Tuesday 31 December 2013

Another Success.....

Success Continues....Our student Gurbinder Singh has cleared ISB 1st round and has been selected for interview. We are also providing him interview training.

Thursday 14 November 2013

Success Story so far....

www.bschoolmentor.com

Our Success Story so far:

1. Srinivas Maddi: IIM Bangalore

2. Monal Hasti: Boston University

3. Jyotsna Khanduja: Arizona Carey

4. Devi Prasad: IIM Ahmedabad

5. Niharika Jain: ISB

6. Akanksha Tandon: ISB

Sunday 3 November 2013

Diwali Greetings

Dear Friends,

On the occasion of Diwali, may we express our very best wishes for your growth and prosperity.

The very fact that you decided to make an effort to change your life is extremely inspiring for us. This is because it strengthens our belief that there are people who genuinely want to change their life and are willing to go that extra mile. We want to be associated with people like you.

Our team realizes the importance of this stage for you. After all few years back, we were in the same boat.

Always keep a positive approach and remind yourself of the day when you first thought about giving GMAT.

Once again, best wishes from our team and very best of luck for the future.



Mentors.

Monday 28 October 2013

Three Key Elements in an Application

Visit our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

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

www.bschoolmentor.com
 
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.

Saturday 21 September 2013

How Admission Consultant can help?


 Refer Our website: http://www.bschoolmentor.com

 How Admission Consultants can help?

  1. A Consultant utilizes his/her experience to highlight unique aspects of the profile of an applicant. 
  2. Often applicants are not able to assess the true potential of certain achievements. On the other hand, they tend to over-rate some other achievements.An admission consultant views the achievements in a objective manner. He/she can guide the applicant to select those achievements that make the application stronger.
  3. An admission consultant often acts as a sounding board. One can reflect one's thoughts and ideas and get a professional opinion.
  4. With a professional consultant, one also gains a mentor cum coach. Such a consultant motivates the student and also nudges the student to remain on course. Our students have often indicated that this is one of the key benefits that they obtained from our association.  
  5. The key advantage with our group is that the key members themselves guide students. Every team member is a B school alumnus and has gone through the admission process himself/ herself.We are aware of the tough competition and the amount of hard-work and commitment required to get admission in a B school.
Ref:
http://www.thehindu.com/features/education/college-and-university/a-coach-for-an-mba/article5055441.ece

Saturday 24 August 2013

MBA course - Accredition issues


An MBA is an investment. An investment of efforts, time and money. But the very first thing that we would like to advise prospective students is to be very careful about the kind of schools that they select.

There are many Business Schools mushrooming in India and all our viewers should realize that the situation is not much different abroad.

There are many universities abroad that are fake and are only interested in minting money. Unfortunately there are many agents / educations counselors that do not give complete picture to the students. They are aware of the desire to study / visit "abroad".

So be very careful that when you select a university abroad, you select a genuine, bonafide university and you select it for the right reason. There is only one right reason: Desire to learn and upgrade oneself.

Deciding about a University is much more complicated than just looking at the rankings. An MBA is a tough and time consuming investment. Thus, finding a the right university requires patience. It is extremely important to know the reputation of university within that respective country along with the accreditation.

Our Group B School Mentor (BSM), only recommends schools that are duly accredited and vouched by three top B School Rating Agencies: US News, Financial Times, Bloomberg-Business Times.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

MBA woman Sarpanch - An inspiring story

Refer Our Website: http://bschoolmentor.com


Panchayat is a local governing body, that is responsible for developmental work in a village. Its Name "Panchayat" comes from the number "Paanch" meaning Five. Modern day Panchayat is slightly different than its previous avatar (having similar name). Previously Panchayat comprised of five village elders who used to resolve basic issues among villages. These five elders were called "Panch" (rhyming with Punch). The First among Equals was called "Sarpanch" (the Head Panch).

The modern day Panchayats are democratically elected by villagers. In addition the post of Panch / Sarpanch is reserved for women, in some constituencies. So, in that sense women sarpanch are not uncommon in India.
However, Chhavi Rajawat is in a different league altogether.  She has an MBA degree and she voluntarily left her corporate career (with a telecom giant) to work for her village 'Soda' of Tonk district in Rajasthan.

Dainik Bhaskar reports:

" The 33-year-old who represented India at a recent UN poverty summit has a story that reveals the potential of good leadership in making a difference"
 
Chhavi has been working ever since to bring better water supply, solar power, public toilets to Soda, a village  whose 10,000 constituents are mostly farmers and labourers and are largely untouched by the country's economic boom.
Refer This link for complete story: http://goo.gl/kfxP7U

Monday 12 August 2013

Going beyond the Usual Queries of Pursuing MBA - Looking into Socio-Cultural Issues

The traditional MBA queries are on expected lines: Rankings, Placement, GMAT preparation, Application Rounds, Tuition Fee etc.

However there is another aspect that should be given equal importance in deciding a B School.


This aspect relates to socio-cultural issues.

The first call is - Where to pursue an MBA? In one's own country or abroad?

 It is extremely important to be comfortable in the socio-cultural environment of a place where one is going to spend one year or may be two years. One would rather concentrate on studies & project work than getting bogged down by compatibility issues.

Therefore it is important to know about the social and cultural background of the place where you are visiting. It would also be advisable to get thoroughly acquainted with the general economic scenario of the country.

Another important issue related to immigration policies of a country. One should be well aware of one's status, rights as well as the kind of support one can expect in a country in a crisis (health issues / security issues).

Thursday 8 August 2013

MBA Grdauates and their salaries


Our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

The MBAs in India got a better deal than their global peer group. The study was conducted by the global body Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) that conducts GMAT, a standardized assessment that is widely used by graduate business administration programs..

According to this study there has been a rise of around 22 % in average Indian MBA salaries.

The study indicates that there is a "healthier job market" in India as compared to other countries.

The report also added that more than 80% of the MBA graduates felt their course had given them a competitive edge in the job market.

For complete details see the report: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/MBA-grads-beat-global-peers-in-salary-hikes/Article1-1103883.aspx

Monday 5 August 2013

On Campus Recruitment of MBAs is on the rise

Our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

There is a good news for prospective MBAs.

On Campus Recruitment of MBAs is on the rise.

In addition, MBAs are increasingly moving towards the Entrepreneurship option.

Refer following article: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/08/05/3130001/job-front-recruiting-on-campus.html

In India more candidates opting for MBA

Our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

Hindu Business Line report suggests that increasingly Indian students are going for MBA to make a mid level career change.

Sapna Agrawal, Head, Career Development Services, IIM-Bangalore, said, “A number of our students tend to change their sector after their MBA. At the PGP (two-year MBA) level, many students move from engineering/IT domain into fields such as consulting, finance or marketing, which is a change to another sector altogether.”

For a more detailed insight, refer to the following link:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/education/more-candidates-opt-for-mba-tag-for-career-switch/article4988973.ece

Friday 2 August 2013

MBA Application Essays - Be careful of what you mention there.

Our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

B School evaluate an applicant on quantitative inputs such as GMAT/GRE scores & GPA as well as on qualitative inputs such as Resume, Essays and Recommendations.

Many students tend to go overboard when they write their essays.

Here is a warning to such a group.

While you may cross the first hurdle and get an interview call, the same exaggerated write-up can get you in a soup in an interview.

Most of the interviewers get input about a candidate from the write-ups and CVs.

Any exaggerated claim in an essay can be questioned by an informed interviewer and cal lead to non-selection.

Similar logic holds good for extra-curricular / hobbies.

Wednesday 31 July 2013

B School Applications Have a new Component - Video

Refer our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

This year Kellogg School of Management & Yale School of Management plan to introduce a Video component as a part of their application process.

In India ISB includes a Video Resume as a part of its application process.

Business Week reports: that "questions will be of a personal nature" and "no preparation is needed."

Monday 29 July 2013

Job location and Country - Two additional factors

Go Through our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

There was a time when US B schools attracted a major chunk of students. Their reputation was enough to attract the best of talents.

Times are changing. Now students consider some more parameters before they zero in on a B School. Reputation of a school is no doubt an important aspect, but two more factors have increasingly started to influence the decision of students.

First is the country and its financial stability. Second is the job availability.

Germany and China have become new favourite destinations of international students.

Similarly schools that offer better placement services get better intake. Placement statistics have become a key component in deciding the ranking of a B School.

An article from Business week touches similar idea: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-29/mba-applicants-target-b-schools-in-the-strongest-economies

Sunday 28 July 2013

The Soldier Moves into the Corporate World via B Schools

Refer our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

Source: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/14d22a12-f44f-11e2-a62e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2aMrGGikp

For many soldiers who plan to move into a civilian life, a B school is the right entry channel.

Financial Times reports that: "Business schools are also designing programmes that help veterans translate military leadership skills to the corporate environment and earn credit for their prior training, which can cut costs and time at school."

Saturday 27 July 2013

More Doctors seeking MBA degrees....

Increasingly more Doctors are preparing for new or bigger management roles and seeking to improve their practices. These doctors see the executive MBA as a path toward improving the patient experience.
Business training for doctors has been growing steadily since the late 1990s when UC Irvine became one of the first medical schools to offer a joint MD/MBA program as well as a healthcare-specific executive MBA. 
Dr. Richard Baum, chief of interventional radiology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said he was eager to study "the science of business" and not get a healthcare-specific executive MBA He wanted to learn bread-and-butter stuff, like how to pay for a hospital with bonds and government subsidies. But he also wanted to learn new ways of thinking from outside healthcare.
When studying for the degree, he said, "You're not just sitting in a room full of doctors, but with manufacturers and shipbuilders."
That is true of an increasing number of physicians, said Jonathan Lehrich, director of MIT Sloan's executive program. "Many physicians working in medical centers," Lehrich said, "feel like prisoners of the hospital administration. They're tired of being told, 'Well, you're the physician. You just go off and practice and we'll make all the decisions.' "
Dr. Suma Thomas is a cardiologist who attended MIT while practicing at the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington. When working with associations dedicated to improving patient care, she said she realized that "doctors don't have the tools to improve our healthcare system."
She took finance courses that taught her to read a balance sheet as well as classes in leadership and communications. In her new position as vice chairman of strategy and operations for the Heart and Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Suma wants to use her new training "to help make the quality of healthcare best everywhere in the nation."
The doctors who have earned their executive MBA through MIT are putting their new skills to work in a variety of ways.
Dr. Koka, focused on "soft science" courses such as strategic management and innovation and entrepreneurship to gain insights that he used while leading the staff in a new clinic for complex cases at Mayo.
For Dr. Ivan Salgo, senior director of Global Cardiology at Philips Ultrasound in Andover, the draw was learning how to analyze "big data," the effort to extract meaning from massive sets of data.
Dr. Salgo, a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist in the medical device industry for the past 10 years, saw a changed healthcare system. It's no longer enough to create a useful device, he said. Medical device companies, insurers, and patients now demand results. "So now it's not about getting paid for the antibiotic for your cold," he said, "but for curing your cold."

Thursday 25 July 2013

Executive MBA Rankings

Why doing MBA from Indian B Schools makes sense?

Source: http://bit.ly/1dY9Vdr

Refer Our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

Until recently, the two-year PGP course, the flagship program at all IIMs, has been the gold standard of MBA programs in India.  But calling them MBAs is actually a misnomer.  



One problem is that IIMs award diplomas rather than degrees.  But the real impediment is the fact that international accreditation organizations such as the Association of MBAs (AMBA) require a program’s students to have an average of at least five years work experience and a minimum of three years.

PGP courses do not meet this criterion.  They often admit students with no fulltime work experience and the average is around two years.

Officially, accreditation organizations consider PGPs to be an MBM – Masters in Business and Management.  Unofficially, the PGPs usually characterize themselves as “MBA-equivalent”.

From the founding of the first IIMs in Calcutta and Ahmedabad in 1961 followed by IIM Bangalore in 1973 (there are now a total of 13), this was the model that the brightest students in India aspired to.

 But this comfortable status quo was challenged with the creation of ISB, the Indian School of Business, in Hyderabad in 2001.  Its flagship program is of one year duration and it requires more work experience for admission – the minimum is normally two years and the class average is about five years.

It turned out that there was a strong demand for ISB’s approach and their class size has grown to more than 700 per year.   As you might expect, it wasn’t long before several of the IIMs followed suit and established their own one year programs – first the PGPX at IIMA in 2007 and soon after the EPGP at IIMB and similar programs at IIMs in Calcutta, Indore and Lucknow.

Internationally, most of the MBAs outside North America are one year programs.
Top-tier European schools like INSEAD in France, IMD in Switzerland and IE in Spain are well-established and highly-selective.

Average work experience varies from about five to seven years.   In the US, most MBA programs still use the two-year model but this has started to change – three of the top twenty American B-schools now also offer one year full-time programs alongside their existing two-year programs.

MBA in India and abroad

Each program has its own particularities, so direct comparisons between programs in India and those abroad are difficult but it is possible to make a few generalizations.

Students in Indian one-year programs, generally, have more work experience, up to 9.5 years in IIMB’s EPGP and 10+ years at IIMA’s PGPX.

Average GMAT scores for students in Indian one-year programs are competitive with that of programs abroad.

The percentage of students with engineering background is more than twice high in Indian programs (For example, 28% at INSEAD and 37% at Stanford versus 74% at ISB and 68% at PGPX).

While the fees for Indian one-year programs represent a hefty investment, up to Rs 24 Lakhs, the cost of foreign one-year programs is more than double and can be close to three times as much.

Most European and American MBA programs have a large percentage of international students, with 40+ nationalities often being represented in a class.  Indian programs, on the other hand, have a negligible representation of international students.

For example, ISB had only 13 out of a class of 700+, PGPX had just six with foreign passports, and most other programs had none.

Indian programs do attract a significant number of NRIs, especially in the one-year programs. These include people who intend to re-settle in India after graduating as well as those intending to continue working abroad but wanting to take advantage of the lower cost of Indian programs.

The IIMs are insistent that they are not placement agencies.  Their priority is providing an academic experience of the highest international standard.

While all Indian B-schools offer a range of placement support to students in their one year programs, they all make it clear that placement cannot be guaranteed.
 The fact remains, however, that for virtually all applicants to these programs, placement post-graduation is a top priority.

All the schools continue to provide placement support for the students after graduation.

The results vary from year to year depending on market conditions, the quality of the students themselves and also the fact that it has taken time for recruiters to become aware of how to position the more experienced graduates of one-year programs in their companies.

For instance, for the batch that graduated earlier in 2013, IIMB’s EPGP program seems to have had the most success.  71 students out of a class of 74 have been placed (96%), with most achieving significant career enhancement with a substantial jump in position, remuneration and level of responsibility.

Many moved into jobs in new functions and sectors, the average salary was Rs 26 Lakhs, and two graduates received compensation packages of one crore or more, one being placed in India and the other in the US.

The top Indian B-schools have top-flight programs and faculty, easily competitive with the best on offer in the rest of the world and at half the cost.
 But candidates need to be clear about what they hope to accomplish before clicking the send button on the application form.

If it is primarily a turbo-boost in their career progression then they may be disappointed.  If on the other hand they find themselves dissatisfied despite a good job with a high salary and seek to challenge themselves intellectually and open themselves to a potentially transformative experience, then pressing the send button can be the first step on a life-changing journey.

Monday 15 July 2013

Why should one take help in applications?

Contact Our website: http://bschoolmentor.com

This is strictly your call. While it is true that not all students take help, it is also a fact that far too many students have suffered because they didn't take help, when they should have.

Remember few things:

a. Everybody needs support.

b. Know YOURSELF. Are you good at writing essays? Are you confident of your applications? Introspect. Intelligent people realize early that they are not good at something and have to take professional help.

c. Do not think of short term monetary benefit. There is a maxim "Penny wise Pound Foolish". The stakes are too high for you. This is once in a life opportunity. You are investing two years (may be one year) of your prime earning life. You cannot afford to waste a year just because your application was not upto the mark.

d. A committed, hard working student should not be deprived of admission in a B school just because (s)he is not able to highlight his/her achievements.

Saturday 13 July 2013

Why MBA is a good option??


Refer Our website http://bschoolmentor.com

MBA education is a great value addition and a life changing opportunity.

For a working professional it provides key inputs in areas of HR, Finance, Marketing and Strategy. It is a comprehensive course that provides insight of various industries and sectors.

Most of the top B schools follow Case Study approach, in which best practices or major turning points of top companies are discussed. Some of the cases also deal with a strategy that was not effective. Either way, the cases bring forth an important issue that is deliberated in the class. As the case progresses, students realize that the Professors are building up background for discussion of a key theoretical business concept. Since the concept evolves through the discussion of a live problem, it is appreciated by the class to a much greater extent.

Apart from the insights given by the Professors, the real value addition is obtained from the peer group. Usually the MBA class consists of experienced professionals; and every participants brings his/her own insights about a specific industry sector. this insight is extremely invaluable and often complements the course curriculum.

Countless individuals have used MBA as a stepping stone for switching careers. Professional with an MBA degree are hired at a senior position and are given a faster promotion than their counterparts without such a degree. Basically an MBA education from a B school provides a definite advantage; an advantage that both industry as well as employees recognize. An MBA course is equivalent to learning obtained after 6-7 years of professional experience.

Market recognizes the value addition obtained by an MBA course and the high remuneration commanded by MBAs bears testimony to this fact.

Introduction


B School Mentor (BSM) is an all IIM alumni venture that supports aspiring students to get admission into B school of their preference. We provide qualitative inputs in all the areas of Application Preparation viz. School Selection, Essay Editing, Resume Critique, and Interview preparation.

Our team is well versed with the rigors of an admission process to Ivey league School. We have gone through this entire process ourselves and have got admit in top B schools.

Please visit our website: http://bschoolmentor.com/