Case Study 1

Case Study 1

Ashish Kaul* completed his BE in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University. A gold medalist, he has 3 years work experience as a software engineer in India’s leading IT services firm. In his work, he was exposed to product development and pre-sales activities.

To enhance his employability and add more skills, Ashish felt that he needed to do an MBA. He has received acceptance into the MBA program of one of Canada’s MBA programs, as listed in the Bschool listings published by Financial Times. Ashish will fly to Canada in September 2004 to join the prestigious program. He spoke to a CEC reporter, sharing his views and experiences in his quest to get admitted to a B school in Canada.

CEC: Why did you decide on an MBA from a B school abroad?

Ashish: In India, for a person looking to make a bright career in business, there are 2 options – go the IIM way or attend a world-class business school like the ISB, Hyderabad. The IIM’s of course are highly competitive (mainly due to the large number of applications), and the ISB is still evolving as an internationally ranked business school.

I felt that I needed an international exposure in my MBA, which was lacking in either of the said places. Also, the IIM’s and even ISB, to some extent, admit students with relatively lower amount of work experience. I intend to learn more from my peers at school and hence wanted to attend a school that has students with a quality of work experience. The choice was clear – attend a top school abroad.

CEC: Why a Canadian Institution?

Ashish: I chose Canada primarily for the following reasons (in no particular order):

Ø        Lower cost of education

Ø        World-class education

Ø        Currently, a stronger economy compared to the USA

Ø        Welcoming immigration policies.

CEC: Which are the other schools that you considered / short-listed both in India or abroad?

Ashish: I looked at schools in India, US, Europe and Canada.

Ø        India : ISB

Ø        US : Duke University (Fuqua School of Business)

        Yale University

        Cornell University (Johnson School)

        Indiana University (Kelley School of Business)

 CEC: What were the factors, which influenced your school selection?

Ashish: Some of the key factors I had in mind, in no particular order of importance were:

Ø        Reputation, brand name of the school

Ø        Schools on an ascent or descent in the near past.

Ø        Cost

Ø        Exceptionally strong in finance / consulting courses. This was important for me as I was looking for finance related programs

Ø        Strong focus on general management.

Ø        Location: recruiters do not like traveling to remote campuses.

Ø        Placement record. Reputation of the school among recruiters.

Ø        Optimum mix of teaching approaches, I needed a mix of case study and lecture-based methods.

Ø        International rankings and school profiles published by Financial Times, Business Week, US News, and Wall Street Journal

 CEC: How do you see this program fitting in with your career goals?

Ashish: Having excelled at designing, developing and implementing financial IT solutions, and having closely interacted with banking domain experts, I had a deep interest in banking and finance. To translate my interest in finance into a successful career, I wanted relevant education. My school’s strength in finance and the large amount of pertinent electives available there had me to believe that the school program was in sync with my career goals. I also considered the placement records of past graduates from the school into roles I want to assume post-MBA.

CEC: How did you do your research?

Ashish: I have been researching business schools for more than 2 years. I took my GMAT in Jan 2002 and secured a percentile in the high 90s. Since then, I have been hooked to the Internet, researching schools with varying criteria. I used to get bamboozled by the number of schools and what they had to offer. I had to keep fine-tuning my criteria to zero down onto a list of schools I’ll apply to. With access to the Internet, I guess there is no need to rely on any other source of information for one’s research. You get excellent in-depth information regarding all schools you want.

CEC: What would you recommend for prospective students

Ashish: The biggest suggestion - don’t be in a hurry! You will not be attending business school again your life, so take your time to decide on where you want to spend those 1 or 2 year(s). It’s a big investment of money, time, effort, and in most cases, family life. Research all the options you have.

To start with, one may look at the MBA rankings published by Business Week, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, US News etc. However, don’t get carried away by the rankings alone. One needs to identify his fit with the school. You may go to Harvard Business School, but if you don’t gel into their case-based approach, you’ll regret your decision for the rest of your life. Identify your weaknesses, strengths and concerns.

CEC: Any tips about the application process

Ashish: The application process is mainly of 2 broad types. Staged and rolling.

Staged: There are defined application rounds. Normally schools have 2-3 application rounds. Typically, applications are collected till the last date of the round and then all applications are opened, read, relatively compared and decisions/interview invites are given out. The applications received after the last date of a round are evaluated in the next round.

Rolling: Applications are evaluated as they are accepted. (My school has this policy). There is no collection of applications till a declared date. Obviously, an early application has an edge here.

To stand a better chance, both in staged and rolling admission process, an applicant should apply as early as possible in the application cycle. However, not at the cost of quality. It is better to compete against brighter candidates in later rounds than kill your chances with an under-prepared application in round 1.

CEC: What about your interview experience.

Ashish: Interviews form an important part of your application to a business school. It gives you an opportunity to add a personal touch to your application. If you are good at communication and personal skills, it’s a plus for you and vice versa. Some schools have a policy of interviewing all their applicants. Some screen applications and offer a few applicants to interview. In the 2nd type, when invited to interview, one stands a better chance of getting in. My school interviews selected candidates and offers phone interviews to international students. Any business school interview has the standard questions like:

Ø        Why MBA?

Ø        Why from school X?

Ø        What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Ø        Describe a project you have initiated

Ø        What are your career goals?

Ø        How will school X help you achieve your career goals?

Ø        Do you have any questions?

CEC: Any other points

Ashish: An applicant needs to identify the key areas in his application to a business school. Namely:

Academic record

Work experience

Extra- curricular activities, Community service

Essays

Recommendation letters

GMAT score

I need to break a myth that one’s GMAT score is of prime most importance in a business school application. Believe me, it is not. It is just one of the many factors that constitute your application. Good schools consider your application as a whole and don’t have absolute cut-offs. I know of an Italian student who made it to Harvard with a 480 on the GMAT and many top schools reject applications with an 800 GMAT every year! So prepare hard for your GMAT, get a decent percentile and then forget about it. Being lower than the average GMAT at your target school by say 40-50 points, can be made up in other parts of your application.

Work experience is one of the most important components of your application, which you cannot change overnight. You should be an achiever in you own way. I don’t say that every applicant should have done consulting at McKinsey, done pitching at Goldman Sachs or been an entrepreneur. You should be able to exhibit professional growth in your career. If not by a raise in your designation, then by the responsibilities you have assumed. Leadership experiences count a lot in business school applications.

Business schools value your community involvement. They believe it makes you an all-round personality and a socially responsible world citizen. Don’t forget to mention any such experiences on your resume or essays. Leadership experiences while in school/college also add value to your candidature.

Essays give you a chance to narrate your story. It is the only way the admissions committee comes to know of the way you have been, the way you think and the way you want to go. I spent 4 months writing my essays for 2 schools. The first draft is very important and hence don’t write it in a hurry. Writing an essay of 500 words doesn’t take more than 2-3 hours. What’s required is extensive brainstorming for weeks and months to decide on what exactly to write in an essay. This is why they say; a B-school application process helps you know yourself better. Write, rewrite, and rewrite your essays. Get them proofread from as many as possible. You’ll be amazed at the difference between your first draft and the final print.

Recommendation letters let the AdCom (admissions committee) know what others think of you. Ideal recommendations for B-school come from your supervisors at work. The general myth is that the recommendation should come from a college professor/ CEO of a company etc. The ideal letter comes from your direct boss and is valued the most. Don’t approach the Vice President of your company to have him write for you unless you have been reporting directly to him. He won’t be able to write much in your favor.

Wish you good luck in your business school applications. Just believe that you can make it. People like you did!

*The name of the student has been changed and the name of the institution has been withheld as per student request.