Getting ready for an MBA in the USA
Like every year in the past, this year too brings with it a planeload of surprises when it comes to
MBA in the USA. For starters, we wish to clarify that we recommend both the 2-year full-time MBA
and what Duke University Fuqua likes to call the “Day Time MBA,” as well as the 1-year MBA.
Executive, Global, and Fast Track MBAs awarded by b-schools in the U.S. are not very popular with
international applicants for reasons we can get into in another article. In any case, many business
schools in the United States will not admit international applicants since they are mostly part-time
programs.
So, what are the surprises? Here are a few:
Rolling back the Deadlines
B-schools continue to roll back their deadlines. They are now slated for September this year for the following year’s intake. The reasons could be many. These B-schools are probably looking for the cream of the crop and wish to leverage the proverbial first strike advantage in terms of student enrollment. While the R1 deadlines have been rolled back by a few b-schools, the R2 and R3 deadlines seem to remain untouched.
Steps to Prepare for Entrance Tests
There was a time not too long ago when b-schools in the U.S. reviewed the “entire picture” for
evaluation purposes. The precise nature of your competitive edge was based on the quality of your
application, the essays, including the optional essay which we strongly recommend that every
applicant submit, the letters of recommendation, your academic record, extra-curricular activities,
volunteer work, social outreach, and other related factors. It seems to us now that the GPA and
GMAT scores are being used to clearly establish quantitative benchmarks of entry. In other words, if
the b-school, for instance, determines internally that it will not entertain applications from
prospective MBA applicants who have a GMAT score of less than 690, the applicant is simply out of
luck regardless of his or her overall profile and record. Therefore, it may be a safe bet to spend $200
on an application only after you have checked the average or minimum entry GMAT score as
mentioned on the b-school’s Class Profile Page. You can easily access this information by simply
typing into your favorite search engine or AI platform the phrase “class profile” followed by the
name of the business school.
That being said, there are many really good B-schools in the United States that will admit applicants
with GMAT scores below 690. We will tell you about them when you partner with us once we
conduct a careful profile analysis.
Ever Increasing Competition
Applications from international aspirants for higher studies in the U.S. typically go up 10% on average each year. This translates into more competition and an additional layer of meticulous planning. It is therefore a good idea to get in touch with our MBA consultant, who has 15 years of rich and highly focused experience helping MBA applicants, to get a winning handle on the process. Owing to a variety of circumstances, the quantum of MBA applications to the U.S. has come down recently-- a subject for another article.