5 Essential MBA Admissions Tips for Indian and Indian-American Applicants - Forbes

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6/18/13 5 Essential MBA Admissions Tips For Indian And Indian-American Applicants - Forbes

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LEADERSHIP | 5/31/2013 @ 10:27AM | 1,094 views

5 Essential MBA Admissions TipsFor Indian And Indian-American

pplicants

Indian Flag (Photo credit: rednivaram)

As I have witnessed as the Founder and

CEO ofStratus Prep, over the last decade,

there has been a dramatic increase in the

number of Indian and Indian-American

applicants to American business schools.

According to the Graduate Management

Admission Councils 2012 Asian

Geographic Trend Report, the number of

Indians taking the GMAT increased by

nearly 20% from just 2010 to 2012, and

over 50% of GMAT score reports taken by

Indians in 2012 were sent to American business schools. In comparison, just

over 18% of score reports were sent to Indian MBA programs and just under

8% were sent to United Kingdom institutions.

Many Indians seek MBAs due to the countrys rapid growth, demand for

skilled managers, and out of a desire to grow beyond more technical, often

career-limiting positions in engineering. Countless Indian young

professionals apply to programs in the U.S. to obtain highly-regarded

American degrees even if they already possess an MBA or comparable degree

from an Indian institution. As you may know, global diversity is a key criteria

in MBA admissions, so as the pool of Indian applicants grows, the competition

within this subsegment of the application pool also rises dramatically. Due to

the surge of Indian and Indian-American applicants to American business

schools, applicants from these backgrounds must differentiate themselves

from their peers if they are to be successful in reaching the school of their

dreams.

While many Indian-Americans, who attended college in the US, have a clear

grasp of the MBA admissions process, this process often represents more of a

mystery to those applying directly from India or those who have been working

internationally for just a few years. My firm, Stratus Prep, has distinguished

itself as the leader in helping Indian and Indian-American applicants into top

U.S. business schools such as HBS, Wharton, MIT, Chicago Booth, and

Columbia, among others. After collaborating with Indian and Indian-

American applicants for nearly a decade, I have identified the following five

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strategies that help ensure the success of Indian and Indian-American

applicants seeking admission to top American MBA programs. These

strategies can help you stand out from the thousands of similar applicants in a

way that takes into account the manner in which American business schools

evaluate applications.

1. Go beyond your numbers

Given the highly quantitative nature of admissions

in India, many applicants believe that theirGMAT/GRE score and GPA are also paramount in

the American admissions process. However, at most

American business schools, such numbers are the

third or fourth most important components of your

application. Other highly important factors include

where you attended university and your work

experience, but first and foremost, admissions

committee members will carefully examine your

essays and recommendations. Admissions Directors

recognize that raw numbers alone cannot indicate if

an applicant is the right fit for their school, which is

why they turn to the qualitative aspects of your

application before reaching a decision. When

applicants focus solely on numbers, they will not

demonstrate their full potential or resonate with the

admissions readers. My colleagues at Stratus Prep

and I have helped Indian applicants demonstrate

their authentic narratives throughout their

applications. This has allowed us to help Indian and

Indian-American applicants with GMATs under 600 win admission to MIT

and Chicago Booth and others with GPAs at or below 3.0 (when converted to

the American system) enter Wharton, MIT, and Chicago Booth.

2. Focus on the Personal and not just the Professional

American Admissions Committees want to understand you as an individual

and as a potential future leader. This requires getting to know you personally

as well as professionally; therefore, you should not be afraid to discuss

personal challenges you have faced. For example, in the last couple of years,

we have had a number of students write very compelling essays about the

challenges and rewards of their love and arranged marriages. Such

authentic, personal narratives often resonate more with an Admissions

Committee than a professional anecdote on a technical topic about which they

have likely already read in numerous other applications.

3. Recognize that giving back to your community is about more

than demonstrating generosity

Many Indian applicants come to Stratus Prep with a laundry list of one-off

volunteer experiences in which they have participated, from working

sporadically at soup kitchens to helping to run the occasional blood drive.

MBA Admissions Committees in the U.S. want to see a sustained

commitment to one or two volunteer organizations, preferably non-profit

groups that are either internationally-recognized or that you have helped

found. They will use these experiences to assess your leadership potential; as

such, they will be looking for the strategic, long-term impact that you have

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had on your community rather than simply ensuring that you have checked

the box when it comes to volunteering.

4. Expand on areas other than your technical or quantitative

background

American MBA Admissions Committees are looking for well-rounded

students, not simply the most proficient IT professional or financial engineer.

Since you will be competing most directly with other Indian or Indian-

American applicants with backgrounds similar to your own, distinguishyourself by, for example, emphasizing your team leadership skills and creative

pursuits. We recently had an Indian student with a highly technical

professional background win a full scholarship to Yale School of Management

by emphasizing his creative pursuits outside of work. Not only does this help

you share your personal experiences (as suggested in tip 2), but it also

ensures that you are more likely to be remembered by an admissions reader

who will be reviewing thousands of applications from the region. Your IT

and/or financial expertise will likely be apparent in your work experience;

however, essays are an opportunity to go beyond and show Admissions

Committees other distinctive skills, leadership experiences, and creative

pursuits that the readers otherwise would not have known about you.

5. Search globally for the most qualified Admissions Consultant to

aid you in this journey

While American admissions counseling firms are typically more expensive

than admissions counseling firms based in India, if you work with a U.S.-

based firm that has demonstrated significant success coaching Indian

applicants, this additional investment is one well worth making. American

admissions consultants possess the most up-to-date information on what top

MBA programs are looking for, as we are constantly visiting the top schools

and interacting with students, faculty, and admissions officers. For example, I

have been to HBS and Yale twice each in just the last couple of weeks.

However, it is absolutely essential that you work with an American firm that

has served at least a few hundred Indian and Indian-American applicants,

since many US-based firms are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Indian

educational system and unique challenges faced by Indian and Indian-

American applicants. A firm that has worked with Indian applicants

extensively will be able to advise you on distinct obstacles (such as loan

guarantees for foreign applicants) that would not arise for American

applicants. For example, I discourage most of my Indian clients at Stratus

Prep from considering Columbia since, at the moment, the school is unable to

guarantee student loans for foreign students. This represents a significant

impediment for many applicants from emerging markets, including India.

Such foresight can save applicants a lot of time and money. Investing in a US-based admissions consultant who truly understands the Indian market (I

travel a number of times per year to India to meet with clients and prospective

clients) will help you craft the most compelling essays and allow you to

demonstrate your unique capabilities and personal attributes so that you to

stand out from other applicants. With this investment, you very likely could

be studying at HBS, Stanford, Wharton, MIT or Chicago next fall.

If you are based in India and would like to learn more about applying to

American business schools, I will be in Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai from

June 24-29, 2013. Email me at [email protected] for more

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