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The Graduate AdvisorSPECIAL: BUSINESS SCHOOL SELECTION CRITERIA FOR INTERNATIONAL MBA DATE: SPRING 2013 ISSUE: #28

I got stranded inLondon for twoweeks last summerdue to a Russian visadelay. (There areworse places to bestranded, I know.)

I decided to use the unexpected free timeto visit the historic universities ofCambridge and Oxford, places I had alwaysheard about but never had the chancereally to understand. While there I visitedthe Cambridge Judge School of Businessand the Oxford Said School of Business,and the idea for this article germinated.

The “College” System of Oxford andCambridge

Oxford and Cambridge are the heart ofwhat is known as “the College System.” Inthe United States we use the word “college”and “university” but (with the exception ofColumbia) not at all in the same sense asthey use the words here at Cambridge and

Oxford. Academics from Oxford andCambridge always stress how reallydifferent it is. So I wanted to understandwhat all the fuss was about.

In the United States, and I think in mostcountries, “university” is a word thatdescribes an institution of learning that is“universal”, that involves manydisciplines and departments of learning.These departments are often calledcolleges, where students study; butstudents turn to the University for thecommon facilities, such as the library, thedorms, the bookshops, etc. I, for example,got my bachelor ’s degree from theDepartment of Political Science, in theCollege of Arts and Letters within myAmerican university San Diego StateUniversity. I lived in a universitydormitory, ate at the university commonsand only took my classes in the politicalscience department. I only knew that Iwas attached to a “college” at all becauseit said so on my diploma when I graduated.

The opposite is true at Oxford andCambridge. The Oxford or Cambridge“College” really is the center of life, notthe center of one specific academicdiscipline.

My guide to the college system was myfriend Demetrius Floudas, a Fellow of

Continued, next page ...

By Marian Dent, Dean, Pericles.Dent holds a Juris Doctorate from theUniversity of California, Berkeley

Top MBA Programs ofEngland: Part 1, Oxford andCambridge.

Zen and Art of GMAT

By Andrew Mendelssohn, GMAT & LegalSkills Professor. Pericles, Moscow.

I have been preparingstudents for the GMATexam and assisting themthrough the applicationadmission procedures fora number of years, andone of the phrases I

commonly hear from perspective MBAapplicants is that they need to “pass theGMAT.” In fact, in my opinion there is no suchthing as “passing the GMAT.” So, the firstpiece of advice that I give any prospectiveMBA applicant is that the GMAT can simplybe likened to a door they need to pass throughto reach their goal of being admitted to abusiness school. Of course, the GMAT is avery important door, but like any rite of passage,getting past it painlessly only requires havingthe right attitude, a focused approach, andadequate preparation.

However, before anything else, I stronglyencourage you (my audience today) to identifythe business schools where you want to apply.Deciding where you want to take your MBAsis the first step in being adequately preparedfor the exam, and the main reason why there isno real “passing” or “failing” the exam. Eachand every business school has its own specificentry requirements. Hence, until you actuallysit, research your potential choices, and makea decision, you actually do not know what scoreyou need. Too many students approach theirGMAT preparation with the firm conviction thatthey MUST go to Harvard (or someplacesimilar) without ever really considering whetherHarvard is the right place for them. Does thismean I am telling you not to apply to Harvard?No, of course it does not, but I am saying thatproper GMAT preparation only begins byidentifying where you do want to apply, andthat your ultimate decision should be wellinformed and researched. Too many peoplerush to apply to a school that is not right forthem because they read a set of rankings in amagazine. An MBA is a very expensive andtime consuming degree, and the decision aboutwhere to take it should not be made lightly.And actually, until you identify where you aregoing to apply, you do not know what scoreyou really need, which makes your realpreparation like studying in an informationvacuum, without a reference point againstwhich to mark your progress.

See ZEN, page 6.Oxford feels like a university within a town

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Hughs Hall College, Cambridge. Thatdoesn’t mean he studied at Hughs Hall -instead, he lived and dined there whilestudying for his advanced degree. Whilea student, he attended guest lectures andspecial events at Hughs Hall, receivedtutorials from higher level students there,and basically became emotionally attachedto his college. Demetrius happened tohave studied in the law school, but othermembers of Hughs Hall studied politics,mathematics, whatever, in all differentdisciplines of the university.

Demetrius graduated years ago andreturned to Hughs Hall to give a guestlecture, something that Fellows regularlydo apparently. Although he is not workingat Cambridge full time, as a Fellow, he stillhas the right to live in guest rooms at hiscollege, and the right to use the Fellow’sroom, a beautifully appointed privatelounge for entertaining guests.

At first I was skeptical about this“college” idea. It’s nothing different thana dormitory, I thought. But then I began torealize that students really are attached totheir college like a fraternity or social club,in a way they wouldn’t be to just adormitory. The colleges have their ownsocial events, raise their own sports teams,and have a rather stiff rivalry with someother colleges (especially in rowing).Members of a Cambridge or Oxford collegecan be called upon to help each other forlife.

For a business student, the differentdisciplines that members of the collegestudy can also be a future businessadvantage. Instead of always socializingwith other business students the way youwould do in many business schools, atOxford or Cambridge you will spend a lotof time socializing in your college withcomputer geeks, engineering whizzes,geographers, etc. How handy might thatbe when the geek and the whiz are lookingfor business experts to take their newestinvention public? How handy might it bewhen you are going off on a globalconsulting project to Brazil, and thegeographer just finished a paper with fullprojections on deforestation in thecountry?

In sum, the Oxford and Cambridge collegesystems are designed to give theirgraduates social networks andunderstanding of disciplines much broaderand more varied than students could getin a purely B-school environment. NowI’m sold on the idea.

So now that you understand Colleges, letslook at Cambridge and Oxford business schools.

Cambridge and the Judge School ofBusiness

Cambridge is an historic university town.The university, and the river Cam seem to bethe heart of everything. The toweringsteeples of a bygone era, and presence ofstudents everywhere, simply inspireslearning and exudes college life. From thetree that dropped an apple on his head andcaused Isaac Newton to theorize gravity, tothe bar where Watson and Crick argued aboutthe structure of DNA, you can’t help feelingthat great thinking happens at Cambridge. Iwas a little awestruck in fact.

steroids! It certainly wasn’t what I expected,but I really liked it.

Academically, I also liked what the JudgeSchool was about. I spoke with James Barker,in admissions, who was extremely responsiveto my emails requesting a visit, and wasobviously very proud of his school. Judgehas a small class size—about 150—whichallows everyone to get to know one another.They are “not looking for conveyer beltstudents” Barker emphasized. He explainedthat the school attracts interesting students,who sometimes have unusual backgroundsfor B-school. He described art and theaterstudents who had gotten MBAs at Judge.The school has a reputation for being originaland open to new ideas. Just seeing thebuilding, I really believe that.

Despite their non-conveyor beltbackgrounds, students apparently findfinance the most popular concentration ofstudy. About 50-60% of Judge graduates endup in finance in London. That’s quite a highstatistic considering that the school is veryinternational and only about 7% of studentsoriginate from the U.K. Other popularconcentrations are entrepreneurship andtechnology. The school has two newprofessors of entrepreneurship who startedjust this year.

Another thing Judge is looking for in itsstudents is a collaborative attitude. TypicalJudge students are a bit older and moreexperienced than their counterparts in U.S.MBA programs, and the school is activelysearching for collaborative experience andtraits when perusing student applications. It’san essential quality really, because herestudents are assigned to study groups—onein the first term and another in the second.It’s an important part of the Judge learningexperience to work with a team that you

One of the oldest colleges at Cambridge

Outside Judge blends well with theCambridge styletown

Judge School of Business continues thatfeeling but in a totally different way. Theschool is synonymous with innovation andthat starts with the building, which is modern,but is done in an exterior style that fitsbeautifully and unobtrusively into thehistoric style of Cambridge. Inside, however,the Judge building is a masterpiece of colorand fun: blue portal windows, blue and pinkstriped columns, pattern-painted ceilings andcriss-crossing wood and wire railedwalkways. It’s like a child’s playhouse on

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probably wouldn’t have selected for yourself.Good management, after all, is knowing how toget the most out of workmates with diversebackgrounds.

Indeed, collaboration continues into theschool’s attitude to grades. Students work hardat Judge, but there isn’t the kind of grade stressthat permeates some lesser B-schools. The top10% of the class makes the Dean’s List (ie theequivalent of a red diploma). But, althoughemployers could ask for students’ transcripts,the reality is that they don’t. A Cambridgediploma speaks for itself with H.R.

Judge has a flexibly timed program, lastingfrom nine months to a year. Students begin inSeptember, and may end in June if they wish.But most continue until August to get involvedin research, internships, study trips and otheractivities that occur during the summer. Thosewho leave earlier are doing so because ofemployer demands. “The good thing aboutbeing a small school” said James “is that wecan be reactive and flexible to student needs.”In either case, it’s a very short time frame for theamount of activities that Judge puts into itsprogram. So it looks like students are busyfrom their first day onward.

Three of those things that keep students busyare the Cambridge Venture Project in the firstterm, the Global Consulting Project that takesplace in the Spring, and the Capstone Projectthat is designed to help consolidate a student’schosen specialization.

The Cambridge Venture Project happens fortwo to three weeks alongside classes. Studentsare assigned to groups that help high techstartups. Of course, with the whole ofCambridge University’s brainpower to tap into,I’m guessing the availability of fascinatingstartup projects to work with is really broad.

The mandatory Global Consulting Project,conducted over the Easter break when classes

are out of session, sends students to prepareand present consulting projects for topinternational companies. Most of the projectsalso involve travel abroad, to Brazil, India,Africa, the U.S. or elsewhere. The JudgeSchool lines up several projects, and studentspitch for the ones they want to work on andthe country they want to go to. Students canalso suggest their own projects.

In the late Spring, students join one of eightspecialization groups that attend coachingnights, speaker events, dinner debates, etc .,in their chosen field, and which culminate in agroup Capstone Consulting Project andpresentation that is supposed to bring togethereverything that the students have learned overtheir year and in their specialization. Thepossible specializations, with such names as“Beyond Profit” and “Cultural Arts and MediaManagement” imply that the innovation motifcontinues here too at Judge.

Alongside the projects, of course, are theregular academics. The Management Sciencecourse is apparently extremely popular withstudents, plus of course students receive allthe usual required courses in a B-schoolcurriculum, and can choose courses fromamong 35electives. That’s a lot of choice for aone year program.

This action packed year at Cambridge issuccessful careerwise, with 98% of job seekersemployed within three months of graduation,and many, as mentioned, staying in the U.K.

Of course, in the Cambridge tradition, besidesbeing admitted to Judge, a student must alsobe admitted to a college. Judge helps studentswith this, they make suggestions and advisetheir accepted applicants aboutaccommodations. It’s rare for a student to beaccepted by Judge and then rejected by thecolleges. (Unlike in undergraduate programsat Cambridge and Oxford , where studentsapply first to a college, for students in businessschool, the college application is a minor,secondary addition to the B-schoolapplication.) I was warned that there are someof the trade offs in associating with theprestigious, historic, but rather uncomfortable,oldest colleges such as Kings, where roomsare small, ceilings are low, toilets are scarceand central heating is a rare luxury. Most Judgestudents prefer to live in the relative comfortof the “newer” colleges, or just to associatewith a college but to actually live off campus.Demetrius’ beloved Hughs Hall is apparentlya popular choice for Judge students.

Judge school is not cheap, but is reasonableas far as business schools go: at approximately38,000 pounds a year, college fees of aroundanother 2,500 pounds, plus about another10,000 for living expenses. But about 60% ofthe students receive partial scholarships, atan average of 5000 to 10,000 pounds.

Judge’s 80% range of GMAT scores is 640

to 720. There were five Russian students inlast year’s class, and two in the current class,and the school is actively interested in Russianapplicants. James Barker laughed a bit when Iasked if any Russian students had difficultieswith U.K. visas. Visas are not generally aproblem for students admitted to Cambridge.

Judge also has an Executive MBA and severalmasters programs, but I didn’t discuss these inmy interview.

Oxford Said School of Business

If Cambridge can be described as a UniversityTown, then Oxford is more of a University withina town. The town of Oxford is considerablylarger than Cambridge, and the colleges andbuildings of the University are more spreadout. Still though, the city feels old, and thesurroundings inspire an academic mindset. Imanaged to get time for a commercial touraround the University, with my fellow touristssnapping numerous pictures of Christ ChurchCollege - the set of the infamous HogwortsAcademy from Harry Potter.

Inside Judge is like a childsplayhouse

Parts of Harry Potter were filmedhere at Oxford

Punting on the River Cam

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Said School itself is a little out of the historiccenter of Oxford, but it’s still walkable fromthe rest of the university, and it does have theadvantage of being near the train station forthose who hanker for a quick trip into Londonto visit potential employers.

The building is a modern brick and glass block.Frankly, it’s not charming at all from the outside.And going inside, you walk through a largeopen lobby, sparsely furnished with blackcouches. A large reception desk is at the back,where the receptionist glances at securitycameras to make sure no one is attempting atheft from the bike rack on the side of thebuilding. It could be any large, anonymous,office building in metropolitan any city.

After getting past reception though, thebuilding improves a lot. The neutral beige andblack is the antithesis of the colorful playgroundat Judge, but lots of space and light abounds.And in the coffee shop they have a scale modelof a new outdoor amphitheater where they planto hold concerts, guest speaker events andgraduation. Raquel Lisson, who showed mearound explained “Oxford Said is a good placethat mixes the traditions of an ancient universitywith a very new place that has upcomingtechnology and modern ideas.”

Inside Said is all light and space

Outside Said is a big brick block

center offers five full “skollarships” forpromising social entrepreneurs from all overthe world. The center also collaborates withthe Skoll Foundation that invests in socialentrepreneurship projects and innovations;and it hosts the Skoll World Forum, a platformfor innovative thinking and discussion aboutsocial issues.

Said is quite a bit bigger than Judge. Eachclass has about 220-250 students. To keepthe feeling of the class smaller though, Saiddivides its entering class into three groups of75-85 students each. For the first term,students take classes within their core group,and get to know their group very well.

The second term consists of working on anentrepreneurship project, taking two morecore courses, and your choice of two electives.At Easter break, most Said students attend“treks” to different areas of the world, wherethey meet with Said alumni and potentialemployers or business partners, and learnwhat doing business is like in the countrythey are visiting.

After the treks, the rest of the study year isall elective courses. They use a bid systemfor students to choose what electives theywant to take, and with which professors. I’mtold that Professor Tom Suzuki’s accountingcourse is very popular, as is a private equitycourse taught by Professor Tim Jenkinson.

As befits a school that favors teachingentrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs over“old economy” sector people, Said does nothave a strict study team approach. Whetherto use teams to prepare case studies for classis at the discretion of the individual professor,and tends to vary according to whether theteam approach fits the subject matter.

The highlight of the school year at Said is asummer Strategic Consulting Project thatstudents undertake. They can choose topropose their topics, or can pick from amongthose offered by the school all over the world.Students who prefer to can also elect to takecourses, prepare research projects, orundertake internships in the summer.

Getting in to Said is only slightly lesscompetitive than getting into Judge. The 80%range of GMAT scores is 620-700. I was toldthat if you get below 600 it would be advisableto retake the exam before applying.

Despite the slightly lower competitiveness,however, the tuition is a little bit higher: 41,000pounds this year, plus there is a 3,150 poundcollege fees and of course living expenses of atleast 13,000 pounds. 95% of Said’s studentscome from outside of England, so Said is quitefamiliar with helping foreign students arrangeloans, although they admit that there have beenapplicants who were accepted but couldn’t comeup with the money to attend.

If you apply to Said, Raquel Lisson stressed,you should try to apply early. If you wait untilthe third round there is less financial aid availableand less space available in the colleges.

If Said accepts students, then some college atOxford has to accept them, so there is no worryabout that end of it. Indeed, the college systemwas downplayed more here than at Cambridge.Most MBA students live in apartments and onlyvisit and dine in their colleges a few times a year.I was told that, frankly, the MBA program wasvery demanding and students didn’t have muchtime for the social life and events that the collegeshave to offer. I believe it.

Said School is indeed new. It was set up in1996. They have a 12 month, full time MBAprogram for those with a minimum three to aboutsix years of work experience. Raquelemphasized that work experience is importantto Said’s admissions office. Rhodes scholarsmay have less than three years, but otherwiseit’s best to wait to apply until you have therequisite experience to contribute meaningfullyto class discussion.

Said also has an executive MBA that mainlyattracts candidates with 13 to 15 years ofexperience. The executive program starts inJanuaries, and lasts for 21 months, with studentsspending one week on campus every five tosix weeks.

If Judge could be characterized by the word“innovation” then “entrepreneurship” seemsto be the word characterizing Said. Said isextremely proud of its Jeffrey Skoll Center forSocial Enterpreneurship. Each year the Skoll

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For many years, businessschools have used the sametools for assessing theirapplicants’ potential: inaddition to the GRE, TOEFL,

and GMAT, they demanded letters ofrecommendation, resumes, and essaysexplaining why the applicants wanted to beadmitted and what they planned on doing withtheir MBAs after graduation.

More recently, business schools have startedto change the admission format, introducingnew application evaluation methods, such astwitter and Powerpoint presentations, whichthey hope will give them more accurate overallimpressions of applicants.

To cite just one example of this new trend inapplication procedures, the University ofToronto’s Rotman School has replaced one ofits traditional written essays with a videointerview, as they felt that four lengthy writtenessays did not give them enough differentiationbetween candidates. The Rotman Schoolintroduced the video interview to replace oneof the written essays, hopefully reproducingthe spontaneity of an in-person interview.Applicants log on and are allowed to practicewith an unlimited number of sample questions.When they are ready, they are asked twoquestions: the first is given to all applicants;the second is computer-selected from anexisting bank. Applicants have 45 seconds toformulate their answers, and 45 seconds toverbalize it.

The subject of the second question may be alife- or career-changing event; or it may be anexplanation of how a colleague, or former boss,or former professor would describe theapplicant. The 90-second length was notchosen arbitrarily: it was decided on after alengthy study. In that time, a candidate isexpected to make at least one important andsuccinct point in his or her favor.

These innovations in the admissions formatare indicative of changes happening in thewhole MBA application process. Formerly,business schools usually called candidates foran interview only after reviewing theirapplications. The Rotman School is just oneexample of a school changing the usualapproach.

Recently, the Harvard Business School wasdeluged with approximately 9,500 applications;the school sent out 855 interview invitations(approximately 9%) for the first round, andabout the same percentage for the secondround. Harvard admits around 90% of its 900students from candidates in the first two rounds,so the chances of being admitted if called upfor an interview are close to 50%. Harvard,however, has also moved past the standardessay then interview format. As of this year,applicants who have been interviewed will haveto submit a third and final application essay

Unsolicited Advice from Uncle Al:Issue 3. Business Schools in the Processof Innovating the Application Procedure:prepare to be on video.

(summarizing their interview) within 24 hoursafter its finish. The purpose of this change is tosee how well and how accurately students canexpress themselves when dealing with timepressure, which Harvard feels will give it just aslightly more accurate picture of its applicants.

Harvard is not alone among the top-10 inintroducing new innovations in the applicationprocedure. The Wharton School has recentlyintroduced the concept they call Team BasedDiscussion as an integral part of their interviewprocess. Applicants face the interview panelas part of a group. The interview consists ofgroup questions.

Wharton bases its evaluation on threeimportant criteria: academic backgrounds andachievements, exceptional professionaltrajectories and accomplishments, andindividual personal qualities. Wharton believesthat the Team Based Discussion will improveapplicant screening for two basic reasons. First,much as in a standard interview, it givesapplicants a chance to demonstrate aspects ofthemselves that they found difficult to bringout in writing. Second, this group interactionalso give applicants the opportunity toexperience for themselves those values, suchas intellectual curiosity and interpersonalengagement, that the Wharton school feels areof paramount importance. The latter also givesWharton a chance to see how well applicantsactually do in a group environment before theyare actually admitted. Proponents of the newtechnique are absolutely certain that it revealsmuch more of an applicants’ true characters byshowcasing how they interact with othermembers of a bigger team.

Of course, attempts to change and improvethe application procedure have been going onfor years. Chicago Booth has regularly requiredapplicants to submit their third essay as aPowerpoint presentation. Students are givenfour slides and 600 words to present who theyare to the admissions committee. NYU Sternhas likewise allowed students to complete itslast admissions essay in a number of formats,including a video presentation, tweets, song,poetry, and yes, a traditional essay.

Business Schools in general, in an attempt tomodernize, are adjusting not just theirapplication procedures but their programs aswell. Many schools, such as Kellogg, haveimplemented one-year programs in addition tothe traditional US two-year MBAs. The abilityto study part of the MBA abroad is also nowpart of many US programs, an example beingthe collaboration between Wharton andINSEAD.

In the near future, applicants should expectto have a much greater choice in programs andmuch more innovative application procedures.The MBA interviews will see more and moreexperimental techniques, such as videointerviews, and other alternatives to writtenessays.

One of the advantages of a video interviewis that you can keep a sheet of facts out ofsight of the camera that you can refer to so thatyour answers will sound cohesive, but be surenot to over-rehearse so that they do not sound

canned. Here are some tips to prepare you for avideo interview (most of which can be used inany general interview situation):

Do a lot of preparation. Think about possiblequestions, and your answers to them. Why doI want an MBA? Why do I want to go to thisschool? What are my strong points? What aremy weak points? How would I interact in a smallteam? Or a large team? What are my greatestachievements? Where do I want to be 10 yearsfrom now?

Practice in front of a mirror, or with one orseveral friends or family members. Invitecritique; not criticism necessarily, but critique.

Listen, listen, listen. Listen to the question,and if necessary, take a pause for a few secondsto formulate an excellent answer.

Avoid clichés, repetition and awkwardpauses, shun overused words and phrasessuch as “basically”, “proactive”, “time frame”.If you must fill the conversation, useexpressions that are easy on the ear, such as “Isee would you mean,” or “I understand yourquestion.” A little flattery such as “An excellentquestion I was just thinking about that myself,”is not amiss, provided you use it no more thanonce.

Have a genuine conversation. Use aconversational tone, do not lecture orpontificate.

Be ready for questions out of left field. Ifyou’re really caught unaware, use one of thephrases suggested above to give yourself alittle time to think of a good answer.

If you are asked a question to which youdon’t know the answer, don’t make somethingup. Interviewers are expert at picking up a bluff,and it would cost you dearly. Admit you don’tknow an answer, but say you will look that upimmediately.

Do not wander, answer the question, do notvolunteer additional information that may beunimportant, or worse, which may distract fromyour conversation.

This should not, however, prevent you fromopening windows into possible new vistas ofconversation.

Prepare intelligent questions of your own.Having looked up the school program online,or perhaps spoken with someone at the school,you will doubtless have questions of your ownthat will show the interviewer that you havetaken the time and made the effort to find outrelevant facts about the school, and this willweigh in your favor. Do not ask questions theanswers to which are easily available inpamphlets or on the school’s site.

Dress appropriately. Once again, I stress thatfirst impressions are the lasting ones. Aninterviewer who sees an applicant in a sloppyT-shirt, and with hair that is not combed, willnot be impressed at all.

A thank-you note as a follow-up will leave avery nice impression with the interviewer.Mention a specific point or two that you thinkyou made outstandingly well, and of coursetell the interviewer how much you appreciatehis or her time.

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Most business schools put informationabout their city of location on theirwebsite. Research more via Google.Discussion forums on various websitesmight be useful here.

4. Teaching MethodologiesNow this is one more

important thing that Ifeel can impact ourlearning. Although Ihave come tounderstand that much

of the learning in a business school happensthrough peers, for whatever part that happensin the classroom, the teaching methodologywill definitely play a significant role in graspingthe fundamentals of some courses.

Most popularly, there are two types ofteaching methods viz. Case Based Approachand the Lecture based approach. These days,some business schools believe that not oneapproach is suited for everything and hencedepending on the course content, businessschools are combining courses with a mix ofcases, lectures and group discussions. Let usconsider the values of each approach.

B-schools selection,continued from Page 8.

For the sake of argument, let us say that youdo, in fact, want to go to Harvard. I wouldimagine, based on my experience, that yournext sentence would be how you MUST score“700 or higher” on the GMAT. The problemhere, though, is that while everybodyobviously wants to score as high as possibleon the exam, not everybody (even peopleapplying to the very top schools) needs a 700+score.

So, the next step after identifying where youwant to apply is to identify what score youprobably do need, and this is done by lookingat the schools’ statistics. Ideally, you want tobe in what I call the 80% range – in other words,within the top 80% of all people admitted. Yes,getting as high a score as possible is still agood thing, but focusing on some artificiallyhigh score can be counter-productive to doingwell on the exam. All you need to do is look atthe statistics: even the very top schools admitpeople with sub-700 scores. So, do not focuson some ridiculously high score! Set yourselfa score range, something reasonable: “I needto score between 650 and 700.”

All of this relates to one of the mostimportant aspects of GMAT preparation:attitude. I encourage my students to practicesomething I call ‘Zen and the Art of GMAT.”GMAT “Zen” works something like this: theless you care, the better you will do. In fact, Iwant you to score that 700+ score, but I will

immediately tell you to forget that score asyour goal while you are studying. Why? Inmy experience, focusing on a very high score(before you actually know your own level)makes studying harder. I have seen manyexamples of early members of the “700+ Club”stressing themselves out so badly that theyperform terribly on the exam. Once you haveidentified what score range you need, try toforget about it. Yes, you need to considerscores when assessing your practiceperformance. However, you will do muchbetter if you learn, somehow, to “just notcare.”

I do not mean do not care about getting intobusiness school: I mean you need to relax.Relax! Do not get emotionally or intellectuallyinvolved in the GMAT. The GMAT is just anexam you must deal with on your way to biggerand better things, and you will not care aboutyour score past the first day of your MBAprogram. Worrying about what score you aregoing to get before you have even taken theexam will only stress you, not help you. TheGMAT is a CAT test, meaning that thedifficulty and points-value of each questionis based those of the previous question(s).The last thing you want to do when takingthe exam is to be worrying about question 4when you are dealing with question 10. Youneed to compartmentalize everything and todeal with every aspect of preparation (andeventually every question) as they come,stress free. To do this, your attitude shouldinclude this GMAT “Zen” approach.

ZEN, continued from Page 1. Finally, I will say a word about preparation:study! I am not going to tell you exactly howto study, but I do believe that you need totake a preparation course (the one I teach, Ihope). Taking a course will put you in a teamenvironment, and again, based on myexperience, those people who take apreparation course do better than those whodo not. Having said that, preparation reallyinvolves more than studying. All of you, ifyou are really considering taking an MBA,need to be reading material in English on adaily basis. Reading comprehension takes timeto develop, and once you begin your studiesyou will need to read hundreds of pages oftext per week. Start reading now! An hour aday reading internet articles or novels will goa long way towards helping you achieve yourGMAT target in a passive, stress-free way.Next, if you are not a native speaker, practiceyour English. Take any chance you get tospeak, to use your language skills! Insist onwatching films with subtitles instead ofdubbing. These small steps alone willsignificantly help you prepare for both GMATand your MBA program.

And, for the last time, Relax! GMAT is simplya passing concern – never get so focused onthe exam that you forget what your ultimategoal is: a world class business education thatwill hopefully lead to a bigger and brighterprofessional future.

While the case approach is best suited forlearning the real-world applications of theconcepts first hand, it might be sometimesnot very suitable to courses which a studentmight not have any background about. In myopinion, case approach is best suited when astudent has some background into the coursecontent and then he learns to use thoseconcepts to solve real problems.

The theoretical lecture based teaching willhelp learn the fundamentals but only in atheoretical sense, there will be limitedopportunities to see the concepts beingapplied to real world problems.

Thus while selecting a business school, anapplicant must gauge his best learningmethodology based on past experience andknowledge about business fundamentals.

Information about teaching methods isusually available on the Curriculum sectionof the business school’s website.

5. Student Culture – Collaborative vs.Competitive

This is again one of the major factors thatmust go into the decision making processwhile selecting a business school. As analumnus once told me, the business conceptsremain the same everywhere, accounting will

be accounting in every b-school, but whatdiffers from school to school is the culture ofthe school. Every business school has its

distinct signature of the student culture. Onehas to find his fit within the studentcommunity.

This fit is very important as it appears everytime during discussions of business schoolselection. Business schools have eithercompetitive or collaborative student culture.Even within these two broad categories, thereis a lot of distinction and focus across schools.Unfortunately, getting to know about thestudent culture of the business school becomesthe toughest job in business school research.A fit into the culture of the school helps torealize the true potential of the MBA program.

The best way to learn about culture of theschool is to visit the school. However, this mightnot be possible for every applicant and hence,

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as applicants, we must talk to current students/alumni at the business school. The onlinediscussion forums are a great tool to connectto current students. A lot of current studentsfrom various schools have started discussionthreads which are usually like “XYZ businessschool – Current Students taking questions”.

6. Career Center, Recruitment, Work VisaPolicies, Desired Companies.

One goes to businessschool with a desire tofinally end up in hisdesired function/indus t ry /company.Hence, as applicants wemust understand the

resources provided by the concerned CareerManagement Center in helping through therecruiting process. The job hunt in US or forthat matter in most desirable places to work isdifficult. The student has to do a lot ofnetworking before he gets shortlisted for theinterview. Networking drives a lot of recruiting.The thing to look out for here is how activeand responsive is the career managementcentre towards the students’ requirements. Inmy research, unfortunately, I have come tounderstand that not every career managementcentre is same and hence a lot of research isnecessary in this direction.

Information on this can be availed only bytalking to current students at various schoolsand then one has to make his own conclusionsbased on the conversation.

Apart from the career management centreconsideration, a prospective applicant mustalso know if his desired dream companies cometo the campus for interviews. More so, thenumber of candidates being hired by one’sdream companies from a particular campusmust be seen for. Almost all big firms go tomany campuses but recruit in differentquantum. One should look out for the businessschool where the desired dream companyrecruits big time.

The school employment statistics are a greatresource to learn this aspect about thebusiness school.

One other aspect of selecting a businessschool based on this criterion is the work visapolicies of the respective country. Obviously,this should be a part of the “Location” criteriapointed out above but I’ve deliberately put ithere as it is more relevant to career/recruitingpost-MBA. As pointed out above, the locationwhere one wants to work post-MBA is asignificant parameter for business schoolselection as the recruiting process is often morelocal. In this connection, a prospectiveapplicant must be aware of the ground realitiesregarding the post-MBA work VISA issues. Itis easier to get work VISA in some countriesthan others. In some countries it is reallydifficult to get work permits these days. In suchsituations, one’s dream company might bereluctant to hire international candidates.

Be an informed citizen to learn more aboutthis. Talking to current students also helps inunderstand the recruiting of internationalcandidates at the business school.

7. Alumni NetworkAlumni network will be

of special significanceconsidering the fact thata strong alumni networkwhich is tightlyassociated to the

business school goes a long way in networkingfor career and recruiting. A strong alumnipresence in a region or industry helps inopening doors that might not be easy to get inotherwise.

During my business school research, I’vecome across instances where a strong alumninetwork has helped new admits secure a pre-MBA internship. Now this is something whichcan’t be ignored. Moreover, if you are aninternational student like me and planning toreturn to your home country in the short tomedium term then you must consider thisaspect more strongly. Especially, we must lookat the alumni presence from the business schoolin our home country. This will be very importantin re-locating back.

When I talk of strong alumni network, it doesnot necessarily mean a very large alumni base.It essentially means how tightly knit are thealumni to the business school. A very largealumni base without significant engagementwith the business school should be less relevantthan even a small alumni base but a tightly knitone. I’ve talked to a couple of current studentsfrom some top business schools where theyexpressed that had it not been for the alumni,they would never have gotten that interview inthe first place.

Now, the only way to learn about alumninetwork is to talk to alumni and preferablycurrent students. Ask them to share theirexperience where they have contacted analumnus for something and the response ofthe alumnus thereafter. Try to learn theactivities and efforts the business school makesto engage with the alumni.

8. Co-signor Free LoansThis could be of BIG

concern to applicantslike me who don’t comefrom a financially goodbackground to bear thealmost around $

200,000 for the international MBA program. Ifyou are wondering if the above amount is true,just check the website of any business school.The total cost of attending the class (i.e.Tuitions and Living Expenses) comes toaround $ 80,000 - $ 90,000 per year.

Here comes the need for bank educationloans. Unfortunately, in many developingcountries the amount of money that can beborrowed through local banks is less than half

of the needed amount Hence, for applicantslike me, we need international student loansfrom banks in the U.S/Europe or other countrywhere the business school is located. The hardfact about international student loans in theU.S is that they need a U.S co-signor forgiving the loan and the co-signor must have acredit history in the U.S. Now, for an applicantlike me who has no connection to the U.S, itwill be really difficult to finance the MBAprogram. Here come the co-signor free loansbeing offered by some business schools.Actually, in this case, the university/businessschool becomes the co-signor for the loanand hence the student does not have to lookfor a co-signor. Unfortunately, not everybusiness school offers this, but most of thetop business schools offer co-signor freestudent loans.

Information on co-signor free loans isusually available in the Fee and FinancialAid section of the respective business school’swebsite. However, these policies keep onchanging depending on the market scenario.Hence, it is not a bad idea to drop a line tothe admissions office to check of the co-signorfree loan program is being offered or not!

And last but not the least..!!!

9. Brand NameFinally, I would say

that brand name isvery important. Itcan open doorswhich are normallyalways closed topeople from

elsewhere. The brand name helps to getconnect to people at very senior positionsin the industry. Some alumni have sharedtheir experience of how they could connectand get an appointment with CEOs of MNCsby flashing their business school brandname. So it matters and matters a lot.

This brand name can be of much moresignificant value if you are an internationalapplicant and want to come back to yourhome country post-MBA. Consider thebrand recall of the business school in yourhome country. This will be very importantto get your desired career once you re-locateback.

Talk to your contacts in the industry andget to know the brand reputation of thebusiness school in their industry.

I’ve myself used the above criterion toshortlist an initial list of business schools.I’ve to do further deeper research againbased on the above criterion to decide onthe final list of business schools where Iwill apply.

Business School Selection Criteriafor International MBABy Amit Pandey, Engineer. Graduated fromNIT, Nagpur in Electronics &Communication, Engineering in 2009.

Reprinted with permision of the authorhttp://amitkpandeyece.blogspot.com

Hi Readers and myfellow Applicants,

Over the past couple ofmonths, I’ve beenresearching and readingabout International MBAadmissions. One thing

that has clearly come up is that an admissionto top MBA programs is all about FIT. As anapplicant, one must look at one’s prioritiesand career goals among other things thatshould become the guide for businessschool selection.

This business school is a very importantdecision considering the unquestionable factthat each international MBA program has itsown signature and has something unique tooffer. Moreover, in most of the cases, MBAbecomes the last formal education in one’scareer and is also almost the last chance tomake a significant career change. Hence, oneshould have a clear understanding of one’sexpectations from the MBA program andchoose the business school that fits them.From the research that I’ve done until now,here are a few parameters that one shouldconsider in his business school selection,as per my opinion.

These criteria are from the perspective ofan International Applicant and hence somepoints may not be applicable for non-international/domestic applicants, althoughthis is purely my personal opinion.

1. Program DurationHere, the choice boils down to choosing

between European and US businessschools. European MBA programs aretypically of 1 year whereas US MBAprograms are typically 2 year programs. Thereare obviously 1 year executive MBAprograms in US business schools as well butmy focus here is on Full-Time Regular MBAprograms. The opportunity cost of being outof full time work is definitely a factor whichshould be considered while choosingprogram duration.

In my personal belief, people with NObusiness background are more suited to 2year programs. People who have worked inbusiness areas and have a businessexposure may consider 1 year programs.

Moreover, 1 year programs don’t normallyhave an option to do an internship, whichmight be not be a good thing for somebodythinking of changing careers post-MBA.Internships offer a good platform to know

about the industry/company first-hand andhence one gets to know his fit with theindustry/company before taking a full-timeoffer. This becomes especially importantconsidering the fact than an MBA, in mostcases, will be the last formal education andalso, to some extent, the last chance to changecareers.

Program duration information isavailable on the website of respectivebusiness schools.

2. Desired Career FocusWhat do you want to do

post-MBA? This is themost important questionthat an applicant must askwhile selecting a businessschool. Different business

schools have different strengths. Whendeciding about pursuing an MBA, one musthave a clear understanding of what he wantsto do in his professional career. This helps alot both in securing an admit to a desiredMBA program and a recruiting.

Having a Plan B also matters a lot here. Weapplicants must look out for business schoolswhere our career goals will best be fulfilled.

Caution: I talked to an alumnus and hesuggested that business school is such adynamic place that students experience manythings on campus. During the numerousnetworking and other activities, somestudents normally realize that they want todo something else, other than what they hadearlier planned to do in their careers. In suchsituations, it is better to go to a businessschool which is generally strong in all areas.In my opinion, one cannot be sure of all thethings in ones’ life. Here comes the Plan B.We should choose a business school whereboth the Plan A and Plan B should work outnicely.

For information regarding this, in mybelief, applicants must look for theEmployment Statistics, find out if a studentclub of the desired focus is available andmore importantly how active is it? An active

student club in the desired career focus is agood signal of the student community’s focusin the area. Read through online forums,there is tons of info out there. Talk to alumniand current students. Do careerinformational interviews with people in theindustry to understand a career option.

3. Location (Connectivity, Business Hub)

During my personalresearch, location hascome up as one of themost importantbusiness schoolselection criteria. Some

have even gone as far as to say that businessschool is all about Location, Location andLocation.

Location is useful in 2 senses: (i) where isthe school located and (ii) where do you wantto work in future post-MBA.

The first point i.e. the school location isespecially critical to international students.I say this because, international studentsmight not have the network that residentstudent might already have.

Networking is a very very important aspectof recruiting at international businessschools and hence, in my opinion, if you arein the middle of nowhere, you might have totravel every now and then to attend anetworking event in a relatively distant city.This apart from increasing the expenses, maysignificantly affect your on-campus MBAexperience.

Just in case, at least be sure to go to a placewhich is well connected to everywhere else.My second point above regarding thelocation where one wants to work is connectedto the first point too. In my research, I’ve foundthat except for a few industries, the hiring ismore or less local and hence the region whereyou want to work comes to play a veryimportant role in business school selection.

See B-schools selection, page 6.