Application Process: The Key to Business School Admission

For 1-year MBA courses, the admissions application process is the most talked about process.

Basically, there are three major steps involved in securing admission in a B-School.

The first step of GMAT is the lengthiest and the most academically involved process. Students devote maximum time on this process.

But the time devoted towards preparation decreases as we advance into further processes involved in admission. But do you know the relative weightage of these processes in your overall evaluation in admission?

IIM Lucknow has officially put up the relative weightage on their website.

As it evident from the official disclosure of IIM Lucknow, that GMAT counts for only 30% of the overall evaluation marks.

This is one fact which most of the applicants tend to ignore. After getting the good GMAT score, work is only one-third done. The more complex process starts after that.

Let’s discuss the importance of application process which includes essays, resume building, SOP etc.

1. The selection actually begins here – Till GMAT, the process is more of a rejection. Students below a certain cut-off mark are filtered out of the process. So, till GMAT, idea is not to get rejected. From application process onwards, the focus shifts on getting selected. You need to stand apart to get noticed and get selected.
2. Your life story takes central stage – In GMAT preparation and examination, its all about aptitude, hard work and practise. But the application process requires complete deliberation of your personal and professional life along with the future goals.
3. It decides your fate – Lets face the fact. GMAT puts you on a platform. The application process provides you an opportunity to speak at the podium. And, figuratively speaking, if your speech is appreciated, you are through. So, it this process, that actually decides your B-school fate.

So, what it means to the candidates?

For the candidates, it means the followings.

1. Unique preparation method- Many candidates may approach GMAT preparation in a similar manner. But the same cant be done in the application process. Every candidate is different and hence every candidate needs to process the application differently.

For PSU/Govt professional, it’s a red flag! Don’t approach your application in the same manner as done by general applicants. Your journey and life story are completely different.

1. Devoting time in self-exploration – The application must mirror your true personality, history and aspirations. For that, you require ample time to find your own strengths and weaknesses.

For PSU/Govt professional, its even more important. During the service period, you may have never been made to explore these aspects of your career. But your counterparts in private sector are used to answering these questions in many job interviews that they have faced. Hence, for you it’s a new challenge!

1. Creating the perfect piece of write-up – You may have a strong career profile, but ultimately it boils down to writing about you in few words on the application. It’s the words that will attract the admission committee. And let’s agree, not everyone has a way with words!

For PSU/Govt professional, it is the most critical factor. The terminologies and work processes used in public sector are mostly different from the private sector. Hence you need special effort to convert your work into a language that everyone can understand.

Hope candidates will pay due devotion to the application process.