Monday 28 October 2013

Three Key Elements in an Application

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In any B School application, the three key elements are:

THE ESSAY:

Many applicants recycle their essays for different schools. However, when they do that, they often do not go through the essay question(s). It is very important to understand the nuances of a question and answer specifically.

Essays reflect an applicant's personality. Coherence and core ideas are far more important than grammatical accuracy. A shabby cut and paste job can be identified easily and is often the first cause of rejection.

Therefore the cardinal principle is to write your essays yourself. Ideas can be taken from friends, professional guides, but the language and style should be yours.

 THE INTERVIEW:

For an interview, preparation is most important. It is also very important to be in a relaxed frame of mind.

We have always emphasized not to exaggerate in your application essays, co-curriculars. Often candidates are ill prepared for th facts that they themselves have written. I remember an incident. A candidate once mentioned 'dramatics' as her interest, but during mock interview preparation, I found that she was unfamiliar with some of the plays of Shakespeare, leave apart some vernacular playwrights.

So it is extremely important to be at ease with whatever you have written. A mock interview preparation is often the best way to prepare for an interview.   



THE RECOMMENDATIONS:

It is important to convince your supervisors that the admission process is extremely important for you. A recommendation is extremely important because the schools get an insight about your abilities from anotehr person; a person who is is a position to evaluate your professional competence.

Therefore, it is recommended that you should give your supervisor ample time. You can also discuss the areas that can be put in recommendations. Recommendations are really effective when they are supported with examples or incidents.

Thursday 3 October 2013

Why Recommendations are important

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Recommendations Letters (Recos) are extremely important part of B School Applications.

Recos can be effectively used to highlight an applicant's abilities. Further, as these recommendations are given by a third party (supervisors, clients, vendors), the associated credibility is much higher.

One of the aims of a B school application is to showcase why a certain candidate is exceptional. Recos help in this regard. A recommender can always showcase the outstanding attributes of a candidate.

It is important that recommendations are backed up with examples. Specific instances and events lend credibility to the entire write-up.In this regard, it would not be a bad idea to refresh the memory of your recommenders by submitting a list of your accomplishment.


It is also critically important to select recommenders carefully. A recommender should be, above all things, a well-wisher. He/she should be aware of the consequences of a recommendation letter and should take interest in improving the application. A recommender should be a person who is prepared to devote quality time on applications and is ready to submit recommendations to multiple schools.  

Prior to the application process, one should contact the recommenders and have a frank discussion with them. An applicant should share his/her aspirations with the recommenders and discuss the issues to timely submission to them.