When I first heard about this book, I
was a bit skeptical, that this is going to be yet another meaningless addition
to my list of books. But given that it is from accepted.com, I was pretty excited
to read the book. I think it is almost half a year since the book got onto my
Kindle Reader, finally I could take some time to review it.
 |
| Thank you, accepted.com! |
As the title suggests, this is
definitely a ‘no nonsense’ guide to MBA Admissions. If writing GMAT and having
a decent CGPA is one side of MBA Admissions, applying is another side of the
coin. Let me tell you, it is rightly said, ‘If you don’t know where you are
going, you might end up somewhere else’.
As a MBA aspirant from India, let me
give you a little overview about an Indian’s mindset about MBA. Indians finish
their Bachelor’s degree around 20 or 21 years of age, and soon start thinking
about MBA. The Indian MBA Schools offer admission even at zero years of experience.
They mold you for two years and have ready placements at the end of these 2
years. Except for a few, most of them don’t even know about the career options
open to them. On the other hand, some others opt for MBA after a couple of
years of work experience. Most of this applicant pool need an MBA because of
the fat pay check that they will receive as promised by the institute after
their course, right at the start of their career. At least 90% cannot truly
answer the question ‘Why MBA?’.
When I started my MBA preparation, I had
the same mindset. I should say, after almost 4 months of networking and
blogging, I realized that I am still not clear of why I need an MBA or in what
area I wanted to specialize. I had my doubts; I was always vague about how I
thought about MBA applications. And I felt I really need to find out what can
get me an admission into one of the schools of my choice amongst thousands of
applicants out there. There were so many areas to clear my mind about, and I didn’t
know where to start.
And there came Linda and Judy with
their super-awesome guide. When I got the opportunity to read the book, the
first thing that stuck me was, I am still not at the point to decide my exact
goal or figure out the reason for doing an MBA. I was bound by the traditional
Indian mindset. This book made me think – Why MBA? Which area do I want to
specialize in? What are my goals –short term and long term? Etc. etc.
What the authors have put forth are
questions that every international MBA applicant probably knows in course of
his research about schools and applications, but the book sort of puts them
together in a specific pattern which would make you think. It helps you map
your interests with your future goals and MBA application.
The book made me take a step back and
look at the whole picture, analyze, and rethink step-by-step every area of the
MBA application process.
Starting
from setting our goals post MBA, to researching the available programs that
match our career goals, qualifications of the individual with respect to the
school, choosing the right school, every aspect of application has been
described in detail throwing examples here and there. I could surprisingly
relate myself to a lot of scenarios suggested in the book. The book also talks
about how to write essays, and resumes and gather awesome letters of
recommendation. It also digs into areas of interview preparation.
Neatly
organized, this book in my opinion, is a must-read for all MBA applicants. I
would specially suggest this for Indian Applicants who get lost in the
applicant pool because of the lack of knowledge. Grab the first chapter for free here. Thank You Sarah, for introducing me to this book, or I would have missed a gem in the ocean.
Links to get your copy of the book:
http://www.mbaadmissionforsmarties.com/order/
Indians can get it from the renowned Flipkart site.
Links to get your copy of the book:
http://www.mbaadmissionforsmarties.com/order/
Indians can get it from the renowned Flipkart site.
Cheers!
