PythaGurus MBA Admissions: How to get into a Top 5 Business School?

Dear Applicants,

ALL OF YOU! ALL OF YOU Start your discussion with “HOW TO GET INTO TOP Programs”.

Imagine: You are not from IIT, but are still targeting a TOP 5 Business School in the world. Let us see whatare some of the things you can do to get there. (If you do get there, do let us know if we made adifference to you… :))

I write regularly on quora and many other social websites. I came across an interesting question andthought of sharing it directly with you.

“Direct question from Quora”

What is the profile one needs to have to get into the Ivy League business schools in the US?I would like the profile to be from an IT or Technology background, Indian, non IIT/NIT studentMy Response:

Now that you have asked for it, I will take this opportunity to construct an ideal profile for the US IvyLeague schools( I am assuming you mean the TOP 10 US programs and not necessarily the IVY Leagues:FYI: Stanford is Not an Ivy league university, but it still offers one of the world’s best programs)

A. This candidate will have a great understanding of the short term and long term goals. He will have adetailed understanding of the industry and functions he will be a part of immediately after MBA. Theresearch will be so comprehensive that he will even know the positions that his target recruiters hiredfor.

B. This candidate will have very strong reasons for joining that particular program. He will haveconducted a great amount of research by talking to the existing students, and the alumni body. Simplyresearching on the website will not allow you to tell them “Why you want to join TUCK or Columbia?” Hewill have created a list of questions that he plans to ask the alumni body. It is not about conductingpersonal interviews. It is about knowing how that school will help you in your future.

C. This candidate will have a GMAT Score of more than 750, Higher the Better

D. This candidate will have great stories in his/her extra-curricular activities. It is not about stating facts.They are more interested in learning “Why you performed those activities and what you learnt out ofthose? This candidate will have led many social/cultural activities, and will showcase a pattern that willadd value to the school’s alumni body in the future as well.

E. This bullet will help. This candidate will have also worked with one of the feeder companies. There aremany companies that are on the top of the recruiting charts. While you do not have to necessarilybelong to these companies, it still helps if you have worked in companies such as Google, Microsoft,McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, KKR, PWC, FaceBook (and many more). Having been nurtured in theleadership of these companies, you become a good target for the top schools. If you look up the hiringpatterns at the top schools, you will notice that many candidates come from these selected companies.

F. This candidate will have a very candid expression on the essays. Remember: They are not driven byheavy-weight vocabulary on your essays. It is more about storytelling and expressing your life. It is moreabout “Why did you do whatever you did?” It is about “What matters most to you?” You will also havevery effective letter of recommendations. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS YOURSELF.Have your bosses write those for you. Take this SERIOUSLY.

I know that it is not easy to qualify all the parameters described above. However, since you asked a verysubjective question, I wanted to be unrestrained in my expression.

I wish you an amazing success in whatever matters to you. GOD SPEED!

Regards, Jatin BhandariFounding Director and CEOPythaGURUS EducationSource: http://pythagurus.in/blog/pythagurus-mba-admissions-how-to-get-into-a-top-5-business-school/