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How To Get Into A Top B-School

by Raviraj Jain Harvard School of Business, Class of 2013

Raviraj Jain
Harvard Business school, Class of 2013
A sneak peek into the outstanding profile of Raviraj, a highly motivated and goal oriented individual, who is always looking for new challenges and opportunities! Raviraj Jain, an engineer from IIT-Bombay, is pursuing his General Management program at the Harvard Business school. He scored 750 on the GMAT!

He not only worked for LinkedIn, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and redBus, but he is also the Founding Director of LiveMinds Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (innovative startup leveraging technology to cater to the high potential cab booking and on-wheel advertising market in India, working under the brand [Link]) and Co-Founder of [Link] (India's first portal which helps students secure internships in companies across the country). Undoubtedly, he has a diverse experience in a wide range of industries and functions including management consulting, internet, venture capital, media, recruiting and e-commerce.

Honors & Awards Awarded "Best Business Idea" at PAN IIT Global Conference 2008. ? Award given by Prof. C K Prahlad and CEOs of Tata Motors, Tata Steel and TCS ? Winner, Best Student Enterprise of 2007 ? Qualified Indian National Physics Olympiad ? Ranked 4th in Regional Mathematical Olympiad ? Qualified Chemistry Olympiad ? Scored 99.92%ile in CAT 2007
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What do Business schools analyze in your application?

Diversity

Intellect

Focus & Passion

B-Schools

Work Experience

Self-Awareness

Leadership Potential

How do you rate yourself on all these parameters?

6 steps to MBA App Process

1 4

Self-Introspection

2 3
Essays

Take the GMAT

Selecting B-schools to apply

5 6
Interview

Recommendations

Self-Introspection

Why MBA? may be the shortest question in the professional world you could think of, but the most crucial one, as you will be sacrificing quite a lot on your professional and personal fronts in order to get the MBA tag! As a Chinese proverb says, A journey of thousand miles begin with a single step. If you belong to the above flock of people, you earnestly need to have a PreApplication Plan before you Get Set Go to apply at various business schools. Yes, you may have done your bit of research on B-schools or even taken your GMAT, but if you do not have a clear idea about why you want to pursue an MBA, it is going to be a tough journey!

7 Real Reasons to do an MBA:

Here is an interesting write-up that will help you answer the question...Why MBA: [Link]

Take the GMAT

Once you are clear about your post MBA goals and how MBA will help you achieve those goals, its time for some ACTION!!! Most of the top B-schools require your GMAT score, which showcases your Academic potential. A high GMAT score indicates your potential in analytical writing skills, math skills and the English language.

Here are some quick facts which will help you get an idea about the GMAT:
? GMAT is a standardized test, considered as a very

important criterion for B-schools to select MBA aspirants based on their Academic Potential.
? GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test, which used to be

paper-based previously.
? There are about 400 authorized test centers to take

the GMAT!
? Each time you take the GMAT, it will cost you $250.

However, the good news is that your GMAT score is valid for 5 years!
? You are allowed to re-take the GMAT only at an

interval of 31 days and only five times within any 12month period.
? A high 3 digit score can also help you get a

considerable scholarship, which will enable you to manage your finances in a better way.

Selecting B-schools To Apply

As an MBA is a huge investment of your time, effort and money, you just can't afford to pick up any Bschool that grants you the admit, as a wrong choice will adversely affect you in future. Are you ready to opt for a 2-year MBA program, or is Australia your dream destination? Or do you want to get into investment banking? Are you more comfortable in a small class size with personalized attention? Or are you targeting only Chicago Booth? Will you be able to blend well with the European culture or are you keen to learn Spanish? Does the faculty profile impress you? Does the B-school have enough research expertise or do your dream companies visit the B-school to recruit? What about the infrastructure? Does it excite you to be in the classroom of Rotman School of Management for the next 2 years? How strong and impactful is the alumni network at Columbia? Can you afford the MBA program at London Business School? 6 Key Points to Consider While Choosing a Bschool: Profile fitment ? Geography ? 1 year vs. 2 year program ? Rankings ? Specialization ? Research on B-school
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Essays

Essays are a great way for the AdComs to know you as a person. Your essays depict your unique traits, your achievements, strengths and weaknesses and what are you most passionate about in your life! A well-written essays is a gateway to the next step...that is the interview, whereas a bad essay will restrict your chances of getting an admit to your dream B-school. So, it is very crucial to spend considerable time and effort on your B-schools essays that bring out the best in you through the written word... Great essays should:
? Be coherent ? Be written from the heart ? Have a wonderful starting and an excellent ending ? Highlight your differentiating qualities ? Use simple language and employ very few technical

terms (if at all) ? Clearly bring out your goals in life 10 mistakes you should avoid in an essay:
? Fail to answer the question ? Write essays that lack a point or underline thesis ? Sound negative, whining or complaining ? Use cliches or superficial ideas ? Write a resume in prose ? Write what you think the AdCom wants to hear ? Fail to catch grammatical and spelling errors ? Lack passion ? Not showcase your differentiating qualities ? Omit the lessons learned or take-aways

5
? ?

Recommendations

Just like essays, recommendations also form a significant part of your MBA Application. Usually top Bschools ask for 2-3 recommendation letters that will help them to validate your competence, performance and accomplishments. The right recommender should be: Someone who has been your supervisor during the experiences you described in essays.

Someone who knows you closely and for a long period of time so that s/he can use anecdotes about you which are beyond the normal course of work.

Someone who has seen you grow.

Choose recommenders from different organizations if possible. It is important for the recommendations to be aligned with your essays.

6
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Interviews

The final step to get in... is the Interview Process! Once you have impressed the AdComs with your GMAT score, GPA, essays and recommendations, an Interview call from a top B-school is a BIG opportunity for you which many other applicants may miss out! So, make the most of it. Some points to be taken into consideration while attending a B-school interview: AdComs of the alumni want to know whether your essays reflect the person you are. So, be natural and clear in articulating your goals and achievements.

Dress professionally and have a smiling face to bring out the positivity in you.

If you do not know the answer of any question asked, be honest.

Prepare yourself in advance for some general questions... What is your greatest strength and weakness? Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line? Tell us one incident that changed you as a person. Tell us about when you demonstrated leadership qualities - What are your favorite pastime activities?

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