take at least one elective course outside the School of Management at other Yale schools, taking advantage of the wide variety of disciples available across the university to craft a customized curriculum that fits their interests. Some popular options this year included Renewable Energy Project Finance at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Business Organizations and Capitalism Film Society at Yale Law School, language courses in Spanish and Mandarin, and Intro to Programming in the Computer Science department.

4. What are some of the facilities and faculty resources available to students who want to switch careers or pursue entrepreneurial interests while in the program?

In many ways all of our students are what I’d consider to be career switchers – they’re coming to an MBA program because they are looking to change their industry, company, geographic location, or role, and they are looking at an MBA as a way to launch them into their next position. Our Career Development Office (CDO) does an excellent job at supporting students in their job search. 93.4% of Class of 2015 graduates seeking a job received an offer within 3 months of graduation, and our students accepted offers with 129 different organizations. The CDO conducts over 3,000 advising appointments per year, and students also have access to student career coaches, alumni mentors, and 25 job treks to 146 companies globally. For example, last winter students visited Silicon Valley accompanied by CDO staff and met with over 40 companies including Google, eBay, and LinkedIn. They networked with alumni from the schools of Public Health, Forestry, and Law, and also visited healthcare companies, investment firms, and social enterprises. Each year recruiters from finance, consulting, consumer products, healthcare and other industries visit our campus for presentations and internship interviews.

11% of the students graduating in the Class of 2015 joined a startup or started a business. The Yale Entrepreneurial Institute is a hub for entrepreneurs across Yale’s programs to convene to start scalable new ventures, supporting innovation through our Venture Creation Program, the YEI Fellowship, and the YEI Innovation Fund (which provides $100,000 in pre-seed funding). Resources include access to a Mentor Network, resident entrepreneurs, connections to the angel and venture community, and engagement with alumni and non-alumni experts. Yale SOM is also home to the Program on Entrepreneurship, where students can take elective courses like Start-up Founder Studies, an advanced study of start-up founders’ experiences including student-led interviews of the entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship & New Ventures, where students learn to create and manage new ventures across sectors and are introduced to emerging frameworks in entrepreneurship, and Impact Investing, covering investing across multiple asset classes. Students participate in events like the Yale Biotech Bootcamp (a workshop for faculty and researchers interested in commercializing ideas for drug discovery and biological therapeutics), Tech Entrepreneur Bootcamp (commercializing ideas from the physical and computer sciences, engineering, and software), and Tuna Tank (a fun SOM take on Shark Tank where students competed in a pitch contest for prizes). Check out the new ventures of some of our Class of 2016 students, Revai (organ transport) and Hugo & Hoby (crowd-funded, sustainable furniture).

5. There is a lot of curiosity among our students on what a classic day would be like in the Yale SOM MBA Program. Could you describe it for us?

That’s a great question, and I think best answered by one of our students. I asked a current second year to describe a classic day in our program, and his response was:

“I think the biggest takeaway to describe a typical day as an SOM student is that we have to balance academics, clubs, and recruiting. The typical day will entail classes from 8:30 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. After classes, Yale SOM students attend numerous club or recruiting events. Most events start around 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. and may last two to three hours. In my experience, I was attending either a club or recruiting event at least once a week during my first year. There were some weeks I attended these events three nights a week.

My first year at SOM was one of the most fulfilling years of my career. The camaraderie at SOM is second to none and I am definitely better personally and professionally because of it. To be frank, I can’t wait to come back for my second year!” Ryan Forbes ’17, Pre-SOM Univ. of Wisconsin – BBA, Accounting; Naval War College – MA, National Security and Strategic Studies. Pre SOM Experience: Office of the Navy JAG – Technology, Operations, and Plans. Internship: Goldman Sachs.

6. How does Yale SOM assist current international students with career guidance and placement? For students looking to return to India – what type of support would they receive?

Students work in partnership with our Career Development Office (CDO) to target the industry that interests them. The CDO helps the student to refine their career goals, create and research a targeted list of organizations, and leverage our on-campus and off-campus resources to conduct an efficient and effective job search. Students can tap into our database of alumni mentors to contact leaders in their industry and gain tips for their job search, and access a database of thousands of job postings seeking MBA hires in the United States and internationally.

Our global program embraces students who want to work all over the world. Many students pursue international internships and full-time employment. Our rich alumni network of Yale graduates in India assists students to pursue local jobs. I’ll also highlight this year’s International Experience trip to India with Senior Associate Dean Anjani Jain, where among other experiences students visited Reliance, Tata, Infosys, Biocon, and a luxury textile company. Sample companies in India where our students have found jobs include Amazon.com, Morgan Stanley, Mahindra & Mahindra, UBS Financial Services Inc., SunEdison, Wipro, and McKinsey & Co.

7. Is there any type of financial aid available to international students applying for this program? If so, can you tell us more about who the ideal candidate would be?

An MBA is a financial investment, so prospective students who are already thinking about how to finance their MBA are ahead of the game. Students should think critically about the return on that investment, and how a degree from a top-tier MBA program will maximize the return on that investment. At Yale SOM, we award merit scholarships to our incoming students based on the strength of their application. When we contact a student with their admission decision, we also let them know the amount of the merit scholarship they received. No separate application is necessary to apply for scholarships. Some of our merit scholarships are available to all students, and others are focused on a particular area of interest – marketing, finance, language study, the environment, or government – or population (for example, joint degree students, women, Silver Scholars). Students should also look at our website for a helpful list of external funding resources. We can assist you with finding student loans for international citizens that do not require a domestic cosigner, and provide a list of lenders used by our students over the past three years.

We also have a generous Loan Forgiveness Program for students looking to enter the nonprofit or public sectors in the ten years after graduation. Through this program, the most generous among business schools, we have awarded over $8 million in aid to our alumni (including international students). Finally, we have fellowship program available for entrepreneurs to help them manage the costs of launching a startup.

8. If you had one piece of advice to give to students interested in applying to this program, what would it be?

My advice would be to research an MBA program’s offerings for alumni. Many prospective students are quite focused on the resources available for current students at a program, but spend less time thinking about how they will leverage a university as an alum. If you think about it – you will be an alum for much longer than you are a student! Take a look at a school’s career resources, ask about alumni-only content, and find out what kind of alumni directory is maintained. For example, at SOM our Career Development Office provides assistance to alumni through all phases of their careers, which is important because chances are you won’t stay with the same employer or role for your entire career post-MBA. SOM alumni can participate in one-to-one coaching, networking, interviewing, and offer negotiation appointments, access worldwide job postings, and tap into entrepreneurship resources.

Are there alumni chapters located in the city where you plan to work after graduation, and how active are they? For example, last year our alumni in Bangalore participated in a startup networking event with other Ivy League, MIT, and Stanford alumni, and connected with Senior Associate Dean David Bach and prospective students at a reception at the Hyatt Bangalore. Can you leverage the alumni network of the broader university and not just the business school? What is the level of alumni participation in the school fund? You can follow the hashtag #yalesomalumni to learn about what our alumni are involved in all over the globe.


Melissa Fogerty is the Director of Admissions at the Yale School of Management. Melissa graduated with a B.A. summa cum laude from Boston College in French and earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She practiced law in Chicago and then in New York in the corporate department of Jenner and Block LLP, focusing on mergers & acquisitions, finance, and securities. She represented public and private corporate clients in a variety of transactions, including the purchase by General Dynamics of information technology services company FC Business Systems, Inc., the $390 million acquisition by Honeywell of Hand Held Products, Inc., a privately held automatic identification and data collection company, and the representation of Sam Zell and Equity Group Investments, L.L.C. in an approximately $8.2 billion going-private transaction involving the Tribune Company. Melissa joined the Yale School of Management in 2010.


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* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

THE TOP 10 VIDEOS YOU HAVE TO WATCH TO CRACK ADMISSIONS TO A TOP GLOBAL MBA PROGRAM



Looking for free sample essays, resume and recommendations to guide you through the application process for study abroad? Want answers to specific questions related to the college application process? Would you like to hear current students, alumni, faculty and experts talk about the various aspects of study abroad?

In the Free Resources section of the website, ReachIvy experts have answered all questions on study abroad and detailed out the application process in simple, easy-to-understand language for our students.

The extensive resources in this section have been put together by ReachIvy’s expert counselors using their years of experience in assisting students reach their dream schools. The samples, templates and manuals on the website are true samples which have guided several students in securing admits in top schools and colleges.

Here are a few must-watch videos that will help you crack admissions to a top global MBA program:

1. If you are trying to determine the right number of schools to apply to:
ReachIvy experts share valuable insights into how many ‘reach’, ‘target’ and ‘safety’ schools you should apply to, what these terms mean, and how breaking up your college selection strategy into these categories helps.

2. If you are trying to select MBA programs to apply to:
Learn more about how to strategically select colleges, and look beyond rankings to find your fit. Setting the right goals is the first, most important step. Your choices need to be aligned with your profile and future goals, and you need to achieve granularity to stand out from the crowd.

3. If you want to learn more about what alumni have to say about their MBA experiences:
Hear Anirudh Suri talk about life on campus at Wharton, Supriya Modi speak about making the most of attending London Business School and Nihar Shah talk about life at INSEAD, among others. Watching these videos also help you better answer WHY you are applying to a particular program.

4. If you want to learn more abouthowthe adcom at top MBA programs identify the ideal candidate:
Grishma Nanavaty, Lead Counselor, ReachIvy, spoke to top school admission officers from MIT, Darden, Yale, Tuck and more about the admissions process, the ideal candidate profile, interesting classes and professors, financial aid options, career guidance and employment opportunities.

5. If you want to learn how to beat the GMAT:
Whether it is critical reasoning, cracking data sufficiency problems or sentence correction, watch experts from Veritas Prep, the world’s largest privately owned test prep company, give you sneak peeks into their virtual classrooms.

6. If you want to craft a stellar resume:
Learn more about how to write an effective resume – how to keep content relevant, organize your content, find the right action words, achieve specificity and authenticity, and how to quantify your achievements.

7. If you want to write winning essays:
Learn more about how to write compelling essays, tackle tough and broad essay prompts, and how to showcase different aspects of your personality, experiences, and interests. Just as the resume is your itinerary of achievements, your essays are similar to your blog.

8. If you want to strategize strong letters of recommendation:
Your recommendations are a critical component of your MBA application. Learn more about who you should ask for letters of recommendation, and how to draft effective talking points for your recommenders.

9. If you are prepping for your application video essay or interview with the adcom:
The interview is a critical final step in your application process, as it your only chance to shine in person before the admissions committee. Learn how to prepare and present yourself to make the most impactful impression.

10. If you want to learn more about the cost of and funding options for an MBA:
Don’t let a lack of funds hold you back from attending your dream college. Learn more about how much the MBA costs, your financial aid options, and where and how to get funding if you cannot afford to pay for college.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Can Your Social Media Presence Affect Your Admission To A Top Global University?



The answer, in short, is YES. Admissions officers today are looking at your social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for many different reasons:

1. To get a sense of who you are as a person, and to ensure that your application matches who you are. Your social media and blog posts reflect your true opinions, preferences, hobbies and interests, and provide the admissions officers with insight into your personality over and above your application.

2. To verify the authenticity of high-profile awards and claims. For instance, if you founded a nonprofit, does the nonprofit have a legitimate website? Does it validate that you are the founder?

Prospective candidates can utilize social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to be an extension of their college applications, by appropriately posting comments and links to highlight strengths, skills and interests to give targeted schools authentic insight into their personalities.

To get started, you first need to clean up your current social media presence by:

1. Knowing when to de-tag. Watch your online photo libraries, and make sure that you are not tagged in too many party photos. The essential rule of thumb is to de-tag yourself from posts that you would not want your family to see. Eliminate foul language, too many photos where you have a drink in your hand (or all of these photos if you are applying at the undergraduate level), and photos where you obviously look inebriated or hungover.

2. Paying attention to your online names. This applies to your email address, Twitter or Instagram handles, or any other online social media usernames that are searchable on Google. These usernames are your key identifiers, so it is essential that they remain professional and politically correct.

3. Checking your privacy settings. Take a look at your profile from a friend’s computer or on an incognito window or browser, so that you can see what you look like to third parties. You will be able to see the extent to which posts from your wall, your photos (the ones you have uploaded and the ones you are tagged in) are visible to the outside world.

Remember to Google yourself, to see what your online reputation looks like! Online reputation management tools like Qnary and Google’s “Me On the Web” can help you see what you look like online, and you can then use this data to reposition yourself accordingly.

How do you, then, leverage your social media presence to create a strong, positive impact on the admissions officer that is viewing your profile?

1. Have a strong LinkedIn profile. ReachIvy provides a LinkedIn review service to help candidates strategically document important information required to build a strong and attractive profile to showcase achievements and build credibility.

2. Follow your prospective schools on social media, join their online groups, and stay engaged with their content – all top schools have a robust and active digital presence, through which you can learn more as a prospective candidate.

3. Post and share content based on your interests and impact. Whether it is articles you relate to or have written, music you listen to or instruments you play, your artwork, photos or videos of your winning sporting events or of you attending live performances. Ensure that you cover all leadership and community service interests and activities.

It is important to remember that you can use social media to further showcase your personality, interests, impact and achievements beyond your academic prowess and the contents of your application form. While your admission to the school does not depend on this, there is no plausible reason why your social media presence shouldn’t impress an admissions officer that’s taking a curious sneak peek into a prospective student!


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Applying for an MBA in Round 1 vs Round 2



Have you already started thinking about applying to business school for enrollment in Fall 2017? Now is the time to take stock of the extent to which your profile and application are in order, and to accordingly see whether it makes more sense to apply in Round 1 or 2 in the Fall. Competition is intense in both rounds, so common sense mandates that if your application is close to ready, applying earlier (i.e. In Round 1) is almost always better.

By applying in Round 1, you get your decision earlier (by the end of the year, as opposed to March and April of the following year). You then have the luxury of time to plan next steps like housing, fulfilling pre-MBA coursework, or even to take that well-deserved break to travel or spend time with friends and family. You also get to alter your application strategy and apply again in Round 2 and 3 in case you are not admitted to schools applied to in Round 1.

However, do not sacrifice quality for expediency – Round 2 is better if you still need to gather or build critical time-taking components of your application.

How do I know if Round 1 is for me?

Here are the fundamental factors you need to consider to see if Round 1 is for you:

1. GMAT Score. If you have not yet taken the GMAT, or need to retake it, wait to apply till Round 2. Your GMAT score is more important than the round in which you apply. If you have a score that is at the lower end or just lower than the average range of your target schools, wait to apply till you have raised your score and strengthened your competitive advantage.

2. Your Profile. If you are (a) a reapplicant,(b) belong to a traditional industry like consulting, IT or banking, and/or (c) from an overrepresented demographic group (like, for instance, an Indian male), it is better to apply in Round 1 when there are more spots available. By the Round 2 deadline, there will be many more candidates with similar profiles and strong applications who would have already applied and been admitted.

3. Academic Background. If you have had consistently high grades throughout college, especially in quantitative subjects, and even better, if you have academic awards, then apply in Round 1. However, if you feel the need to skill up and take extra on-campus or online coursework to bolster weaker grades, or if you want to strengthen your academic profile in a specific subject area, wait till Round 2.

4. Professional Experience. Are you currently working on an all-consuming, high stakes, career-making project? Did you join your company or industry less than six months ago? Do you need to switch careers or industries to add depth to your professional profile? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, wait till Round 2 to apply. You want to make sure that you do not rush your application with a heavy work load in hand, and that you have taken the time to grow and learn in your role. You will also need professional recommendations, so if you are new to a role or industry, waiting till Round 2 gives you time to build a strong rapport with your potential recommenders.

Round 1 is not just for superstar type-A applicants. If you have the best version of your application ready and there is no significant change expected in your profile, apply in Round 1. However, you should wait till Round 2 if you need time to:
(a) retake the GMAT
(b) skill up to establish subject area expertise or bolster poorer academic performance
(c) work on a big timely project that will impact your ability to pay full attention to your application and would also make for stellar content

If you are applying in Round 1, you need to get started now. You need time to prepare, to ensure that you are not dinged because of last-minute mistakes or rushed, sloppy research on your career goals or dream MBA program. If you need further help to gauge if your application is in shape for Round 1, feel free to connect with us for tailored advice, we are happy to help!


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

How to make the most of your time in college?



College is going to be one of your greatest adventures, so get ready to make the most of it. You are on your way to discovering a profoundly greater sense of self, subjects and causes you will care deeply about for a lifetime, the ability to manage your time and take care of yourself, a lifelong set of friends, and the extent to which you can fly outside your comfort zone.

You are on your way! Here are a few tips on how to maximize your college experience:

1. Take a basic academic class load your first semester. Use this time to find a routine where you can balance academic, social and extracurricular commitments, without damaging your grades.

2. Look at class and professor reviews on your student dashboard before signing up for core classes or electives. Make sure to take stimulating classes, not just the easy ones!

3. Take electives that have nothing to do with your major. Choose based on professor reviews, rather than on subject topics to gain new perspective and get inspired.

4. Find a dedicated study space. Your dorm room is not your best bet for this, because there is constant social activity around you. Pick a corner in a library, student lounge, the study room of an academic department that works for you best.

5. Hold on to your course materials. You may need them as reference materials when you take more advanced classes later in the year.

6. Clearly understand your credit requirements. Make this a priority, so you do not miss out on core class requirements that need to be fulfilled to graduate on time.

7. Develop relationships with professors. Is there a professor that has inspired your choice of major or career? Work with them on their research, or as a teaching assistant, or monopolize their office hours. Your professors can become your mentors and can be your future recommenders.

8. Don’t procrastinate. Are you a vampire or a happy morning person? Develop a productivity system that works best for you and stick to it. Procrastinating will just lead to unnecessary and totally avoidable anxiety and pressure.

9. Learn to speed read. You will be reading, on average, hundreds of pages a week. Find a tutor or online learning websites that can help you learn this nifty skill.

10. Get a job on campus, whether it is tutoring, as a teaching/research assistant, resident advisor or in the bookstore or library. This is your gateway to learning real world responsibility, and the extra pocket money doesn’t hurt.

11. Get an internship. There is no better way to discover the real world than to leave campus to explore it! Play with multiple internships in vastly different fields in your freshman and sophomore years. Narrow in on one robust internship in your junior and senior years in companies where you would like to land a job upon graduation.

12. Stay connected with alumni. Start volunteering at alumni events on campus. Don’t be a wallflower. Engage with alumni , ask them questions, and stay in touch with them. They can become your mentors, and guide you through critical life and career decisions.

13. Travel. Don’t just take every opportunity to go home. Take road trips with friends. Backpack solo through South America or Europe. Get friends to invite you to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas with their families. Visit friends from home on their college campuses. The opportunities are endless!

14. Study abroad. If you can, study abroad for at least one semester, if not for a whole year. You get to immerse yourself in a new culture and country, and pick up a local language.

15. Attend lectures and seminars on campus. There will be a slew of academic, business and cultural stalwarts as guest speakers on your campus. Search your school’s calendar of events, and attend as many as possible.

16. Compete in international competitions. Do you love to ultimate Frisbee? Do you live all-night hackathons? Do you want to Model UN at The Hague? Organize and compete in international competitions.

17. Volunteer. Dabble in different activities your first semester till you find two to three causes and activities you really care about. Lead related clubs, programs and events.

18. Take advantage of your campus or city’s live music and performance scene as much as possible. Love U2, Maroon 5 or Beyonce? They are likely to be performing at some point in a stadium near you. That on-campus job can help you pay for your ticket!

19. Take care of your health. Between constant access to junk food and alcohol in college, it is really easy to put on weight. Join an intramural team, go to the gym, and moderate your consumption.

20. Be social. Party in good measure, make friends from many different countries, learn how to appreciate wine and make a great cocktail, explore your inner culture vulture.

Remember to keep an open mind! College is about self-discovery, exploring and accepting as many different ideas as possible, and push yourself outside your comfort zone. Make sure to engage in debate, classes, and activities that compel you to doubt all preconceptions and truths you hold dear, so that you either reinforce your beliefs or find newer, more informed perspectives. Fare forward, voyager!


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Should I apply for an online or traditional MBA?



What is the value of an MBA degree to you? Are you interested in a salary increase, switching careers, networking opportunities or turbo charging your current career growth? Are you trying to develop stronger leadership and team management skills? Or are you trying to get better at problem-solving and teamwork? These are some of the critical questions that you need to ask yourself when considering the value proposition of an online vs traditional MBA degree. The factors below can help you decide, given your motivation, which MBA is right for you:

Flexibility – One of the primary advantages of an online MBA is its flexibility. You can take classes from any part of the world while sitting across an ocean or on another continent, and at any time that is convenient for you. This means that you get to keep your full-time job while you earn your degree. The curriculum of a university’s online MBA degree is also often similar to that of its traditional counterpart. The largest opportunity cost of a full-time MBA program is that it takes you out of the workforce for one to two years, depending on the program in which you are interested in enrolling. However, it is important to note that increased freedom also often means increased responsibility. A lot of students are overwhelmed by the workload of an online MBA in addition to a full-time job, which is an additional stress that traditional MBA students do not have.

Social Interaction – Even though technology has wondrously enabled a virtual classroom where students can interact with professors and their peers, significantly large proportion of meaningful interaction that is fundamental to a high-quality business school education happens outside the classroom. This starts with an intense orientation program that abounds with exciting social activity, and continues through participation in campus clubs and student government, international travel excursions, and overall generally high levels of social interaction. The network effects of a traditional MBA are profound – business school students develop deep, meaningful relationships with each other, whether it is in terms of becoming lifelong friends or becoming prospective employees or employers for each other’s companies. These relationships are cemented not just with students in one particular class, but also with professors and students from other years and sections.

Job Prospects – Accreditation and the reputation of a business school are inherently interlinked. There are many non-accredited online MBA programs that feign legitimacy, which can make finding the right, trustworthy degree more difficult. Hence, although an increasing number of qualified professionals are earning an MBA online, many employers still prefer to hire candidates with traditional MBA degrees. So if you are looking to enhance your salary, switch careers or improve your current career trajectory, you need to ensure that your employer values an online MBA analogously to a traditional MBA. Additionally, traditional MBA students have physical, flexible access to on-campus career services. This gives them a significant competitive advantage when it comes to finding a job, as they get more hands-on support through the recruitment processes. They get to interact face-to-face with potential employers during on-campus recruitment and discuss, in person, their preferences with recruiters or their resumes with careers services professionals.

It is important to consider your motivation for applying for an MBA, as it relates to time management and flexibility, social interaction with peers and professors, and job prospecting, including a segue to a career abroad. If you would like more advice on which MBA is right for you, feel free to connect with us!


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Reachivy profiles: Andrew Kaufteil, Director of engagement, Cooper; Ex-Executive Director of Alumni Relations, UCSF



What is the importance of a liberal arts education? How does it give you the right toolset to build a successful career? Andrew Kaufteil is the former Executive Director of Alumni Relations for University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is now the Director of Engagement for Cooper, a Silicon-Valley based design and business strategy firm known for finding creative solutions to grand problems. Here, he shares his story of how a foundation in the liberal arts has helped him build confidence, a sense of adventure, and multiple successful careers.

1. You graduated with a BA in Communications and Media Studies, Political Science and Anthropology from Macalester College. How has a liberal arts education influenced you in terms of who you are today?

A liberal arts education prepares you well for life’s twists and turns. At Macalester, we all learned how to think and analyze, how to speak and write, and how to be a leader. Also, when you go to a small school, you learn how to be accountable. Learning is cool, and skipping class is not. I’m 37, and I’ve already had three successful careers. I feel like my sturdy liberal arts foundation has provided me with the ability to think creatively and expansively, the confidence to take risks, and the ability to be flexible and successful in wildly different contexts.

2. Can you tell us what you loved most about your time at Macalester?

Macalester was a life-changing experience for me. What did I love most? The energy on campus was simply electric. Whether you were a vegan animal rights activist, a Mock Trialer, or obsessed with archaeology, everyone was engaged and passionate about at least one thing. I also loved the school’s commitment to internationalism. I made friends at Macalester from every corner of the globe — Iceland to Japan to Zimbabwe — and I’m often toured around Anthony Bourdain-style by fellow Mac alumni. And, of course I do the same when they’re in San Francisco. It’s like a secret pact.

3. What was your favorite class, and why?

My favorite class in college was “Reenvisioning Education and Democracy.” It was the perfect marriage of theory and practice; a project-based class, where we learned the fundamentals of United States education pedagogy and policy. We were required to complete an internship at a charter school serving low-income kids. I had the opportunity to teach math to these kids, but also to get to know them. These experiences brought to life, and added complexity to our classroom learnings. As a capstone, the entire class worked together to design the ideal middle school. This was a very difficult, satisfying, and exciting experience. And, unknowingly, my first experiences using design thinking.

4. What is the one piece of advice you would give to an incoming freshman class, moving away from home for the first time?

Take classes you are sure to do well in your first semester. College is a huge adjustment in so many ways. Many people are motivated to take the most challenging course load possible right out the gate. I recommend fighting that urge. If you have AP, IB, or other credits coming in, take one less class your first semester. Otherwise, take basic classes that you are likely to perform well in. You’ll have a lot of learning to do outside the classroom when you start school. And, it may be more difficult than you think to adapt to a new culture, climate, academic and life format. It is also difficult to recover from a mediocre first semester, so don’t put yourself in a situation where you’ll have to.

5. You started your career as a lawyer, and then steadily built a highly successful career in alumni relations on the east and west coasts, capping your time in the education space thus far as the Executive Director of Alumni Relations at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). How did a liberal arts foundation equip you with the right toolset for a career shift from the legal to alumni engagement sectors?

Top liberal arts colleges, like Macalester, afford their graduates a multiplicity of job options, in both the short and long terms. Liberal arts colleges train you to be a well-rounded person with essential skills that apply to all jobs. I left Macalester knowing how to analyze, how to write, how to leverage resources, and how to be a leader. Whether you are a lawyer, a teacher, a podiatrist, or a Priest, these skills will ensure your success. I am grateful for the flexibility that my liberal arts degree provided me with. I’m not the only one who has made a successful leap from one realm to the next. My classmate who graduated with a degree in Art History works as a biotech research scientist, my classmate who was a psychology major is now a playwright and a famous actress, and my classmate who was a biology major is now the CEO of a successful Silicon Valley company.

6. Why did you choose to pivot from a career in law to alumni engagement?

Starting at age eight, I was obsessed with colleges. Instead of reading normal children’s books, I was reading college guidebooks. I visited 37 campuses and spent two high school summers on college campuses (Amherst College and Washington University-St, Louis.) I worked in the Admissions Office at Macalester. I went to law school for all the wrong reasons. My Mock Trial Team ranked 6th in the country. I studied abroad in South Africa and completed a study of the role of language diversity in the small claims court system. I also didn’t know what else to do. In law school, my favorite experience was serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal. I put my heart and soul into the Journal, and we went from being a fledging organization to being the 5th-ranked civil rights journal in the country. Right out of law school, I worked in litigation, but my boss at the time thought I would make a better judge than lawyer. I knew I wanted a career that was positive and that made people happy. Given my longtime fascination with colleges, and my experience on the journal, I was drawn to Alumni Relations, and landed my first job at Golden Gate University School of Law as Director of Alumni Relations.

7. What did you love most about working within a large, established university like UCSF? What did you like the least?

Working for UCSF was my dream. I absolutely loved working in support of health care, and for such an excellent, world-changing institution. UCSF is a leader in so many important fields of health care, from Neuroscience, to infectious disease, to cancer, and incredibly important things that affect us all are happening there. My best experience was when I actually lived the university’s mission. My mom needed a pretty complicated surgery, and I arranged for her care at UCSF. Her experience was absolutely incredible, and her outcome was perfect. After that experience, I walked around beaming with pride about where I worked.

UCSF is a huge employer, the second largest in the City of San Francisco. With 22,000+ employees, some hierarchy is inherent, and change is slow. I fancy myself a creative go-getter type, and grew curious to see what it was like to flex those muscles in a smaller, flatter, less formal, faster-paced environment. I love UCSF, and leaving was very difficult, and painful, but I decided to take the leap, so I didn’t have to wonder “what if?”

8. What would you say to students on how to make the most of alumni support while in school, and be engaged as an alumnus after school?

Alumni connections can be your gateway to career success. Attend a school with a strong tradition of alumni connectivity. Very few students and young alumni think about leveraging alumni connections and finding mentors. Volunteer with the alumni and development office while you are a student. Attend events as a student representative. When you attend events, don’t stand in the corner. Go chat with alumni, collect their cards, and follow up with them. Ask them questions about their time as a student, and be interested in what they do now. (Don’t only talk about yourself!) Develop a genuine connection, and keep in touch. Mentorship is a lot about chemistry. And mentors choose you as much as you choose them. Only good things will come of that. Same holds true after you graduate.

9. At Cooper, you get to creatively flex your mastery of engagement campaigns that cater to a wide range of audiences. How has your time here influenced your style of strategic thinking and leadership?

In seven months, my experience at Cooper has completely altered the way I approach problems, and the way I think and communicate. Coming into Cooper, I had three major learning curves: (1) learning how a B2B consultancy works, (2) learning the fundamentals of private industry marketing, (3) learning design thinking. In these months, I’ve stretched in so many ways. I am a more direct and authentic communicator. I am infinitely more open to, and less threatened by, feedback. I ask way more questions, and specifically, “why?” I feel extremely empowered to be creative and risky. I am laser-focused on metrics, results, and deliverables. The biggest surprises so far: even though Cooper is a private company, it is the leanest place I’ve ever worked. It is also one of the most mission-driven; Cooperistas believe in their bones that our methods and work are making the world a better place.

10. You founded Scales of the City, an a cappella group in the San Francisco Bay Area. How did college help you develop your personal interests, such as a cappella? What was your favorite performance, and what are your favorite songs to sing?

Attending a liberal arts college provides you with many opportunities to get involved with extracurricular activities and to develop as a leader in these pursuits. In college, I was a member of the Mock Trial Team (we placed 6th in the Nation while I was on it!), the Concert Choir, and I was also the President of the Multicultural Admissions Student Advisory Board, which focused on recruiting students of color to Macalester. Extracurriculars became such a big part of my life, that I became an extremely active adult. I currently serve on various boards of directors, including on Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation Board of Directors, and volunteer quite often.

I founded Scales of the City back in 2011. My favorite performance with Scales of the City so far has been a flashmob wedding proposal. We totally stunned a woman who was being proposed to by her long-term boyfriend, and I sat right next to her when it happened. The boyfriend rented out an entire restaurant. We were all innocently sitting around eating and conversing, and then BOOM, we started singing and dancing a choreographed dance that would make Bollywood producers proud! Many of us were overcome with emotion when she said yes. Some of us even cried tears of joy!

My favorite songs to sing are 80s songs that provoke lots of nostalgia, like Time of My Life, In Your Eyes, Mad World, and Part Time Lover.

11. You have traveled to 37 US states and 40 countries. Please share a few of your most interesting experiences with us.
• Attending two weddings in India was an incredible treat, especially the one where I learned a few choreographed Bollywood-inspired dances (Lungi Dance is my favorite, of course.)
• Getting attacked by a baboon at Cape Point in South Africa was a scary experience. Luckily, I fended him off by throwing leftover paella on him (He was mighty confused.)
• Spending the day on the Mekong Delta, pulling tropical fruits from vines, eating snake venom, and visiting a Cao Dai Temple, where they worship Victor Hugo, was awesome.
• I loved Kapadokya, Turkey: the wines, the caves, the hammams, the rugs. So good.
• Seeing a Macalester sweatshirt at not one, but two, random department stores in Seoul, South Korea, was a highlight of my life.

12. If you had one piece of advice to give to students aspiring to study abroad, what would it be?

First of all, studying abroad is a game changer. It teaches you to be adaptable, relativistic, and able to relate to people who are different from you. Do it!

Advice: Go somewhere or do something that pushes you, feels a little risky, that’s a little outside your comfort zone. With study abroad, you’re inherently going to leave your comfort zone, and this is a great context for you to test and expand your limits, and learn how to deal with ambiguity and challenges.

Andrew Kaufteil is the Director of Engagement for Cooper, a design and business strategy consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Andrew has over 10 years of experience with marketing and alumni relations across multiple organizations, including UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley. Andrew earned his BA from Macalester College, and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
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* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

When to enroll in college: Deciding between the Spring and Fall Terms



A number of universities in the US have two admissions intakes, which are the Fall and Spring semesters. The Fall semester runs from mid-August to mid-December, and the Spring semester runs from January to early May. Most students apply for enrollment in the Fall, since it is easier to transition from high school graduation in May/June to a Fall enrollment. However, in some situations, you may receive an acceptance offer from your preferred school, but not until the Spring admissions intake. In this case, what should you do? Below, we weigh the relative advantages of enrollment in the Fall and Spring.

Advantages of enrolling in the Fall:

1. Courses. Since the Fall semester is the university’s primary enrollment term, they offer a smorgasbord of entry level courses across majors and departments. The number of these introductory courses, particularly for popular majors, is much more limited in the Spring.

2. On Campus Employment. Most on-campus job positions are available in the Fall, and require that you have at least one year of college experience. Spring admits would have to wait till the Fall of the following year before they are eligible to apply, losing out on one entire job application cycle.

3. Student Life. Socially, if you are admitted in the Spring, you are going to miss freshman orientation and socializing opportunities for new students. It is also much easier to get involved with extra-curricular activities like student clubs and organizations in the Fall. This is particularly true for procuring a leadership position or competing for an award within one of these organizations, as those who have been involved from the beginning of the academic year will maintain competitive advantage.

4. Summer Internships. In terms of internships, a number of universities require that you have at least 9 months of college experience before you are able to apply for an internshipwhich means that you will be unable to apply for a summer internship in your freshman year. Thoroughly research your college’s policies to see if this is applicable to you. Additionally, recruitment usually happens in the Fall and Spring of the final year. Students that enrolled in the Fall are likely to have competitive advantage over you, since they would have had at one more semester than you to boost their resume and leadership experience.

Advantages of enrolling in the Spring:

1. Time to spend on yourself. After two particularly rigorous years in high school, you now have the opportunity to take some time to breathe. You also have the opportunity to maximize your time between 12th grade and enrollment in the Spring. Travel, spend time with family, volunteer and get work experience. Need ideas? Get inspired here.

2. Time to catch up academically. Take this time to strengthen your core academic competencies or weaknesses, so that you are ready for courses at the college level. A number of universities offer college-level programs/courses tailored specifically to Spring semester admits. Thoroughly research your options to see what makes sense for your specific background.

3. Time to settle in. When you enroll in the Spring semester, the hectic orientation schedule and formal socializing opportunities that can be overwhelming are done with in the Fall. , This which helps you get a calmer, more relaxed start to the year. You can better define your own terms on how you want to acclimate to college life.

When you weigh the options, it becomes apparent that if possible, a Fall term start is preferred to the Spring. If you have been admitted to a college you would love to attend in the Spring, you could always try to negotiate with the admissions office to enroll in the Fall. However, if this does not work for you, do not despair! If this is the college of your dreams, just take the Spring admission offer. In the long run, getting admitted in the Spring will not matter.


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* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Build a Stellar Profile and get admitted to a Top Global Business School



A business school application is not just a set of application forms that need to be filled out. There is also no silver bullet, no one formula for success. Building the right profile and accordingly, putting an impressive business school application together is an uncomfortably intense introspective process, where you develop a clear sense of self-awareness, which you can harness to maximize your strengths, and build scaffolds around your weaknesses.

The following foundational checkboxes will need to be tailored and prioritized according to your unique skills, strengths, and personality:

1) Leading Teams. Leadership experience is the fundamental cornerstone of a strong business school application. To build leadership experience, start taking more initiative and responsibility in your current professional role, and provide critical support to your teammates when they are project leads. Work towards employee awards. Make sure to keep track of all appreciation emails and commendations from clients, team members and senior management.

2) Entrepreneurship. A clear way to demonstrate leadership is to start a business, or join a friend’s startup. Try to find a market solution to a problem that you are deeply passionate about. Is it income inequality? Build a company that focuses on creating job opportunities. Hopeless romantic? Build a referral dating app. If it doesn’t work out, you have an impactful learning experience to share with the admissions committee. You could even conduct a ReachIvy MasterClass to establish yourself as an industry expert.

3) Community Involvement. If you are applying to business school and do not have enough recent experience with extra curricular activities or community engagement, you need to get cracking now. The greatest impact that you can demonstrate is by taking on leadership roles in a few organizations whose causes you are most passionate about. This will reiterate your ability to be an effective leader in a professional setting and at the community level.

4) Learning Beyond Office Hours. In addition to deepening your involvement and leadership in the community, start taking classes to either buffer academic gaps or strengthen core abilities. Finance geek? Take an online writing course to get better at expressing yourself. Predilection towards being a polyglot? Master a new language. If you are a time management ninja, online learning and skill certifications are where you can really play with a breadth of learning experiences.

5) Communication Skills. Given the participant-driven, case-based learning method that is foundational to most MBA programs, business schools want to ensure that you bring significant interpersonal impact to the table. To build your verbal communication skills, take public speaking/online courses. To get better at writing, in addition to reading more, take persuasive writing courses, or keep a journal.

6) GMAT. Start preparing for the GMAT now. Ideally, you should be done with the GMAT before you even start your MBA application. You need to ensure that your GMAT score lies within the range of accepted scores at your targeted schools. By taking the GMAT early, you have time to retake it as needed. Take a diagnostic online practice test to gauge your strengths and weaknesses.

7) Strong Relationships with Supervisors. It is imperative that you develop a strong relationship with supervisors in the workplace and community organizations you are engaged with who are potential recommenders. Don’t wait for a promotion or annual performance reviews, engage with your supervisors at the onset. Structure your volunteering time well with your supervisor, so that you can maximize your impact within the organization. Consistently engaging with your supervisor on your progress will help you further cement your relationship and showcase enthusiasm and initiative.

8) Vision. For a strong business school application, you need to have a clear vision of your short and long term career goals. Do you have your heart set on a particular career? Engage with as many industry stalwarts as possible, keeping alumni of your target schools in mind. Have a set of questions ready, and get them to guide you towards finding your own success within the industry.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
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* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Top Reasons to Earn Your MBA Degree in Europe



As you plan the next stage of your academic life, you may be thinking why earn an MBA in Europe? Why is it considered one of the best places to study abroad? There are several benefits to studying in Europe, ranging from enhancing employment prospects to developing diverse skill sets, to getting a more focused education. Here are ReachIvy’s top reasons:

1) Shorter Duration – Many MBA programs in Europe are 12 to 18 months long, as opposed to the standard two-year commitment required to study in other geographic locations. This surely plays an important role in your decision making process, as it not only means lowered tuition costs but also translates to a significantly lower opportunity cost, as you can get back into the workforce faster. Schools like ESADE in Spain also give you the flexibility to choose between 12, 15 and 18 month programs, so it is easier to find a program that works best for you.

2) Diverse Faculty and Student Body – On campus, you will be engaging with students from around the world. MBA programs at European schools are particularly diverse, where as many as 80 to 90 percent of students are international, and represent up to 35 to 40 countries. Faculty at these schools also tends to be more international . The multi-cultural environment will teach you how to think outside the box, expose you to different ideas and points of view, increase your ability to adapt, and will also significantly shape your leadership style. In addition to the breadth of experience that will inform your learning within the classroom, interactions with friends and classmates from all walks of life, outside the classroom will provide you with a truly global outlook.

3) A More Experienced Cohort – A number of European programs attract applicants that have had significant work experience. Students in European MBA classrooms tend to be senior and more experienced, and this leads to a stronger quality of peer-to-peer learning in a classroom setting. Additionally, European MBA programs focus heavily on attracting students with international work experience to be able to effectively contribute to their diverse and experienced cohorts. If you have a similar professional background, an MBA from a European school will fit you well.

4) Increased Foreign Language Proficiency – The best way for you to learn or improve your foreign language skills is to immerse yourself in a city or country where it is widely spoken. Most European business schools use English as their primary language of instruction, but they also offer accelerated language courses, and the opportunity to interact with native speakers within the classroom as well as in the city at large. Fluency in Spanish, for instance, will also enhance your job prospects with multinational companies that have a presence in Spanish-speaking countries.

5) Access to Global Network – European MBA programs provide an incredible platform for you to network not only within the setting of a multicultural classroom, but also with other students and professors on campus, as well as a global network of institutional alumni. These connections you make have the potential of being your life long friends, future business partners, co-founders, investors, mentors, employers and so much more. These connections will be particularly valuable if you know you want to live and work in Europe after you graduate, because it gives you the opportunity to directly engage with future employers while at business school.

An MBA in Europe may not be the right stepping stone for everyone. It is important that you spend time to reflect, undertake a complete assessment and identify specifically why an MBA in Europe is for you. When it’s a right fit, it can provide you with the relevant networks, skill sets and advancement you need to take your career to the next level.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US

Critical Action Points for Changing Your MBA Waitlist Status to Accepted



Being on the waitlist for admissions to a top tier business school can be rather unsettling. However, getting waitlisted is not the same as getting rejected, and in fact, clearly communicates that you remain a strong candidate for this business school. You still have a chance to tip the scales from ‘waitlisted’ to ‘accepted’, but you need to be proactive now. Below are a set of key next steps to consider, which will need to be tailored and prioritized based on your profile.
1. Ask yourself, “Why”?
This is the time to take a step back, and think about why you have been waitlisted. Is there a specific component of your application that you are aware is weaker than the rest? Reread your application, recommendation letters, and essays, and review the website of the MBA program to identify the gaps. Make a list of possible reasons, prioritizing what you consider to be the biggest gaps in your application and which ones you can try to address through subsequent action and communication.

2. Understand the type of waitlist status you are on.
There are two types of waitlist statuses – opt-in, and opt-out. The opt-in status is when the admissions office requires you to send a response confirming that you would like to stay on the waitlist. The opt-out status is when the admissions committee automatically places you on the waitlist, and only requires a response if you would like to be removed from further consideration. Read the waitlist letter carefully to ensure that you take the next step correctly.

3. Follow the rules.
Most schools will provide you with a detailed set of next steps to follow up on getting waitlisted. Some schools may welcome letters of support and updates on your achievements, and on actions you have taken to address your shortcomings. Some may request further recommendations or to take additional courses. Others may specifically state that you only need to communicate your willingness to stay on the waitlist, in which case consistently sharing further information like update or support letters may be frowned upon. These guidelines and protocols vary significantly by MBA program, and should be clearly paid attention to and followed.

4. Stay in touch with your waitlist manager.
Most schools will provide you with contact information for a waitlist manager. If no specific waitlist manager is provided, do your research on who your point of contact is at the admissions office. Periodically, you can call or write to your waitlist manager to reiterate your passion for the school and its MBA program, as well as your sincere eagerness to attend. You should also consistently emphasize that you will definitely attend if accepted into the MBA program. Make sure that you limit your contact to once every few weeks, so that you do not bombard or overwhelm your waitlist manager.

5. Write a letter with updates.
Received a promotion or award at work? Gained recognition for extracurricular endeavors? Share your success in one passionately worded letter to the admissions committee three to four weeks after you have received your waitlist status. Reiterate your passion for the MBA program, explain recent achievements and steps taken to address shortcomings in your application.

6. Get a new recommendation and/or letters of support.
You can submit an extra recommendation letter, or you can request an alumnus to send a letter of support. The alumnus should know you well as a person, but also in terms of your academic prowess, professional background or extra curricular work. Make sure that you do not inundate the admissions office with update and support letters, but that you stagger them over multiple weeks.

7. Visit the campus.
Write to the admissions office and ask to see an admissions officer prior to visiting the campus. Be prepared to share updates, and with a relevant set of questions on student life, the campus, and the program’s extracurricular offerings. By doing your research and being well prepared, your sincere eagerness to attend the program and your passion for the school shine through, and are likely to make a positive impact.

8. Have a backup plan.
As you are doing everything you can, you can also channel your energy while you wait towards a strong backup plan. Final round deadlines for other MBA programs are around the corner, but you still have time to apply. Alternatively, if you are willing to consider schools outside of the US, there are many that accept applications well into May in European MBA programs. Research your options to select the right business schools, and to see whether it makes more sense to apply now or in Round 1 next year.

Remember, by being placed on the waitlist, the school still considers you to be a strong candidate, so don’t lose heart yet! There are many students that get admitted from the waitlist, so based on your profile, get the right waitlist strategy in place and build a strong backup plan.


ReachIvy sincerely hopes that this article serves as a critical tool to increase your knowledge base. For study abroad consultation or career counseling with ReachIvy, Submit a Query now! Also, review our resources to access our free premium content.
https://www.reachivy.com

* Studying in USA
* Campus Vibe: Harvard University
* Campus Vibe: The Wharton School
* Masterclass: Design Thinking by Prof. Bhatia
* Creative Writing: The power of Fiction by Aditi Sriram
* Webinar with IESE Business School by Anjaney Borwankar
* Masterclass: How can an MBA enhance your entrepreneurial journey?
* Webinar with Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management by Kim Killingsworth
* Masterclass: Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO, SelfScore – Personal Finance Tips and the Importance of a Credit History for New Students in the US