It’s no big secret that chances of your success in gaining admissions
to some of the most selective schools in the world depend on your ability to
properly utilize the resources and talent available at your disposal. In most
cases, you do need a happy supervisor (or 2) who will provide a stellar
recommendation and hopefully mention all your success stories that you remind
him so energetically about.
You also need an admissions consultant unless you
have the bandwidth to learn about every school and understand where you may or
may not get in. If you’re an international student, you’ll also need someone to
guide you through the whole visa process, because frankly you don’t want to be
accepted at some school only to be rejected by the consulate because you made an avoidable
mistake in your visa application.
You also need to talk to current students (if
possible) and alumni, not only to understand what the school offers, but also
to maybe put in a good word , depending upon how much influence students have
on the process.
You need all of those people. But, the most important people
whom you may seem to forget about are the people on admissions committees. Ultimately,
you can have all things stacked up nicely, but the buck stops with the AdCom! Now,
short of actually visiting each and every school that you may be interested in,
what is it that you can do connect with the amazing people on Adcoms?
Hmm…
“If only there were a place where AdCom members gather in
large numbers, with the sole intent of interacting with prospective students…”
Well, there is such a place. And that place is called an
Admissions event! Every major school conducts such events across the globe. But,
if you live far away from one of the cities where such events take place, the
least you can do is attend important MBA fairs. MBA fairs are those magical
places where a number of business schools come together under one roof and readily
communicate with you on a personal level.
Nothing beats face to face
interactions. You can get a sense of a person’s inclinations, interests, etc. Plus,
AdCom members tell you their honest opinion about your chances at their schools
and you can understand what each school is looking for in an MBA student and if
you fit the bill.
But if you don’t really think that such interactions are
enough of an attraction, there is a financial side to such fairs as well. Aaah!
I see I have your attention. Many schools offer fee waivers, discounts, and
some even offer scholarships. If you are going to apply to 5 schools (which is
always better than applying to just one), the bill for applying to that many
schools ranges from $1250 to $10000, depending upon whether you are using a
consultant in addition to paying the fees!
To most people, that is a loooot of
money. And considering that someone is generous enough to understand your
situation and is willing and able to offer you a waiver or a discount, should
really get you going to those events.
The more important thing to realize, is that you are there
for much needed facetime with the Adcom members, who will remember you long
after they have left the event. And when the time comes to choose between a
faceless application and a person they’ve actually met, who do you think the
Adcom members will choose?
So, whatever may be your motivation to attend those events,
if you can, do attend such events. A couple of friends I know walked away with
fee waivers, and later the adcom members who had asked them to apply asap
pushed for these friends to be admitted. These events are the hidden secret
that no one seems to tell you about. They are key to your success!
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