Which business school to shortlist?

Question

Hi,

I am just wondering what should be the right parameters to look at shortlisting the right bschools to apply? Looking largely for US and Europe.

Thank you!

MBADecoder · Answer

Hi,
Think about the experience you wish to build for yourself and what matters therein. Here's a list for you to use:
1. academics -
a. what is the pedagogy - do they primarily use the case method or experiential learning or lecture based (most b-schools use a blend, but many programs are well known for a particular style.
b. how is the curriculum structured? how much flexibility is there in selecting courses? what are the concentrations/ majors?
c. do they have research centres in areas of your interest? what resources of the center will be available to you?
d. how are professors? any star faculty you want to study from?
e. what are the experiential learning opportunities/ group projects you can take part in?

Outside the classroom-
a. what are the social clubs like? are there any affinity group that you associate with?
b. What resources can you use to develop your network and people's skills?
c. Any travel abroad opportunities?
d. what is the student community like? do you feel excited talking to them?
e. are their conferences/ competitions, speaker series that you may be interested in from your career perspective?

Professional development:
a. how good are the career services team? do they support students? do they have industry connects?
b. do students go on career treks that would be of interest to you?
c. Check the employment statistics reports of every b-school. here's an article to understand how you should read these reports.
d. which are the professional clubs of interest and how active are they?

Here are more articles that will give you more details about these points:
how to select b-schools - the factors to consider
How to go about your research- what resources can you use

Namita Garg, MBA Decoder
Email: [email protected]
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Archit3110 · Answer

Shortlist schools depends on gmat score, long& short term career goals.. demographic you want to work..

MBADecoder · Answer

Yes, @ Archit3110 , you are absolutely right on this.

The points I have mentioned above will help you understand whether you are excited about the B-school. At the same time, the b-schools should be excited about your profile and see value in admitting you. This is where having a strong profile becomes important.

Your GMAT score, undergrad GPA, professional experience and achievements, career progression, extra-curricular leadership and clarity in career goals - these would help in strengthening your profile

SSKP · Answer

Much appreciated. My profile is - 8 years of experience, Male, 29 years of age from India. Leadership experience across partnerships and growth roles across a social impact organization, global tech for good startup and a GovTech social enterprise. Have held key positions across global social impact networks like the Global Shapers community of the World Economic Forum. I have also been selected and represented my region in the past as a part of prestigious delegations such as WEF Annual Meeting in Davos.

My GPA in undergrad was 2.99 in commerce. Post MBA goals largely align with Sustainability, Innovation, Supply Chain Resilience i.e. intersection of technology, sustainability / impact and business. Want to ideally pivot from pure play social impact sector to private sector roles. I am open to pivot via consulting but do not have a core background in management consulting previously.

Right now I am split between US B-schools and Europe. I do not come from a very well financial background and hence will largely look to arrange finance via myself (hence scholarships and debt will be my go to options).

Hence, inputs are very much welcome.

MBADecoder · Answer

Love your profile! First of all, go and get yourself a high GMAT score- think 705+. Coming from social impact, your work experience is very strong. If you have spent all 8 years at social impact orgs. then its very commendable. Application wise, it can help you put across a competitive profile. The Global Shapers community experience is a solid add on (I am currently working with an applicant who is doing exactly what you have done here- Devos et al). So overall, you can show a lot of leadership and learning through your experiences. When you are working in NGOs and foundations, you mostly have to self drive projects, work with people with differing priorities and lead without authority - and these challenges make your stories that much more deeper and help your leadership shine through. Do not convert your GPA to a 4 point scale if that's not the marks scheme your college uses. No b-school will ask you to convert it from a 10 point or a %age scale. It will be difficult to comment on your intended goals without knowing more about your experiences and preferences. That said, consulting is attainable. As an industry, it attracts people from different backgrounds and functional expertise; consulting firms also have ESG practices where you may see yourself fitting. Have a look at different consulting websites to see what kind of projects the ESG groups do (this is another component of your b-school research for forming your goals). Scholarships should definitely be a part of the funding plan, but you will have to present excellent applications in order to earn these. some B-schools (like Darden, Oxford) also offer scholarships for a specific category of people and your social impact background can help here. In terms of countries where you want to get your MBA from- both USA and Europe have risks, challenges and opportunities. If consulting is the main goal, you will be able to pivot out of b-schools in both the geographies. It will boil down to which region do you wish to work after MBA and which b-schools you want to apply to. Would be happy to have a discussion. Namita Garg, MBA Decoder Email: contact@mbadecoder.com Testimonials: https://mbadecoder.com/testimonials/ Reach out to us for a Profile Evaluation : https://mbadecoder.com/services/free-pr ... valuation/ Helping applicants achieve their MBA dreams since 2011

Which business school to shortlist?

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