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

Deferred from your early applications to the US? Tips for what you can do A few weeks have gone by since you got that letter stating that you have been deferred from the US early admission round. Being deferred isn’t a straight out rejection; it simply means that your application will be reconsidered in the regular decision round and you will get a final decision by April. Why do universities defer? There are many reasons why universities defer students. For example, your university might want to see what else you are doing in your final year in terms of academics or extracurricular activities. Another reason you could have been deferred is if you haven’t submitted your test scores, letters of recommendations, transcripts or any other required document by the submission deadline. Alternately, some universities have too many applicants in the early admission round and want to wait till the regular decision to build their class. Whatever the reason, the ambiguity can be unse...

Are You Choosing the Right Subjects for Class 11 & 12? This is an intense time of year for class 10 students – on the cusp of young adulthood, as these kids face rigorous board exams in the coming months, they are also being asked to select subjects in their 11 th and 12 th standard curriculum. With the expansion of board options, subject selection becomes a tricky question for students who hope to study abroad within the next few years. Unfortunately a wrong choice at this critical phase can dash the dreams of aspiring students, which they only come to realise once it is too late. Depending on where you want to study, your approach to subject selection will vary slightly. In the UK, colleges set minimum entry requirements for specific courses. For example a BSc in Management Science from University College London requires students to achieve top scores in the highest level of math. Note that economics, business studies, accounts are not entry requirements for such courses ...

MBA Interview Prep 4: How to Thank Your Interviewer By the time you’ve finished your final interview, we are sure you are heaving a huge sigh of relief, thrilled to be done with this long and exhaustive MBA application process. But before you turn off the application part of your brain, there is one last thing you should think about – thanking your interviewer. This is a very simple thing, but it can end up confounding many, and some applicants end up sending out a convoluted thank you note, or an overly eager page-long email that negates their positive interview. While it is not requirement, sending a thank you note is a gesture that shows you appreciated the interviewer’s time, and valued the experience. It’s also a chance to cement their impression of you, and to follow up with questions. So let’s talk about how to ace that thank you note so you can finally relax. Brevity is the soul of wit – Your thank you note should be succinct and to the point. Think sonnet, not Haml...

GMAT or GRE: Which test should I take for business school? A critical component to your business school application are your test scores. While testing doesn’t necessarily work like an entrance exam, it is still significant. Business schools view your GMAT and/or your GRE scores to gauge your academic potential, evaluate your quantitative and verbal skills, as well as to better understand your readiness to be part of a rigorous program. You may be wondering if it matters which test you take, the GMAT or the GRE? Well, here are some things to keep in mind when making this choice: First, consider what schools and programs you are applying to : The good news is, most global business schools are now accepting both the GMAT or GRE score, and have no preference for either exam. Having said this, there are however a few MBA programs that only accept the GMAT. If you are thinking about testing and you have a program in mind, it’s worth checking the school’s specific test requireme...

Waiting for college admissions results can be stressful. Here’s how to make the best use of your time It’s been a couple of months since you submitted your university applications. So after focusing on them for the better part of last year, you may find yourself thinking, now what? What are you supposed to do until you find out which university you have been accepted to? Instead of counting down the days left for acceptance (or rejection) letters to start trickling in and thinking about what you could have done differently, use this time productively. There’s still a lot that you can do. 1)  Focus on your exams: If you are sitting for your 12th grade final exams, push back all thoughts of admission results and focus on studying! Universities take into consideration your final transcripts and in some cases, can retract your acceptance if they see a drop in your academics. If you receive conditional offers, you will need to maintain your grades or achieve high scores to...

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...

Are You Choosing the Right Subjects for Class 11 & 12? This is an intense time of year for class 10 students – on the cusp of young adulthood, as these kids face rigorous board exams in the coming months, they are also being asked to select subjects in their 11 th and 12 th standard curriculum. With the expansion of board options, subject selection becomes a tricky question for students who hope to study abroad within the next few years. Unfortunately a wrong choice at this critical phase can dash the dreams of aspiring students, which they only come to realise once it is too late. Depending on where you want to study, your approach to subject selection will vary slightly. In the UK, colleges set minimum entry requirements for specific courses. For example a BSc in Management Science from University College London requires students to achieve top scores in the highest level of math. Note that economics, business studies, accounts are not entry requirements for such courses ...

On a business school waitlist – what should you do? MBA round one and early results are out and some of you may be celebrating with exciting news, while some of you may be dealing with rejection from the business school that was at the top of your list. For those of you who have been placed on the business school’s waitlist, it’s unsettling and disappointing because there is no clear decision, but keep in mind that being placed on the waitlist isn’t a rejection; rather the admissions committee has decided to continue evaluating your application. While there is no guarantee you will be taken off the waitlist, you should use this time wisely in the event the waitlist opens up. Since being in limbo can be confusing, here are tips five for what you should do: 1. To wait or not wait: First off, you have to decide if you are willing to give up a guaranteed spot at another school for the possibility that you may be accepted from the waitlist. If the MBA program you are waitlisted f...

Waitlisted? Guidelines on using this time wisely College admissions results are in! Some exciting, some disappointing and some ambiguous. What do you do if you receive a notification that says you have been placed on a school’s waitlist? It is not an outright rejection, rather a position of uncertainty, which can be unsettling. And if you have been waitlisted at a school you love and really want to attend, the main question is “What can I do now?” Below are some useful guidelines to help you navigate this confusing time. Keep in mind, there is no guarantee you will be taken off the waitlist, but in the event the waitlist opens up, your new information might make all the difference and improve your chances of success. Follow instructions and do what the college has asked you to do! If they want you to tell them whether or not you want to remain on the waitlist, do so, immediately. If they want additional materials, or an updated transcript, new test results, send them. Some c...

Don’t Mind the Gap – Top 3 Reasons to Consider a College Gap Year The concept of taking a gap year has been around for a long time, but lately the popularity of the gap year is increasing as high profile students such as Malia Obama opt to take a year out before joining Harvard. According to some reports, there has been a 23% increase in gap year students in the US as of 2016. In fact, more and more prestigious colleges and universities are strongly advocating students take a gap year before joining college. Harvard has seen a 33% increase in gap year students, and even MIT has seen a substantial increase in the number of students opting for a gap year. Institutions such as Tufts, Princeton and The University of North Carolina even have service-based gap year programs and fellowships built into their admissions process. If you haven’t thought about it yet, here are three reasons to get you thinking about why a gap year might be an excellent idea to consider – Better Equipped : Ac...