The most important and expensive decision for your career is to pursue the Global MBA program. Before you jump on to the conclusion that you need an MBA degree, spend some time beforehand, and evaluate your decision. In this article, we have explained the global MBA admission process and what all you need to know, to plan your MBA journey. We have only covered the basic understanding of each step. You can read individual blogs on each topic on our website to understand the MBA admission process in detail.
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You need to introspect and seek help at this stage only if you are unsure. There could be different reasons or a combination of reasons, such as settling down in any specific country or region, expedite your career progression, getting into a school focused on Finance (could be any other domain for you), tuition and living expense consideration, scholarship consideration, or you have no idea. In any case, consult an expert and get your answers. After that, there will be a smooth ride.
The first step in your planning is the GMAT exam. Do plan your GMAT exam at least 3 months before the first round of applications, so that you can have some time for improvement if required. Now, there is no good or bad GMAT score, it depends on your end goal. For example, if you want to pursue your MBA from the top 10 schools in the US, then definitely your GMAT target should also be at least in the median, which is around 710+. Having said that, your profile definitely plays an important role and we will take that in our future articles separately. But, to get scholarships along with the to admit, GMAT will play an important role.
School Selection
Choosing the right school matters the most and If you are clear with your MBA objective, then definitely this step would be easy. Generally, you can first think about the reason for pursuing a global MBA and you target your schools accordingly. For example, if you want to pursue a program in marketing from the best schools in the US or APAC, then you can narrow down your search accordingly. In this approach, you can choose the best fit for you very easily.
Most of the schools provide a basic format, but even if they don’t, then also take any standard format. As in this case, your accomplishments should take the front seat rather than format and creativity. So, spend a good amount of time articulating achievements, suggestions, or highlights of your life.
Generally, most of the schools would require 2 recommenders, but sometimes an optional third recommender is also mentioned. Now, choosing a recommender is extremely important. You should always choose a person with whom you have worked closely. So, there are few people such as your Manager, client, etc. are the best recommenders. But you can always choose someone else if you are not confident about these people. The questions are very specific in the recommender form and the recommender should mention specific instances and projects, highlighting your achievements and leadership skills. This is the reason you should ask someone who has worked closely with you.
This is the most important part of the whole global MBA admission process. In most of the schools, you will have to write 2-4 admission essays, primarily focused on Why MBA, career goals, future strategy, work experience & leadership ability, contribution to the community and how will you add value to the school and the class. Remember, you don’t need perfect essays, but you need genuine essays. For more details, you can read our blogs on admission essays.
English Language Proficiency
Most of the schools require an English language test result, such as IELTS, TOFEL, PTE, scores. Generally, for MBA the requirements are very high. For example, in the case of IELTS, it’s a 7.5 band and 100+ in TOFEL, but it varies from school to school. In a few of the EU and APAC region schools, this is waived off if you have done your education from an English medium institute.
Video Interview
Before you get the final call for a personal interview, many schools would require you to go through a video interview, with some preset questions. KIRA is one such platform. This is also considered for overall assessment and schools would want to understand you as an individual through this interview. This step is before you will get a call for the personal interview and this is very popular in Canadian business schools.
Personal Interview
So, the last step in the global MBA admission process and your chance to shine and express yourself is the personal interview. Through the interview, the committee would want to see your clarity and genuineness. They will focus on your leadership skills, MBA clarity, how you can contribute to the school, accomplishments, and some situational questions as well. We will take that in our future blogs.
Final Offer
If you have more than 1 offer, then take a call based on your defined MBA objectives and reviews from existing students as well. The important aspect is your career goal, and if that is clear, then it’s always easy to choose your final destination.
Feel free to connect with us in case you need any guidance or support in the global MBA admission process and for getting into the top schools, across the globe.
