Another set of frequently asked questions received regularly by MBAUniverse.com is about profile building to pursue MBA abroad from a top B school. Questions such as “How do I improve my profile to get into Harvard, London Business School..? What can I do to make my profile stand out?’ and many others are always on the mind of an MBA aspirant planning to explore opportunity to get into MBA abroad.
Who is the Ideal MBA Abroad Applicant?
There is actually no such ‘ideal profile’ or an ‘ideal MBA applicant’ going to pursue MBA abroad. Admission committees are always looking for different characteristics in an applicant, characteristics and skills that will differentiate you from other applicants. So the crust of the matter is how you build these characteristics and sell yourself.
Typically there are two categories of MBA abroad applicants: one who have been preparing and working hard for their big-time MBA from a very early stage whereas the other category is the bunch of students who are few months away from deadlines and realized their profile is not too competent enough to pursue MBA abroad.
It is further observed that students who invest their time and energy on profile building from an early stage are most likely to get placed in their target/top schools abroad. Before reading the tips on profile building remember that the admissions committee cannot be fooled, hence be honest and be yourself and decide whether you have within you to pursue MBA abroad.
Very important to have a life outside the study and work
You might have been a class topper. At work, you must be the most brilliant professional. You might have attended numerous leadership seminars, have extensive international exposure and have participated in many cultural and sports activities. But what do you do besides your regular duties? What do you do for fun? Find out your passions and interests and experiment with things, if you are really an MBA abroad aspirant.
There have been many instances of brilliant applicants getting rejected from various programmes of MBA abroad because they have no clue what they like. Therefore, be a part of an activity that you love, it can be as simple as going for a walk. Participate in social activities; community services play a vital role in the screening process. However do it only if you like it. Hence the first step in building your profile for MBA abroad is figuring out and doing things you like.
Leadership roles – initiatives and responsibilities
Your activities should not just be any activity you are involved in. Try to get involved in some leadership roles. Take initiatives and responsibilities. If you are part of an NGO, organizing a fund-raising programme or any kind of awareness campaign will matter a lot in your application for MBA abroad. Similarly, take initiatives at your work place to do something new and different. For example, you can lead a team to solve a major issue or initiate evening sports camps after office hours.
Communication Skills
Develop your communication skills well. Candidates whose English communication is on a weaker side may miss the admission opportunity in MBA abroad programme despite great academic record and work experience. Try to put your thoughts in simple plain English rather than a very complex manner. Admission committee will use your essays and interview to judge your personality, thus it becomes important in the long run how you speak out your thoughts in a very presentable manner.
Be clear on your post MBA career goals
Figure out early why you want to do an MBA from abroad? Why an MBA? Why from that particular school? Another reason of rejection by Admissions Committee is vague career goals. Career goal essay is the bridge to the MBA abroad program.
I have no work experience….how should I build my profile?
If you have no work experience and are fresh out of your academics, impressing the admissions committee will be difficult until and unless you are an all rounder. It means you ought to have strong academic record, very high GMAT score, have taken initiatives in school and college level activities, and have achieved recognition and accolades for numerous extra - curricular activities over all. Remember that you are competing with applicants such as senior level managers and consultants having wide knowledge of the business arena. Ask yourself- why do you want to pursue an MBA from abroad?
MBA Abroad: Real Examples
A candidate scored 610 on his first GMAT attempt and scored even lower on the next attempt. By the time he finished his second test he came to know he got a call from Carnegie Mellon-Tepper! The sole reason was he worked in a Fortune 10 company for six years and lived overseas for many years. His work experience and international exposure was seen as the strong point by the admission committee.
One of applicants scored 720 on his GMAT and was the director of a firm established by his father. He eventually did not make it to the top B schools and was rejected by likes of Harvard and NYU. The reason-his application was not strong enough except the GMAT. The ‘Director’ designation played no major role in his career as he never took any initiatives, no major decision making roles and had no extra- curricular activities.
If you want to know more about profile building tips, post your queries on the forum at MBAUniverse.com
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