Ask AdmissionsConsultants

[javropu]

Hi David,
I *really* appreciate your rapid (and motivational) response: I will study hard for the gmat and try to ellaborate a little bit on the "wow factor" (not very little, though .
Let me take advantage of this e-mail to tell you that I think it is great what you do for us, thank you so much.
Best wishes, Javier

[jmohnani]

Hi David,

Thanks very much for your prompt reply. I was not expecting to receive a reply during this long weekend

Appreciate your frank opinion, I knew that it is going to be difficult for me to get into top 10, but I really needed to hear it from a pro. I was getting tempted to apply to top 10 because avg. GMAT of most of the schools is less than 710. Also, thanks for you adice on my school selection, I need to work more on that and narrow it down to specific schools.

Once again thank you very much for taking time to answer my query.

[sranju]

Hi David,
Am writing my essays for MBA schools.Was wondering if the schools will ask for certificates/proof to support our listed acheivements.How important and why is to apply by the first deadline.I beleive that by applying by the first deadline, I will be competing with the most enthusiastic applicants.Will look fwd to yr reply
Thanx

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by sranju

Hi David,
Am writing my essays for MBA schools.Was wondering if the schools will ask for certificates/proof to support our listed acheivements.How important and why is to apply by the first deadline.I beleive that by applying by the first deadline, I will be competing with the most enthusiastic applicants.Will look fwd to yr reply
Thanx

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

I’m not sure that I understand your question. Yes, several schools are now performing background checks on admitted applicants and rescinding offers from those who flunk said test. It is also not unheard of for the admissions committees to call your recommenders to conduct fact checking. (By the way, if the school contacts your recommender, it means they are interested in your candidacy. Several of our clients who were accepted into HBS informed us the school contacted their references.)

OK, to my belated point. If you are referring to the certificates Indian universities reward to document participation in extracurricular activities, no, these are not normally checked. Your key concerns should be that your GMAT score and transcript(s) are sent to the schools.

If you don’t need to retake the GMAT, build an alternate transcript etc., and your application is in great shape, then certainly submit it for the first-round deadline. Your chances will be higher in this round because (1) all of the admissions openings are still available and (2) it will help clearly signal that you do want to attend XYZ b-school and you have been putting a lot of thought into this career move for sometime. (Trust me that late-round applicants who spin stories about how they have been preparing for an MBA for several years from XYZ b-school are met with great skepticism.)

Yes, there will be a lot of enthusiastic applicants in round 1. However, the admissions committees have highly detailed historical records and they know approximately what % of their best applications are received in each round and they match this to the % of acceptances they make in each round as well.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,
David Petersam




Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

[recycled]

Hello David /Admission Consultants,
Have read a lot about you in BW and this forum as well.Please help me out with my queries-
Am taking my GMAT in January amd target a Decent Score targeting top B schools .I am from India and will be taking MBA exams here as well.
I just want to understand one thing,is the Admission process in the cream la creame schools in US a selection or a rejection process,i.e do they try to select people form the thousands of applicants or reject them case by case?
What is it that HBS ,Wharton and the likes really look into. I am working here in India for the last 4 years as a Telecom Engineer handling Network Quality and design for Hutchision Telecom.
I am a Btech with a GPA of 2.8 and a chequered past of both success and failures !
One more thing-recently one of my research papers in Telecom got selected in University of Texas at Austin for Publication and presentation.However they have a condition that Authors have to be present at the time of paper presentation at Texas ,at the wireless annual symposim .
Now I understand that a paper at an international level helps,but form an MBA aspirants perspective,will it really help,considering the time and the money involved.
Looking forward to hear from you,

Regards,
Rahul Joshi.
rahul.joshi@hutchindia.com
New Delhi ,10:00 hrs,
02/11/03

[sranju]

Hi David,
Thanks for yr reply.I am an Marine engineer in Merchant Navy.I hail from India.I scored 700 in GMAT and am having a GPA of 2.8.I have 7 years of international work experience.Which rank colleges do you think I shud apply to in US and Europe?
most humbly and respectfully would it be advisible to mention in my essay that I intend to go back to shipping after my MBA.Wont it lead the schools to beleive that I wont be accepting a job offered by companies coming for campus recruitement? I feel that such beleif might go against me.Whats yr take?
Can you give a rough idea of the percentage of students acceptd in each round of admission?
Thanx in advance

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by recycled

Hello David /Admission Consultants,
Have read a lot about you in BW and this forum as well.Please help me out with my queries-
Am taking my GMAT in January amd target a Decent Score targeting top B schools .I am from India and will be taking MBA exams here as well.
I just want to understand one thing,is the Admission process in the cream la creame schools in US a selection or a rejection process,i.e do they try to select people form the thousands of applicants or reject them case by case?
What is it that HBS ,Wharton and the likes really look into. I am working here in India for the last 4 years as a Telecom Engineer handling Network Quality and design for Hutchision Telecom.
I am a Btech with a GPA of 2.8 and a chequered past of both success and failures !
One more thing-recently one of my research papers in Telecom got selected in University of Texas at Austin for Publication and presentation.However they have a condition that Authors have to be present at the time of paper presentation at Texas ,at the wireless annual symposim .
Now I understand that a paper at an international level helps,but form an MBA aspirants perspective,will it really help,considering the time and the money involved.
Looking forward to hear from you,

Regards,
Rahul Joshi.
rahul.joshi@hutchindia.com
New Delhi ,10:00 hrs,
02/11/03

Hi Rahul and thanks for your inquiry.

You also emailed this inquiry to me and I answered your questions there. For the benefit of the other readers, I’ll provide a brief summary here as well.

The admissions committees at the top schools are employing a combination selection and rejection process. The top schools all have fairly similar interests in their applicants although they have some idiosyncrasies as well. They want smart applicants who can handle their curriculums without struggling. (The GPA and GMAT combined normally account for about 35% to 40% of the admissions decision.) They also want interesting people with good leadership and interpersonal skills who can contribute to the diversity of their schools. Career progression is also closely scrutinized. Something that is often overlooked by applicants is the importance of extracurricular activities. The admissions committees want applicants who will be active in their student communities.

From an admissions perspective, I wouldn’t worry about presenting the paper. This would probably be more important if you were pursuing admission for a Ph.D., but to an MBA admissions committee it’s just not that important.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,
David Petersam




Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

[AdmissionsConsultants]

Originally posted by sranju

Hi David,
Thanks for yr reply.I am an Marine engineer in Merchant Navy.I hail from India.I scored 700 in GMAT and am having a GPA of 2.8.I have 7 years of international work experience.Which rank colleges do you think I shud apply to in US and Europe?
most humbly and respectfully would it be advisible to mention in my essay that I intend to go back to shipping after my MBA.Wont it lead the schools to beleive that I wont be accepting a job offered by companies coming for campus recruitement? I feel that such beleif might go against me.Whats yr take?
Can you give a rough idea of the percentage of students acceptd in each round of admission?
Thanx in advance

Hi and thanks for your inquiry.

Your grades and GMAT are a bit on the low side for the top schools, particularly considering your demographic. With a well-prepared application, you should be competitive at the second tier U.S. b-schools and the European schools of similar ranking.

I’m glad you asked that second question. If you can show how an MBA will benefit you in the merchant industry (and I know this can be done), then by all means tell them this is your future career goal. They will **love** the diversity this industry experience brings and you will be an easily placed graduate, particularly if you can state that your employer has agreed to hire you back after you complete your MBA.

The breakout of students accepted in each round will vary from school to school and I’m not sure how much of this information is released externally anyway. The general rule of thumb is that it’s best to apply early. This helps to clearly signal the school really is a top choice for you and that you really have been proactive in your career and you have been planning to get an MBA for some time.

Best of luck with your applications!

Sincerely,
David Petersam




Admissions committee experience from the top b-schools

[HappyLeaf]

Hi, David,

I am thinking about doing an optional essay to address my low gpa. I am wondering if I can also address other issues in my optional essay such as why did I choose the government job and etc.

[sranju]

Hi David,
I understand I can provide diversity to any college..But I do need to fit in the mosaic..even an artist can provide diveristy me think...but he will have to work hard on his essays. Have few more queries.Will appreciate if can take some time out to answer them
1)Is the college to which I am applying, aware of the names of other colleges to which I am applying to?
2)Is it true that Re-applicants do not stand a good chance?
3)Can u name any good (1st tier/second tier) one year progg in US?
Thanx in advance
4)Hailing from India, I belong to a very competetive pool. Will belonging to a non IT pool make any difference.Will my app be evaluated be evaluated in the light of my demographics or my profession?
Thanx in advance