Selection of B Schools is an involved exercise and should be done in earnest. While shortlisting schools you should consider several factors such as GMAT Score, Work Experience, Budget, Application Deadlines, School Placement Record, Location Preferences, Stream Preference (Marketing, Finance) etc. Refer to our section on “B School Selection” under “Services” tab.
A good insight can be obtained from Harvard Business School’s link.
A B school application comprises of the following:
Please send a mail evincing your details. We offer competitive rates and base our pricing on the number of schools as well as school itself. So an application having multiple inputs will be charged more.
Please provide the following information when you contact us:
- When do you plan to apply?
- How many schools do you plan to apply?
- Have you shortlisted the schools?
You can contact us at mentor@bschoolmentor.com or call us on +91-9820745150
Once we receive your communication, our team member will get in touch with you and will take the process forward.
Ideally one should start as early as possible. We would always recommend you to apply in Round 1. Then you have the best chance to apply to other colleges, even if some rejects come your way.
Scholarship considerations are also valid for candidates who apply in Round 1 or 2. Refer School Deadlines
GMAT score is a quantitative input that gives an idea about your academic aptitude. Since the test is taken by majority of applicants over the world, it serves as a definite benchmark.
That said, it is only one of the inputs that are taken into consideration and various B Schools have their own admission criteria.
We will be able to counsel you effectively on this issue if you contact us and have a discussion.
This is also a quantitative input, but its relevance is linked to your job experience. It does not really matter for people having work experience of more than 6 years.
In any case this input has certainly less weightage than the GMAT score.
Nothing beats a one to one discussion with an alumnus. Websites are the next best source. You can visit MBA fairs or visit various forums for a better idea in this regard.
Of course our team will give you a comprehensive insight about various schools and will advise you in accordance with your background, GMAT score and your course preferences.
Ideally job experience of at least 2-3 years is desirable. With the insight of industry, a student can contribute to the learning of his/her peer group and can appreciate many concepts of B school education.
With changing scenario, many top B schools have introduced courses for experienced professionals. For e.g. One year full time Program at IIMs cater to professionals having more work experience. Similarly many top B schools have initiated Executive MBA courses (that are not part time) for experienced professionals. The degrees given by them are same as in regular course.
Most of the schools prefer experience of at least 2 to 3 years. Refer reply against FAQ “What should be the Job Experience?”
A basic thumb rule is: apply in more schools. Important thing is to realize that one cannot afford to waste one more year for an application fee of 50-100 $ (plus fee for forwarding GMAT and TOEFL/IELTS scores).
The first point we want to make is that there is no point in applying a third rate school in US that has poor academics and poor placement record. Further the peer group learning in such a school is also an issue. A good B school changes your entire life and your perspective. Therefore we always encourage our students to apply in Good B Schools that are ranked between top 30-40 schools.
That being said, it is also important to make a judicious call while selecting schools. Your selection should be in line with your GMAT score and budget. Therefore we recommend applying in at least 7-8 schools.
As we said elsewhere that for top 30-40 schools B school rankings from various rating agencies usually match. While considering a ranking, always study the basis of rankings. Rankings do give an initial perspective and are useful in shortlisting a broader pool. We have provided comprehensive B School Ranking data. Refer Rankings
Usually schools ask for 2 recommendations. There are certain schools that ask for 3 recommendations as well.
Recommendations are extremely important aspect of your application and it is extremely important to wisely select your recommender. The person concerned should be a well wisher and should be willing to devote some quality time on your application.
We strongly recommend that as you plan for your application, meet your recommenders, apprise them about your goal and your desire to apply in a B School and seek their help.
This is a subjective question. In fact the decision to take admission in India or abroad is often strongly related to the financial issue. If finances are not an issue with you, then go for an international B school. The kind of exposure and the peer group quality that one gets in a globally accredited B school is unmatched.
Our website gives a ready reference for various rankings (Source website is also mentioned)
This issue is also linked to kind of experience and to an extent to Finances. People with higher work experience prefer to go for a one year MBA, whereas people with less work experience, prefer a two year MBA. The flagship program of most of top US schools is of two years, whereas European schools are moving towards One Year Programs.
A One year Program is more rigorous and fast paced. A two year program is more comprehensive and also involves internship experience.
We will be able to give a specific recommendation in this regard, after going through individual profile.
Go through replies against FAQs related to Job Experience for better insights on this issue.
Read reply against “when should I start application.”
Most of the schools mention that they consider only the best GMAT score. However it may be noted that when GMAC reports the scores to the schools, all past attempts and scores against it are also mentioned there.
In some cases, schools also take the latest score into cognizance.
Unless you have something very specific to say, do not attempt Optional essay just for the sake of it. Most of the schools specify the circumstances, wherein they will prefer an optional write-up. Follow that mandate.
Top B schools have to evaluate a lot of applications. They prefer a crisp application. There is no point in writing an additional essay merely to highlight your personal qualities / achievements.
This depends on the school. Most of the US/UK school do ask for TOEFL/IELTS scores. When you contact us, we will give you specific advice depending on the schools that have been selected.
We have assisted around 20 students. Our conversion rate has been really good. List of our students (with final admits in parenthesis)are: Jyotsna Khanduja:(Carlson); Monal Hasti: (Boston College); Apurva Mahendra: (CUHK, China); Srinivas Maddi: (IIM Bangalore); Devi Prasad: (IIM Ahmedabad); Niharika Jain: (ISB); Akanksha Tandon: (ISB); Smiti Mukherjee: (ISB). In addition following students got interview calls from ISB: Adheip Dev and Gurbinder Singh
