Education Consulting Services for Study in USA, UK, Canada & Abroad - The Red Pen

College or MBA Admissions Interviews Coming Up? Some Useful Tips You might be getting ready for your interview with admissions officers, other university representatives or alumni in preparations for your studies abroad. While the purpose of the interview is to help a university better understand where an applicant may fit into the campus environment, it is also a wonderful opportunity for you to ask questions, convey your sincerity and things that can’t always be put down on paper. Some useful tips and reminders we often share with our clients… Mind your manners and appearance. Dress appropriately and arrive on/dial in on time. Remember the interviewer’s name and to say thank you at the end of the interview. DO NOT text, What’s App or take calls during the interview. If doing the interview by Skype or other online platform, ensure that you have a backup Internet connection and that no one will walk into the room during your session.  Know all the details on your applicat...

Decoding MBA Admission Results For global MBA applicants, round one results are starting to come in. Unfortunately it is the rejections that come first. For a lot of people, plans for getting a Global MBA are part of a lifelong trajectory, the next step in their professional process. If your round one MBA application results are not what you had hoped, there are some useful strategies for moving forward. The first thing you need to do is step back and look carefully at your application to try and understand what went wrong. Did you rush through the application and complete it at the last minute? Maybe you should schedule your time better on round two applications. Similarly, did you ask your recommenders too late? Recommenders need ample time and direction to complete the letters of recommendation if they are to be compelling. We typically advise applicants to approach recommenders 3-4 months before applying and to schedule at least two meetings to discuss recommendation cont...

MBA Interview Prep 3: Difference between admissions committee and alumni interviews 3rd in a 4-part series on MBA interviews Different institutes conduct interviews in different ways, and knowing the format for these interviews beforehand can help you prepare. While all interviews are aimed to learn more about the applicant, in terms of their personality, motivations and whether he or she would thrive in that program, the style and focus of alumni interviews are often different than those conducted by the admissions team. For some schools, including Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, and Carnegie Mellon Tepper, a member of the admissions committee (AdCom) leads the interview. For other programs, such as Columbia Business School, Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth, and Northwestern Kellogg, alumni, typically those living in the region, interview potential candidates. In general, for AdCom interviews, the interviewer has read some or all of your application materials, including the res...

Applying for an MBA in the upcoming application cycle? Consider these guidelines for effective time management If you are thinking about applying to MBA programs this year, or even thinking about thinking about MBA programs this year, you probably feel like you have plenty of time to apply. And of course, you do have a lot of time, right now, in this moment, to apply to business school. But the problem with time is that it just slips away from us, doesn’t it? We have countless applicants who, despite signing on early, end up scrambling to make their deadlines. While the pressure of deadlines might be your best motivation, the reality is that the best work submitted to universities is work that has been carefully drafted over a period of time. Applicants who manage their time well and work progressively on their materials not only submit stronger applications, but they tend to have internalised their goals, stories and strengths in ways that help them communicate comfortably du...

What are ‘MBA Goals’ and Why Do They Matter ?    Strange as it might sound, one of the things that really stumps MBA candidates, when they work on their business school applications, are questions focused on their career and personal goals. More than one applicant has been surprised, and a little overwhelmed, when they realize that a core part of their MBA application is the articulation of clear, well-considered short and long-term goals. If the underlying premise of every business school application is an argument for “Why MBA, Why Now”, then your goals are going to be a vital part of your application. Business schools see your goals as the best argument for why you need to pursue an MBA abroad counselling at all. The lack of a strong, logical and understandable goal trajectory can severely impact your chances of being seriously considered at your target schools. Additionally, knowing your goals helps you pick programs that align with your profile and...

 Letters of recommendation: Leave nothing to chance   As you prepare your applications for study programs abroad – whether bachelors, masters or MBA – you are likely focused on your personal essays, college selection and standardized testing. Each of these is an extremely important part of the application process and should not be overlooked. However, another critical aspect of your application will be the letter of recommendation (LOR). Do not make the mistake of thinking that all you need to do is request an LOR and the recommender will do the rest. Your LOR, like everything else, requires planning and attention from you. Why are LORs important? Carefully cultivating your recommendation letter is important because it is a third party endorsement of you and also often serves as a corroboration of other parts of your application. US undergraduate admissions officers say that that recommendation is the single-most influential factor in admissions decisions at selecti...

Business School Resume – Your Professional Narrative For those of you preparing your applications for MBA programs, we are sure you have been studying hard for the GMAT (read our article on GMAT or GRE , if you are wondering which test to take) and working furiously on your essays (right??). But one thing you might not be thinking much about is your resume . As top mba admission consultants , we find that most people we work with initially feel confident in their resumes — after all, it’s something they already have on hand, and it’s helped them secure their current job. But a business school resume is actually a little different from a professional resume. It’s important to know those differences and make sure you carve out some time to work on your MBA resume early in the application process. Here are some of our tips for how you can make your resume business-school ready. You will find that thinking about your resume in terms of your MBA application will help you create your...

Many Indian MBA applicants interested in doing their mba abroad counselling know the M7 , the top seven business programs in the US, because they are highly ranked names that are globally recognised. But the reality is, there are so many amazing programs out there, which offer a better fit and real advantages for their students. And restricting yourself to the M7 might not be realistic, or beneficial, for you. We interact with admissions officers and representatives from programs all over the world through campus visits and information sessions in Mumbai, and membership in professional organisations such as AIGAC . This helps us dig deep and understand how certain programs can help Indian applicants get the most out of their business school experience. These interactions enable us to give our clients more information about fit, philosophy and opportunities, and are also exciting ways to learn about what’s new at business schools, what the school has to offer applicants and what ...

3rd in a 4-part series on MBA interviews Different institutes conduct interviews in different ways, and knowing the format for these interviews beforehand can help you prepare. While all interviews are aimed to learn more about the applicant, in terms of their personality, motivations and whether he or she would thrive in that program, the style and focus of alumni interviews are often different than those conducted by the admissions team. For some schools, including Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, and Carnegie Mellon Tepper, a member of the admissions committee (AdCom) leads the interview. For other programs, such as Columbia Business School, Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth, and Northwestern Kellogg, alumni, typically those living in the region, interview potential candidates. In general, for AdCom interviews, the interviewer has read some or all of your application materials, including the resume, essays, and forms as well as your letters of recommendation. This means they have...